For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 6:20-22
There’s an epidemic I've noticed in the Church today – so many people are giving no real evidence of conversion and salvation. And I think the root cause of this is that so many are trying to turn from their idols before they turn to God. In other words, they hear the message of Jesus Christ, but they think that the way to come to Christ is to give up their sin first, and then give their lives to Jesus.
But that can’t be the way that it works because you and I don’t have the power to turn from our sins on our own! I've seen so many people who say, “I want to give my life to God now, but I’ve got to clean up my act first.” But the reality is that this line of thinking is 180 degrees opposed to what the Bible tells us.
Today's passage couldn't be clearer: our bonded slavery to sin is too strong for us to release ourselves on our own. Rather, we must first come to Christ, let Him invade our lives, and then He'll transform us from the inside out. That is real conversion!
The grace of God through our saving faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that can deliver us from the power of sin. So if there's anything holding you back from making that decision today, trust Christ first and then allow Him to change you from the inside out!
YOU CAN'T OVERCOME YOUR SIN ON YOUR OWN. SO TRUST IN CHRIST FIRST AND FOREMOST AND HE WILL CHANGE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT!
