SCRIPTURE:
28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 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 2:28-29
OBSERVATION:
In my days as a management consultant, I remember long discussions where our team would determine “what’s the right metric of success? How can you really tell that a positive, lasting change has occurred?” You see, the teams I was a part of were tasked with solving difficult problems for large companies. So we would offer strategies and roadmaps to solve these problems. However, we couldn’t just say that these problems were solved––we would have to prove it by reaching several key indicators––metrics of success deemed to be trustworthy and true signs of a change that had occurred.
Similarly, becoming a Christian is a similar event of great change. By choosing to follow Christ, you are choosing to say “bye” to the old you and “hello” to the new you. As the apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” But how can you tell that the new really is here? How can you tell if someone is really a Christian? The apostle Paul offers one sign––one key indicator––that a change has truly occurred. He writes in Romans 2:29 NIV, “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.”
How can you tell someone is really a Christian? By whether they have undergone a change of heart. It is not how many righteous things they have done or how many sins they do not commit––it is whether their heart has changed. Whether they truly have a heart of repentance, a heart that seeks praise from God rather than man, and a heart that is fueled and overtaken by the Holy Spirit. For you can do the right things without heart and avoid the wrong sins while motivated by pride or self-promotion. But you cannot have the right heart––the right motivation, intentions, and desires––without the presence of the Holy Spirit.
APPLICATION:
The key indicator of a true Christian is not good works; it is the right heart. Don’t get me wrong––this is not license for you to go around and point your finger at other people judging whether or not they really are Christians. Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:1-2 NIV, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This is, however, a call for you to look in the mirror and examine yourself. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV, “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
Today, examine yourself to see if you demonstrate this key indicator of being a true Christian. Can those around you tell that there has been a change in your heart? Would those closest to you testify that you are not the same person? If yes, then stay the course. If no, then invite God to move in your heart. Allow Him to continue to change your heart and remain on God’s journey of transformation. For the journey of being a Christian is the journey of continual transformation. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV). Allow God to transform you all the days of your life––and in doing so, be a vessel through which God’s glory is put on display through your changed heart.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for transforming us, and thank You that we are not the same. Today, echo the words of David, a man after Your own heart, in Psalm 139:23-24 NIV. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” We love You, Lord. Thank You for loving us, and for changing us from glory to glory, to become more like You.
In Your name we pray,
Amen
