Don't Tread! Be Transformed!

What does it mean to be a Christian? The day in which we live has left so many people confused as to the answer that most people don’t even think there is an absolute answer. Rather the popular mantra of our culture affirms the mentality that to be Christian can actually mean many different things and doesn't even necessarily mean to follow Jesus Christ.

Our culture may preach one thing but Christ certainly doesn’t preach the same thing. Jesus preached that following him (being a Christian) involved sacrifice and meant authentic transformation. He taught absolute truths and specific examples of what it meant to be a Christian.

Luke 14:26-28 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?

Christ consistently rebuked the Pharisees for their fake transformation. They wanted to appear to be godly but lacked true godliness. I fear that many today are in the same bad way. They are content in their thinking that they can just tread water until they get to heaven. As long as they can appear to be Christian that is all that matters.

I wish people could see that being a Christian doesn’t mean treading water until you get to heaven. Rather it means being transformed.

Rom 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

2 Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness

I even think there are a number of people in the church who have given up on being transformed. Of course it’s easier to tread water but treading water isn’t what Christ preached. To follow him means to run the race well until it’s finished and if your breathing you haven’t finished the race yet—thus you better still be training for transformation.

Authentic transformation comes from God and is not about trying. Rather transformation Is about training. We must train ourselves for transformation—to be open to it and seeking it as God gives it and does it. Transformation isn’t about boundaries and rules—it’s about the work that God does in us. To be a Christian means to be transformed—really and truly, not just our actions but our heart, mentality and motivation that produce those actions. Transformation means growing in our love for God and others.

Unfortunately faking transformation is all to easily in the world of church services. People can call themselves Christian and even make themselves look like one but all the while they may just be thinking that they are treading water until they get to heaven. If your treading water then take the Apostle Paul’s advice “Be transformed!” Treading water is not a Christian characteristic, it is a characteristic of the devil. For if you are not being transformed into the likeness of God then the only other option is that you are being transformed into the likeness of another. True Christianity means transformation—that is an absolute that Christ taught!

Rom 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son