Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Those who receive this offer of total forgiveness in the midst of their total depravity experience a thrill they have never experienced before:

  • They begin to see God.
  • Their hearts begin to be conformed to the image of Jesus. 
  • They have the hope of seeing and experiencing God face to face for all of eternity future.

Went a person realizes the great gift they’ve been given, the forgiven man or woman naturally desires to avoid the things that brought them so much trouble and to replace those desires with the pursuit of Jesus.  This is one big reason why Christians want to live lives that honor Jesus.

It makes me think of a heart transplant patient.  Let’s say a man spent years in front of the television eating junk food and refusing to exercise.  As a result, the man’s heart became weaker and weaker until it was so badly damaged that the doctor told him there was no hope.  The heart is broken beyond repair.  The only hope for the man is a new heart.

As the man is laying in bed, waiting for his heart to finally give out, the phone rings.  It’s the heart surgeon.  There has been a terrible accident and a young man died.  He’s brain dead, but his heart is a perfect match. 

So the man rushes to the hospital and they immediately begin surgery.  The surgery is a huge success and the man is restored to better health than he ever knew before.

In light of the tragedy of his situation before he received the heart and the extreme circumstances surrounding the donated heart, do you think the man would go right back to watching TV and eating junk food?

I hope not!  We would expect the man to start a new life with his new heart.  To begin exercising and eating right.  Both for his own good and out of respect for the family of the man who gave the heart, we would expect him to avoid the things that put him in such a terrible position in the first place.

Should we have any less expectation for our spiritual lives?  The price that was paid for the redemption of our souls was costly beyond explanation.  For both our own good and for the glory of the One who gave so much to redeem us, it is appropriate to pursue the blessings associated with obeying the Lord’s commands and to avoid the terrible pitfalls of sin.

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Mark Stafford

Senior Pastor