CHRISTIANITY ISN’T A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
I am not a better version of my old self; I am a new creation. I am not reformed; I am transformed. I am not trying harder or trying again. I have a completely different power source. I am not putting a new coat of paint on the old barn. The old barn has been torn down, and God has built a new one. I don’t think improved thoughts; I think radically different thoughts. I don’t ask God to enable my existing mind to make correct choices; I thank Him that He has replaced my mind with the mind of Christ.
What God is doing in me isn’t the result of behavior modification. Even mice can be trained. I now possess a new power source, which is Spirit of God who now lives inside of me. He is the One who has given me a different heart. “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). He is the one who is enabling me to change my choices and giving me the power to overcome strongholds. A lost person can never permanently change who they are or what they do, because their nature has not been changed. People don’t need a tune-up; they need a new engine.
When you got saved, you became a different person. You didn’t simply figure out a way to make better choices. Transformation came because of a completely new life source. God’s Spirit now resides inside your spirit. The two are now inseparably mingled together. Jesus didn’t come to serve as an inspiration to make different choices. He came to live inside of you and give you His holiness. His plan was never to make your old self better. His plan was to crucify your old self and give you His holiness in its place.
Your personal holiness has nothing to do with improved effort. It was a gift when God’s Spirit came to live inside of you. Until you are born again, you have no ability to live a holy, righteous life. The sole reason you are righteous is that God’s Spirit has been placed inside of you. Any behavior change you experience is a result of His Spirit in you, not because of an improvement in your spirit. You didn’t receive the potential to have a better heart. You were given a completely different heart. You aren’t a better person; you are a different person. You aren’t the result of a glorified makeover. If you will crucify your old selfish, sinful, emotional nature daily, there is nothing that can block His transformational power.
