Principles of Spiritual Transformation (2/5)

This is the second message from the five-part series titled as 'The Principles of Spiritual Transformation' which discusses five principles that one may consider if they are yearning for a deeper, more intimate walk with God.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B. The Call Towards Repentance

Have you ever been in a position where someone you love has forgiven you, regardless of how you might have treated them? You might have harshly spoken to them, done something hurtful to them, treated them unfairly, or even acted out of anger towards them. Yet, these individuals saw past the anger and immorality you expressed at that time, the wrong you might have done to them. Nevertheless, they have observed the lack of empathy shown from your side, yet still forgave you.

On a cosmic level, God has shown us a love so immense that He has seen beyond our ignorance, rejection and resistance against Him. Through this immeasurably great consideration of love for humanity (despite our sinfulness) God came down to earth in the form of Human flesh (who is Jesus Christ) to redeem us from the inevitable self-destruction of our souls. However, due to the result of our desires leading us to follow the temptations of our flesh, we habitually engage in behaviours and actions that are detrimental to the way that God has called us to live in step with what the Apostle John calls having fellowship with Him.This is when our minds and thoughts patterns engage with a dance of spiritual unity with the will of God through the Holy Spirit.

Nevertheless, many of us have been made aware of this good news (concerning the freedom we can have from sin through the power of God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ) yet have not been spiritually transformed by it due to this continuous enactment of giving into carnal temptations. Proverbs 26: 11 graphically describes this notion through an aphorism that explains our human condition in this manner; “As a dog returns to his vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.”

This is like being gifted something that is so wonderful, yet leaving it on a table to gather dust. In the other hand, the wise would unravel and examine this wondrous gift and aim to utilise it to the best of it’s capacity. In our case, the gift of salvation is free for all to have, and has endless capabilities for the benefit of your spiritual transformation into someone who walks in the ‘light of God’.

When we come to the awareness of God’s love, we have two options. We can become aware of this gift of salvation given to us by God, yet still be tethered to the things that draw us away from Him; such as selfish desires, negative behaviours and goals. These are fuelled by the ego and will always hinder our walk with God towards righteousness. In the words of the apostle John, this is how we make out God to be a ‘Liar’. On the contrary, this knowledge should convict us to open our hearts to the healing process this knowledge initiates when we submit to it.

Nevertheless, the path toward spiritual transformation does not consist of a way of life which continues to depend on our strengths to truly live in our purpose as beings made by God. Our true spiritual selves are formed through heeding the call towards repentance and laying down all our flaws, spiritual inhibitors and habitual wrongdoings at the foot of the cross. You may wonder what this means. In the wisdom found in the book of Matthew 16:24-26 Jesus said to his disciples;

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (NIV)‬‬

For us to leave everything at the foot of the cross, we must heed the call of repentance which a genuine heart of surrender. If we authentically plead to the Lord in repentance of our wrongdoings and surrender our minds to God, forgiveness through Christ is always available to anyone who truly believes (Romans 9:10). Nevertheless, the result of genuine repentance can only be revealed through its result. Authentic repentance propels our souls to surrender. This is the path which propels us towards spiritual transformation.

This means to give our old lives that may have hurt others, broken our hearts and pulled us away from God in exchange for a life which brings joy and harmony to those we love as we experience a transformative peace through the power of forgiveness. Gaining this awareness of spiritual freedom allows us to live a life which gives us a purpose that is beyond the merits of our doings and leads us to a greater call of unity with our brethren.

Whether we have lived a life aware of this knowledge or not; we are called to give up everything that draws us away from receiving the love God has in store for us. However, we have to come to the acceptance that we have to leave our old and negative behaviours behind. This must be in exchange for a lifestyle which produces a character that brings light to the darkness but does not dwell in it. As Christ stated in the book of John 12:46; “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬

Then, the book of Romans 3:23-24 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” This means that regardless of whether you have lived a life which has emanated darkness (in either the open or closed doors); if you sincerely want to be transformed by the light of God you must give all your selfish thoughts and inhibitions to God to make room for His Holy Spirit to act as your primary guide and counsel from this moment on. That is why one of the primary aspects of spiritual transformation stems from the repentance of our sins to God and ‘picking up our cross’ (Matthew 16:24) to follow Him.

As described in our primary verses, the apostle John teaches us that we must therefore confess our sins to God before we can truly dwell in the light of God. It is through obedience towards the call of surrender that we will be able to truthfully strengthen our relationship with the Almighty.

In summary, if we want to be spiritually transformed by the gospel we must surrender all our habits, thoughts and behaviours to God in exchange for His guidance which works with those who are ‘filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). However, we must live a life that is spiritually aligned with the will of God and follows the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.

In thought of this, let us reflect on God’s redemptive love with a prayer;

Loving and sovereign God, whom, through His Son Jesus Christ has given us freedom, we come before you today. With an open heart and humble spirit, we ask you to forgive us of anything that is within our being that may hinder our relationship with you. We pray that you remove all unholy thoughts, destructive behaviours and selfish desires from us in exchange for the complete guidance of your Holy Spirit. May we no longer depend on our own intuition but lean on on your holy and loving voice.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we pray; amen.