Thursday, November 19, 2020
A Change of Heart
“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 nlt).
In Paul’s day, the religious Jews were turning to legalism. They thought because they practiced such things as circumcision, they were right with God. Now, God had commanded circumcision for Jewish males, so it was an important rite.
But the apostle Paul called them out when he said, “In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it” (Romans 2:27 nlt).
The “uncircumcised Gentiles” Paul referred to were essentially nonbelievers who came to faith in Christ. Paul was saying, “If they’re doing what the Word of God says, then they’re better off than you who have been circumcised and aren’t doing what God’s Word says.”
In other words, doing outward things won’t save us.
Paul went on to say, “No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people” (Romans 2:29 nlt).
In our day we might say, “I was baptized” or “I was raised in the church” or “My parents are Christians.” I’m glad to hear that. And I’m glad your parents are Christians. But those things don’t make you a Christian.
In fact, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for publically doing spiritual things so they would receive applause from other people.
It’s never about the things we do that make us right with God. Rather, it’s about what God has done for us. God sent His Son to die on the cross in our place and make us acceptable to Him, not through what we’ve done, but through what Christ did for us.
Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
Can the claims of Christianity stand up to scrutiny? Cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace applied his investigative skills to the Bible and discovered compelling evidence that led him from atheism to faith. In Cold Case Christianity, he walks through how detectives separate truth from fiction and why the Gospels pass every test. Get your copy when you give today.
