Ever heard someone say, “I cannot change!” or “They’ll never change”? Scripture challenges such assertions.Â
No one must remained imprisoned in destructive, foolish, immature or ungodly behavior patterns because the power to change comes from outside of us, not within. The question is, who will accept the transforming power?
Changed Status (Guilty to Innocent)
Transformation begins when we accept God’s offer to redeem us from the dominion of darkness and place us within the kingdom of his Son, redeemed, forgiven, made holy and belonging to God.
God no longer remembers our former sins and neither should we allow dark memories to haunt our self-worth and encourage further self-destructive ways. God’s power changes us into someone new, wonderful, and capable of being who we were created to be.
Changed Trajectory
To summarize Paul in texts such as Ephesians 4:17-5:21 and Colossians 3:1-17, our former corrupting thoughts, values and behaviors are to be jettisoned as we learn from Christ to focus upon new healthy ways of thinking and living. Having been given a new life, we are to live in accordance with who God has made us to be.Â
Old routines and thought patterns can die hard. To summarize another text, namely Galatians 6:8-10: Each baby step forward to sow to the Spirit and reject feeding the flesh promotes spiritual growth within that trajectory of reaping from the Spirit eternal life. Don’t grow weary of doing good. If we don’t give up, we will reap. So let’s do good to all.
Do People Change? People Do!
After listing a series of vices, Paul could describe the Corinthian church as, “… and such were some of you.” He then wrote, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
In our congregation, people from half way houses, jail as well as typical broken lives have been responding to Jesus for freedom and transformation. Lives are changing.
The question is, “who is willing to accept God’s offer of transformation?”
- Do People Change? People Do! - 2026-02-25
- AI and the New Inbreeding - 2026-02-18
- A Starting Point: The Passion of the Christ - 2026-02-11