Can People Change?
Y
A More Excellent Way By PASTOR KATHLEEN G. KASPER
Pastor Kathleen holds degrees from Texas Tech University, Valparaiso University, and Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She is currently enrolled in the School of the Holy Spirit. She is an avid reader and enjoys mentoring others in the Christian faith. She can be reached at livingwordradio@hotmail.com
es, people can change! If change is not possible, then God is a liar, and His entire Word is false. But God is no liar and His Word is perfectly true. Having said that people can change, it must be completely understood that there can be no permanent change unless God is involved in the change. The reason for this is: People are inherently flawed. Our flawed condition is the result of our first parents’ decision to rebel against God. Their rebellion became our rebellion -because rebellion against God is in each person’s DNA. Thankfully, God can change us and wants to change us but He waits for our cooperation. The reason: God created us to be creatures with a free will. To impose His will and ways upon us would make God a dictator and tyrant – and He is neither. So, though God desires to make changes in us, He waits on us to give Him access to our lives. There are claims being made today that people can’t change. The argument is that the way we are born, is the way we will die. But God’s
Word has a different word for the world. The Apostle Paul wrote the following to the people of Corinth, “9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV). I don’t quote this passage to point to any particular group of people but to point out the verb “were.” Paul makes it plain that some of the people to whom he was writing were at one point participating in the activities and lifestyles which would have disqualified them from inheriting the kingdom of God. However, by God’s grace (grace is God’s unmerited love and favor) and intervention in their lives, these people had changed. By submitting their lives to God, these people were no longer disqualified from
inheriting the kingdom of God, but were now qualified to inherit it. The shift from being disqualified to being qualified to inherit the kingdom of God was not accomplished by any of these people. No, it was accomplished for them by Jesus and they received it by faith in Him. Once these people said ‘yes’ to Jesus, God began to work in them, working to make them the people He had created them to be. God most definitely loves us as we are with all of our faults and flaws, but He loves us too much to leave us in that condition. I must, however, repeat that God’s work within a person is still subject to the will of the person. God doesn’t go around cleaning people up without their permission. There are, unfortunately, two terrible lies being spread in the world which must be addressed. The first lie is this: Since God is love, He will not condemn anyone. The second is: Because of God’s grace, believers in Jesus can do whatever they want, no matter what, and God will ignore their behavior. God most definitely IS love, but He has a total ha-
tred of sin. He didn’t send His own Son to the cross so that people could keep sinning. No, Jesus died and rose again so that the chains of sin could be broken off of us. To say ‘yes’ to Jesus and ‘yes’ to sin is incompatible with what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection. To say ‘yes’ to Jesus and ‘yes’ to sin is to say ‘I want Jesus but I want to sin, too.’ The result is the same as if one would never have said ‘yes’ to Jesus in the first place – the chains of sin remain and the person remains in bondage. For the person who is looking for a more excellent way to live and a way out from underneath the burden of sin, the way out is God. Jesus extends this invitation to everyone, “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). If you are looking for a way out from underneath the burden of sin, turn to Jesus. He can replace your burden with His easy yoke but only if you say ‘yes’ to Him.
3 Annual Salute to Our Heroes: Our Veterans rd
Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Alice International Airport Featuring musical entertainment by
Ricky Naranjo & the Gamblers
Jon Wolfe Fallback
Jolly Ranchers 4 a Magazine November 2012
A special thanks to these local veterans for their courage, sacrifice and service with a day of recognition. Skydivers • Moment of Silence Food Booths & more 15-minute Fireworks show at dusk Activities for children