IS IT POSSIBLE TO CHANGE?
Changing the nature of a person is almost next to impossible. Almost every person at one point or another in his life wishes that some aspect of his nature would be different. Perhaps anger, impatience, lack of discipline, addictions, a loose tongue, malice and so on. And despite trying hard, he always comes up short. But that changes once a person finds Christ. Having faith in Christ is more than believing a transcendent Being; it is one of uniting with Christ and having Christ work through our weakness to effect change. Paul says,
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
When Christ was crucified, we who believe went to the cross with him. This is possible because our spirits are eternal and intrinsically part of God through our origin from God. Deciding to follow Christ makes it possible for our spirits to unite with him and the union of the eternal spirits transcends time. And this act of union of our spirits with Christ makes it also possible for Christ to start exerting his influence through our lives as He begins to live through us.
Paul talks in contradictory statements. He says “I do not live”, yet goes on to state, “I live by faith”. As the union takes effect, by our willing partnership, on one hand we are able to say no to our original sinful selves. So we are no longer living in one sense. On the other hand, we are also living by allowing his nature to shine through our lives. This becomes the basis for change in one’s nature.
Paul makes it clear that the union with Christ is an act of faith in the personal God, this being a response to who He is. It is not an inanimate and unpredictable God that we follow, rather One who loves us with an intense love that knows no barriers and limits. It is this love that drove Him to the cross to give Himself up for us so that our sins are forgiven and we find salvation in Him. It is that same love that persists and perseveres with man to lead him onward to his eternal home as he labors through life here on earth.
Yes, true change is possible. But just like one cannot lift himself up with his shoelaces, we cannot really change by self-effort. It requires the power of God to lift us up and change us so that we can truly find ourselves when we unite with God through Christ. It is then that we truly fulfill our destiny.
