Why some professing Christians remain untransformed …

Why is it that some who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ have lives that remain untransformed?

There’s a hint in this … A little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”

The answer is, they’re still taking delight in the desires of the flesh and enjoying their sin. You might say, they’re “having a real good time like they are,” plus they think they have obtained “fire insurance” for their eternal needs.

What’s missing is real repentance, something pastor H.B. Charles, Jr., describes like this:

“Repentance is more than regret or remorse. It is not merely being sorry for your sins. It is being sorry enough to quit. Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of behavior.”

Without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sin; and without forgiveness of sin, lives will not be transformed. Thus, one of the essential components for our salvation is repentance:

“Peter replied, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,'” Acts 2:38.

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away,” Acts 3:19.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him,” Acts 17:30.

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent,” 2 Peter 3:9.

The Apostle John teaches us that a key difference between an authentic disciple of Jesus and someone who isn’t is that Jesus’ disciples no longer practice sin:

“Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God,” 1 John 3:7-10.

You cannot have sin and God’s blessing at the same time. If you want God’s blessing on your life, if you want God to transform your life from the inside out, you must repent. Have you done that? If not, you can choose to do that today!

Scotty