This series Into the Glorious exists to address tough questions, many of them regarding science and faith. Tonight I've decided to blog about a topic I am currently learning more about than I ever have in my life, and though it is not directly related to the world of science nor is it centered on deep theology, I think it is a concept that many people will find relevant, and so I want to address it. The concept is life change, or as the Bible titles it 'carrying one's cross'.As mentioned, I have lately been growing in my knowledge of what it looks like to truly have a life changed by the love of Christ. Ever since I was a fledgling, I have been concerned with realness. What I mean is, I've always been all in or all out. I've never been one to be 'on the fence' about much (or perhaps anything) and there is something deep inside me that strives to be real. This has especially played itself out in my faith over the years, as I've never wanted to simply make extraordinary claims without truly believing said claims and definitely not without striving to live out said claims.
This characteristic has proven to be both positive and negative, but I think more so beneficial than not. What it means for me is that I've always been a seeker, forever wanting to know all that I can regarding truth and asking question upon question in order to grow in discovery, experience, and knowledge.
I was that annoying child who whined from the backseat, never satisfied with not knowing where we were going, what we were doing, or how much longer it would take for us to arrive at our destination.
Lord, bless my patient parents.
Anyway, in my seeking I have had various conversations with multitudes of people about the Christian faith and all that it encompasses, and a common trend among people I have encountered is a hesitation to follow Jesus because of it's 'requirements', for lack of a better word. A common complaint I've heard in the past is that a person did not want to be a Christian because it meant that he or she would have to change his or her life.
How to respond? How do you defend a God who requires a person to change every aspect of their life in order to follow Him?
Here is what I think: this complain is a misunderstanding of the Christian faith, and more importantly it is a misunderstanding of the God of the Hebrew Bible.
Leo Tolstoy puts it well:
"There are many reasons why Christ's teaching is not understood...
But the principle reason, which is the source of all the other mistaken ideas about it, is the notion that Christianity is a doctrine which can be accepted or rejected without any change of life."A life change is part of the Christian equation, yes. However, one must alter one's thinking on the subject in order to comprehend how it is meant to happen, and, honestly, understanding how this life change happens is far more important than understanding that it happens at all.
One truth is vital to grasp: God does not require anyone to change before He loves them, but rather God has already offered out His love to every broken, messy, screwed up person in existence.
In other words, all of us.
Then, once that love has been accepted as a gift that is freely given, it radically transforms a person from the inside out. Ever since I became a Christian at the age of sixteen, I have not been able to simply live my own way, because once I encountered the love of Christ it was evident to me that there would be no other satisfactory or so beautiful way to live. Even in my darkest times and even when my wandering heart strays from the Lord, my soul cannot deny the existence and goodness of God and His love. One of my favorite authors and speakers Ben Stuart describes this concept accurately in his book This Changes Everything. He relates the love of God moving into a heart to his wife moving into a new home. As a renovation begins to happen no room is safe as walls are demolished, wiring is torn out, light fixtures are trashed, and flooring is ripped up. At first, it may seem messy and even chaotic, but eventually beauty replaces the ashes and the chaos leads to life. To quote Stuart:
'This is what happens when the gospel of Jesus Christ takes residence in a human heart. When the Spirit of God moves in, a massive renovation takes place! We cannot stay the same. Old habits are demolished. Inferior ways of thinking are ripped out. Dark places are exposed. No room is safe. Sometimes things look messier as a result, but before God is finished He replaces panic with faith, hate with love, complaint with prayer, and selfishness with generosity. Everything changes'.Once a person truly experiences the love of God, he or she cannot stay the same. This does not mean that a person will never sin again, but it does mean that a person will forever know that deep down, the love of God is good.
It is written that His love is 'better than life itself' (Psalm 63:3).
One cannot know how good His love is until one has tasted and seen, and thankfully His call is simply that: come to the fountain and drink.
Drink deeply of the love that He has lavished upon us, calling us children of God. The beauty of the Gospel can only be displayed in the experiential life of a person, but one cannot experience it at all if one is unwilling to even try.
It must be acknowledged that His love is not easy. More often than not His love is hard, found in living the messy and being real.
It may mean setting pride aside.
It could consist of getting dirt under the nails.
It will mean being vulnerable in the best way, because to love other people-and to allow them to love you-is to be vulnerable.
Perhaps this is a snippet of what Jesus meant when He issued the call to 'come and follow me'. When He said that whoever wants to be His disciple must take up his or her cross, I think He indeed meant every word He spoke.
To the person who has already decided to follow this guy, have you allowed God to make it real for you? This is what I've been learning lately: how to 'take up my cross'. The call of the Christian is to die to his or herself, and this takes place in various aspects of our lives.
It should take place in all aspects of our lives.
We must remember that though we are called to 'die to ourselves', we are called to do so in order to ironically gain life, for as our flesh is put to death, our souls can live. Where before we have been slaves to sin, in Christ we are meant to be slaves to righteousness.
When we complain against the concept of 'having to change for God', we are forgetting that God can only change us for the better, for He is good.
He. Is. Good.
He is literally light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
Logically, giving myself over to God ends well for me, because if I am messy, and if His love is good, then His love can only change me for the better.
The purpose of His love is to make me whole, but not only so that my chains can be broken and the freedom can end there, but rather He sets me free so that I can love other people, and in that He works in my life to set other people free.
He wants to love me so that I can then love other people.
God's entire mission is centered around bringing freedom and life to all who call upon His name.
Our God has given us a choice, however, to love Him and to know Him deeply. We are not meant to simply claim the name of Christ. If all we do is claim to love Him and our actions say otherwise, do we truly love God? To truly be a child of light, we must allow God to shine His light onto us. We must allow Him to pour His love into our cups so that we overflow with it. We are called to respond to His love, and though it may seem challenging at first, we must remember that it is all for good. When a house renovation begins, dust is everywhere and no room is safe. However, by the end product the house is a home, and every bit of it has been made new.
Let God move in today.
