I just spent a beautiful three-day weekend with my lovely wife. Driving on the way to our second night in another city we began to talk about what effect believing on the LORD Jesus has on a new believer. We recounted our earliest days as Christians over 30 years ago when we were only 21 years old. I remembered that a few Christians had “witnessed” to me. I even accepted their invitation to go to one of their meetings. I showed up in my usual “party” mode and found the meeting to be quite a drag. But, the LORD was working on me.
It was around then that I began to read the Bible. I had dropped out of my fourth year of college, worked part time at a record store, and partied full time. But, one day I walked across the street from work to a book store, perused the philosophy section, and saw a copy of The New English Bible (a very liberal version by the way). When I saw it, I said to myself, “I’ve always heard the truth is in this book. Why don’t I just buy it, read it, and see if it is?”
Shortly thereafter I remember driving to work with a young lady. I began to cry on the way to work and she looked over at me and said, “What’s wrong with you?” I just looked at her and blurted out, “I’m sinning!” She just kind of stared at me as if to say, “What kind of idiot are you?” Simply reading God’s Word was beginning to convict me of sin, but I was not yet convinced that it really was God’s Word. That revelation came just a little later when, while reading the Old Testament, I realized that the same person had written the New Testament and that that person was GOD! Upon that understanding I said to myself, “Then I had better do what it says.” At that point I repented of my sins and made up my mind that I would try to act according to God’s precepts.
Until then I had been alienated from God. With respect to God I possessed an “alien mind,” a mind that was not reconciled, not in fellowship, with my Creator. This is the point that Mary and I got to in our discussion last Saturday. We both realized that until we came to faith in Christ we had no actual fellowship with God; we were alienated from Him.
Interestingly, Mary commented that she was not even engaging in the sins that we see much of the Church walking in today. Her problem was not that she acted immorally or corruptly. She, too, was alienated from God until faith came. Yet, her life did change when she came to faith.
As we pondered this, we considered that many people who now call themselves Christians must not walk in a faith similar to ours. Why would I say this? Because we don’t see changes in their lives. We don’t see the fruit of the Spirit come from them and their children. “You will know them by their fruit.” Then I re-read the book of Colossians and understood it a little better, especially where Paul says,
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight… (Colossians 1:19-22 KJ2000)
Notice that Christ has already reconciled all things to His Father. Further, he does so in order that He can one day present each one of us as “holy, unblamable, and unreprovable in His sight.” The problem is that most of us think that we automatically become holy and unblamable when we say we believe in Jesus. We never learn or fail to realize that true faith in Christ entails changing our evil behavior. So, much of the church walks in and actually condones sin. Thus the majority of mankind still walks in alienation of and as enemies to their Creator. LORD, grant us mercy to repent of our sins and to walk in reconciliation with you, bearing fruit to eternal life. Teach us what it means to become holy, unblamable, and unreprovable. Amen.
