Lies We Believe #18: I Can Never Change
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”—1 Corinthians 6:9-11
This lie has three different branches all coming from the same root. The first branch is, “I can never change,” but can also be, “It’s just the way I am,” or “I was born this way.” All three of them come together from the same tree that finds its root in the belief that whatever we are is simply because of our birth or the circumstances that we encounter in life. Some psychologists refer to this in the “nature vs. nurture” debate. Either we are the way we are because that’s how we were born or because of the environment we were raised in or find ourselves. And in some way, it’s true. We are “born” certain ways—that is, as sinners. We are born as sinners, what theologians call “original sin,” which manifests itself in different ways in different people. Some individuals have the desire to lie, while others to lust, commit adultery, and on and on down the line. I may not have the desire to swear and curse, but you may have. I may have a desire to lie, or covet, but you may not. Stealing has never been a desire for me, while I know others that do. Some have a propensity toward lust, while others toward homosexuality. Every single one of us has a desire to sin and it comes out in certain ways, but the point is that we understand that all of us are born sinners with the inclination and desire to sin.
And while we all have desires or propensities toward certain sins (which we must conquer through Christ), some of us have learned certain patterns of sin in reaction to certain experiences, which psychologists have called “nurture.” We are the sum of our experiences. Some people are the way they are because of the experiences they have encountered, while others are born that way. Psychologists have been going back and forth for decades in an attempt to discern which is true—nature or nurture? The Bible says that both are true. While we are born sinners, we also know that "Bad company ruins good morals”—1 Corinthians 15:33.
The question before us today is not so much nature or nurture, but change. Can one who has been ensnared by a lifetime of sin really change? The Bible offers an uncompromising and bold “Yes!” Consider our passage for today. Paul gives us a description of the many persons who will not inherit the kingdom of God. He writes,
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
But the most fascinating part of our passage is not found in who can’t enter into the kingdom of God; rather, it is what Paul says immediately after giving his list. He writes, “And such were some of you” (v. 11). They “were” once on the list as being sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunks, verbal abusers, and lying cheats, but God changed them. Paul writes, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (v. 11).
They were transformed! Before they were slaves to sin, but when Christ came into their life they were transformed! Don’t give into the lie that we can’t change! God can and has changed the most hardened sinner. He delights in taking the drunks, prostitutes, drug addicts and abusers and making them into children of God, so that it might be said, “And such were some of you.” If you believe that God can’t change a person, then you don’t know the God of the Bible. He is all about changing people’s lives. There is no one who is alive today who is beyond the grace and power of Almighty God. God can, does and will transform those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Amen.
This lie has three different branches all coming from the same root. The first branch is, “I can never change,” but can also be, “It’s just the way I am,” or “I was born this way.” All three of them come together from the same tree that finds its root in the belief that whatever we are is simply because of our birth or the circumstances that we encounter in life. Some psychologists refer to this in the “nature vs. nurture” debate. Either we are the way we are because that’s how we were born or because of the environment we were raised in or find ourselves. And in some way, it’s true. We are “born” certain ways—that is, as sinners. We are born as sinners, what theologians call “original sin,” which manifests itself in different ways in different people. Some individuals have the desire to lie, while others to lust, commit adultery, and on and on down the line. I may not have the desire to swear and curse, but you may have. I may have a desire to lie, or covet, but you may not. Stealing has never been a desire for me, while I know others that do. Some have a propensity toward lust, while others toward homosexuality. Every single one of us has a desire to sin and it comes out in certain ways, but the point is that we understand that all of us are born sinners with the inclination and desire to sin.
And while we all have desires or propensities toward certain sins (which we must conquer through Christ), some of us have learned certain patterns of sin in reaction to certain experiences, which psychologists have called “nurture.” We are the sum of our experiences. Some people are the way they are because of the experiences they have encountered, while others are born that way. Psychologists have been going back and forth for decades in an attempt to discern which is true—nature or nurture? The Bible says that both are true. While we are born sinners, we also know that "Bad company ruins good morals”—1 Corinthians 15:33.
The question before us today is not so much nature or nurture, but change. Can one who has been ensnared by a lifetime of sin really change? The Bible offers an uncompromising and bold “Yes!” Consider our passage for today. Paul gives us a description of the many persons who will not inherit the kingdom of God. He writes,
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
But the most fascinating part of our passage is not found in who can’t enter into the kingdom of God; rather, it is what Paul says immediately after giving his list. He writes, “And such were some of you” (v. 11). They “were” once on the list as being sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunks, verbal abusers, and lying cheats, but God changed them. Paul writes, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (v. 11).
They were transformed! Before they were slaves to sin, but when Christ came into their life they were transformed! Don’t give into the lie that we can’t change! God can and has changed the most hardened sinner. He delights in taking the drunks, prostitutes, drug addicts and abusers and making them into children of God, so that it might be said, “And such were some of you.” If you believe that God can’t change a person, then you don’t know the God of the Bible. He is all about changing people’s lives. There is no one who is alive today who is beyond the grace and power of Almighty God. God can, does and will transform those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Amen.
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