What is taking me this long to become a Christian? I’ve been a Christian for some time, but I’m ashamed to admit that my lack of spiritual growth has been a major detriment to me. When I was reborn, I was convinced that my it was going to be beautiful from that point forward, but a couple of years later, I’m not the person I’d like to be. It’s hard to feel the God’s grace as I did when I was the beginning. I know deep in my soul that selfishness and fear hinder me from loving my fellow human beings more than I should. Why am I not doing it? Do I really have a chance to be saving or am I not?
There are no quick or simple solutions to your query. The answer is to realize that salvation isn’t a question of instantaneous attainment. It’s more a matter about the quality of your connection and relationship with God.
Like every relationship, this one is like all relationships, this one is a cycle. It flows and ebbs. It can be characterized by periods of progress and growth as well as periods of despair and disappointment. This doesn’t mean that the Lord isn’t consistent. It’s simply an expression of our own inconsistency. Humans aren’t perfect, and our faith and strength is subject to several abrupt stops and restarts.
This is more of an adventure more than any other. It is not without its challenges and ups and downs as well as a number of seemingly impossible climbs. However, If Christ has placed us on the path and we are certain that He will lead us to our final destination. As with Paul We can be certain “that He who has begun an effective work in us will continue it until the time that comes of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). “Faithful is the One who calls you and He will also make it happen” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
In other words, salvation is not fixed. The new life that you experience in Christ is just a start of a long journey. It isn’t enough to simply take Jesus in your heart and then immediately go into the realm of heaven. The concept of salvation is more like an entryway. It opens to a passageway known as “sanctification”. The passage through this corridor requires perseverance and patience. This is a notion that many Christians do not grasp.
The most difficult part is that time aspect. In the New Testament teaches that Christians today in fact living between two age groups one of which is that of the Old Age, which is marked by corruption, sin and death. Then there is the New Age of redemption, resurrection along with immortality. At present we must be aware of the contradictions from each of these realities. As long as Christ returns to re-create the whole creation, we exist in fallen bodies in an unredeemed earth (see Rom 8:18-30).
In this way we are able to experience the sanctifying power that result from God’s Holy Spirit working in our lives as an ongoing, incremental process. Paul states the process in this manner: “We do not lose the faith. Although our exterior man is in a state of decline, the inner man is renewed every day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). We’re not searching to attain perfection within the present world. Instead, our faith is built on God’s promise that when we meet Christ in person, we’ll be made to be like Him (1 John 3:2).
How can you be the certainty that you’re taking the right path? The apostle John offers the following response: “By this we know that we are in Him and He is within us, for He has blessed us with the Spirit of His Son” (1 John 4:13). The idea is further developed in Galatians 5:22-23. Here we learn to believe that “the result that comes from God’s presence is “love peace, joy and longsuffering, as well as compassion, kindness, goodwill as well as gentleness, faithfulness, as well as self-control.”
We all know how easy it to be frustrated. In reality, many Christians struggle with the same feelings every single day. However, if you’re able to observe evidence of this product is increasing in your life, however slow, gradual, or gradually – and you are honest and you have a wish to see even greater amounts of this, you’ll know of making right type of advancement. The fact that you’ve taken the effort of asking this issue indicates the heart of yours is in the right spot.
If you need help in understanding the concepts or you’d like to discuss more in depth about these concepts, visit Source of Strength.