Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven- Matthew 18:3 NASB
Transformation and growth are non-negotiables of the Christian life. Christians are saved by faith for the sole purpose of being transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 3:20, Ephesians 2:8-9). Passages like Romans 12:1-2, 2nd Peter 1:3-11, 2nd Corinthians 3:18, 2nd Corinthians 5:17 and Colossians 3:5 all drive home the notion that Christians are to relentlessly seek Christlikeness in their daily lives.
Here’s the thing though:
According to Pew Research, sixty-three percent of self-identified Christians only attend Church once or twice a month. Only a third routinely read Scripture. More than half strongly support same-sex marriage. Nearly half (47%) believe there are no clear standards of right and wrong and over half (53%) believe abortion should be legal all or most of the time. I do not believe Christians get the Christian life figured out and become perfectly obedient to Jesus instantaneously. I suspect many of the people interviewed by Pew are on a trajectory of growth that will eventually lead to greater obedience. Nonetheless, the above statistics strongly suggest a large number of Christians do not grow or transform post salvation.
The consequences of refusing to transform or neglecting to grow are spiritually catastrophic. Those who don’t grow are frequently led astray by false teachers and bad doctrine (1st Timothy 4:1). Declining to grow and change leaves believers with a feeble faith that is unlikely to go the distance or be passed on to others (Matthew 13:20-21, Hebrews 5:12, 1st Peter 3:15). Without intentional growth no one will ever reach a level of maturity that allows them to minister to others effectively because you can’t lead where you don’t go (Matthew 5:16). Perhaps the most alarming consequence of a lack of transformation is the reality that maturity and obedience in this life impacts what a person does or does not do in heaven (Matthew 25:14-30, Romans 8:17). The bottom line is without growth and transformation, Christians miss out on all the blessings we were redeemed for.
Yikes.
All the above realities are tragic. They are also one-hundred-percent preventable. However, in order to avoid those realities, it’s critical we un understand why Christians don’t grow and transform. Once we understand the reasons, it’s easy to make changes that move us closer to God and fast-track our growth and transformation.
The top four reasons we don’t grow are as follows:
We don’t want to-
Spiritual growth is tough. If we want to grow, we must submit every part of our life to the will of God. Unfortunately for us, God’s will always involves leaving behind our sin and selfishness (Genesis 4:7, Matthew 5:29-30, John 8:11, Acts 3:19). Sometimes people who claim to love Jesus also love their sin. A lot. If a Christian loves their sin more than they love Jesus, transformation becomes super problematic. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit was given to enable believers to overcome sin and fulfill their calling as Jesus followers (John 14:26, Acts 2:38). Growth begins with a gut level desire to please God. If that is lacking remember that praying fervently for a desire to please God is a prayer God is REALLY inclined to answer.
We never get at the root or reason for our behavior-
People rarely do what they do without a reason, this is especially true when it comes to sin. When an individual lies it’s not usually because they enjoy deceiving people. There’s almost always a deeper reason. Maybe, they don’t understand their value in Christ, and they feel bad about themselves. So, they present themselves as more significant or accomplished than they are. Or perhaps, they are caught up in another sin that demands they lie in order to keep the sin under the radar. The fact that there may be a deeper reason for sin doesn’t make the sin acceptable. Sin is sin. That said, understanding what’s going on inside us can help us to change our behavior. Knowledge really is power when it is coupled with a desire to transform.
We only deal with the surface issue-
Sin is always a problem. However, the biggest problem with sin isn’t the sin it’s the heart that produces the sin (Matthew 12:34, Matthew 15:18-20, Acts 8:20-22). Outward behavior (sin) is just the expression of an inward (heart) problem. People don’t commit adultery because there are too many scantily clad people in the world. They commit adultery because they have never dealt with their lust issue or their need for attention from the opposite sex issue. Adultery is a sin but it’s also a symptom of bigger issues. Unless the heart problem is dealt with the sin will continue to creep up anytime, we feel weak, stressed or threatened. The solution to the heart problem is taking every sinful feeling and desire we have to God in prayer (2nd Corinthians 10:5) then refusing to feed any and all sinful desires we have (1st Corinthians 9:7). In order to change our hearts deepest desires, we must examine ourselves often, feed ourselves biblical truth, surround ourselves with godly people and avoid godless entertainment that normalizes wrong behavior (Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 19:20, 1st Corinthians 15:33, 1st Timothy 4:11-16).
And finally:
We give up before we get to the good part-
Becoming fully obedient to God is a life-long process. Sanctification (becoming obedient to God) can be challenging, especially in the beginning of our faith journey. That being said, choosing growth and transformation brings a level of joy, peace and personal happiness that is almost indescribable. We just have to let the process play out to get to the good part.
