• Transformation

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    Do we as people change? Absolutely. Don’t believe me? Open up the photos app on your phone and do a search of pictures from ten years ago and tell me that you and the people in your life don’t look differently today than you did a decade ago. As humans we undergo physical transformation as we go from babies to toddlers to children to teenagers to adults and then eventually to seniors. No one looks exactly the same today that they did ten years ago and that’s to be expected. In fact, if you went to your doctor and told them that there has been no physical changes in you over the years, they’d send you for testing. And just like physical change is a sign of health, spiritual change is an expected part of our journey as believers and without it, we are not healthy spiritually.

    The Transformation That Takes Place


    What do I mean? Well, when we come to know Christ and come to a heartfelt belief in Him, something incredible happens. Not only has our destiny been changed from hell to heaven when we die, but the God of the universe actually takes up residence within us here and now through the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit does not stay there dormant within us. The Holy Spirit goes to work changing us. This mystery, this miracle, is described to us in the Bible. Let’s take a look at a few verses.

    But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:9


    But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18


    Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21-24


    We can see in these verses and so many others, that after we come to true faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. And this Holy Spirit helps to transform us. Not into people who are perfect, but into people who are transformed into becoming more and more like Jesus every day, week, month, year, and season. Because once we come to know Christ and have the Spirit within us, living for ourselves isn’t an option anymore. We don’t get to stay with the status quo. No, we are on a journey of transformation and that journey doesn’t stop until we one day arrive in heaven. Accepting Christ and then proceeding to reject Him by the way that we live isn’t the kind of existence any of us should be partaking in. So how do we know if we are?

    A Litmus Test


    For me the litmus test is what I call the one year question. I look back and ask myself, am I different today than I was one year ago? 

    Am I more patient? More loving? More giving? More kind? 

    Am I less selfish? Less angry? Less greedy? Less sinful? 

    And if the answer to those questions is no, then I know I am missing the mark. Because while we might not be able to see growth from one day to the next, if it can’t be spotted from one year to the next, if it’s not that obvious, then we have a problem.

    Because Christians who are not becoming more like Christ are not living a Christian life. It’s that simple. We cannot claim to follow Jesus if following Jesus doesn’t lead us to becoming like Him. That’s following me-first, it certainly isn’t following Jesus. And it certainly isn’t how the Christian life is described in the Bible.

    Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2


    Let’s not wait for our wake up call to come when it’s too late to change. Do we really want to arrive to the end of our lives, looking nothing like Jesus? Well we will never get there unless we let Him transform us into people like Him today. Let's you and I commit every day to living like Jesus and letting the Spirit transform us. It’s not easy living, but it is obedience to the kind of life we are called to. As the Apostle Paul said,

    My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20


    A Call To Live A Life Of Obedience


    Closing with a call to live a life of faithful obedience to not just believe, but do what the word of God says from James 1.

    But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:22-27


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