Becoming

“¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

(John1:12-13 NRSV)

Do you know the Gospel Message?

As Christians, spreading the “Good News” (the Gospel) is our main, God-given purpose.  It is the Great Commission – “¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”  (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)  We are called by Christ to go and tell the world about the salvation He has made available for all those who believe. 

Salvation is the “Receiving” component of our “Believing.”  It truly is Good News. It has become the linchpin of modern evangelical teaching. “Are you saved?” is the formulaic question to be asked in all conversations of faith.  It has become the only focus of Christian teaching in our modern churches (that and political agendas but we’ll skirt that topic for now.)  Nothing else is deemed as important. The saving of souls has become the only priority in our churches today.

Salvation as viewed through the Book of Revelation not only is a promise of eternal life, walking streets of gold hand-in-hand with God for eternity, but also becomes the proof that we are right in our belief.  When Christ returns it will prove to the world that our self-righteousness and strongly opinionated views were justifiable.  We win!  We are the champions of the world!

However, there is another component to the Great Commission and to most the teachings of Christ, from the Sermon on the Mount, to the 27 parables, as well as the main focus for the Epistles – Becoming.

In John 1:12-13, John writes that all who have received the gift of salvation through their belief in Christ will “become children of God.” The balancing nature of God where he meristically combines contrasting parts to express the totality of his love as seen in phrases such as “created heaven and earth” and “Adam and Eve” is evident in the Gospel Message as well: Salvation and Sanctification.

As Christians we are called to “Become” children of God. Our lives are meant to change.  It is the entire Gospel message.

⁴⁵ Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He said to them, “It is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day⁴⁷ and that a change of hearts and lives and forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, starting at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:45-47 NCV)

The evidence is strong both in biblical writings such as Galatians 5:22 , 2 Peter 1:5-9 , and the entire book of Romans, that a change of heart or transformation must take place in addition to our belief and gift of salvation.  Sanctification, becoming a holy child of God, must also be a priority in our churches – and it is not.

“As a priest for forty years, I find that much of the spiritual and pastoral work of churches is often ineffective at the levels of real transformation, and calls forth immense passivity and even many passive-aggressive responses. As a preacher, I find that I am forced to dumb down the material in order to interest a Sunday crowd that does not expect or even want any real challenges; nor does it exhibit much spiritual or intellectual curiosity.”  (Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr, p. 14)

Perhaps you disagree.  Perhaps you are one whose life has been transformed and you feel your church is effectively leading you on a path of spiritual transformation.  If so, I applaud you and your church. However, the decline of the Christian church over the past 20-30 years speaks a different truth. But instead of disagreeing, I simply ask that you consider these questions:

Do you see a preponderance of evidence that the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 is being exhibited in your church? 

Are you being systematically transformed as illustrated in 2 Peter 1?

Please read, once again, Acts 2 where Luke describes the life of the early church.

 

⁴³ The apostles were doing many miracles and signs, and everyone felt great respect for God. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and shared everything. ⁴⁵ They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide the money and give it to anyone who needed it.⁴⁶ The believers met together in the Temple every day. They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts. ⁴⁷ They praised God and were liked by all the people. Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers.” (Acts 2:43-47 NSV)

Do you find evidence of an Acts 2 church in your community?  Do you find anywhere in our world today where Christians are “liked by all people?”