By: George Barlow
Matthew 8:18-27
What does it mean to really be a Christian? This may be the most misunderstood question of our present day. As I travel across the country, having the opportunity to live in many different places and serve in many different churches, I’ve found those who have claimed allegiance to Christ, but few who bear fruit that align with such a profession. In fact, many have watered down the gospel of Christ and few are able to articulate it with any reasonable degree of certainty and accuracy.
- Gresham Machen, chronicled the spread of this weakening of the gospel message in his classic work “Christianity and Liberalism.” Machen found that the attack on the Christian faith was being carried out by Sunday-School teachers and from the pulpit. The end result that Machen concluded was that true followers of Christ are hard to find.
Christianity is not just going to church on Sunday morning worship or mid-week bible study, but Christianity is a way of life. The bible tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Becoming a Christian is a process of transformation. Just because you attend church or sing a few songs, doesn’t mean you’re transformed. You call Him Lord, however, if you don’t do what He says, you can’t call yourself a follower of Christ (Luke 6:46). I would like to focus on the 3 R’s as I will call them. These are key aspects of conversion and becoming a true follower of Christ.
They include, but not limited to:
- Regenerate
- Repentance
- Reform
Regenerate
A true believer is one who is born again. If you’re born again then the bible teaches that the Spirit will birth to the spirit and that a rebirth is a must (John 3:6-7). This rebirth is a work that God does in the life of those who submit to his will (John 1:13). Regeneration is not a human work or work from a person who tries real hard to be a Christian; rather it is a work of God in and through Jesus Christ.
Repentance
In the days of John the Baptist, John says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2). Repentance is at the core of the gospel message. No one can claim regeneration if he shows no evidence of repentance. True repentance is the result of an accurate understanding of the significance and gravity of sin, coupled with an overwhelming desire for the remission of that sin through the person and work of Christ and a turning from sin and dead works to faith and obedience.
Reform
Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Any person that has truly been converted will inevitably bear the marks of that conversion in the form of a changed life. Not to say that we will no longer have struggles, because we will. It is, however, to say that there will be fruit and a transformation. No good tree will bear bad fruit. True conversion produces true change.
