Sunday Sermons
Can People Change?
Can People Change?
There are various points of view on the subject of whether or not people can really change. If you are around a person who keeps making poor decisions you might be skeptical about real change. Especially if they keep making poor decisions after suffering for past poor decisions. Actually, the Bible speaks about such a person (2 Peter 2:22). “Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him” (Proverbs 27:22). These verses are helpful, for if I encounter someone who seems absolutely resistant to change—not matter how much they suffer because of past poor decisions, I need to realize that this does not mean that people in general cannot change, rather, it means that I have ran into a person who is being foolish and is unwilling to change. This does not mean that one was born a fool, rather, entering either the path of wisdom or folly is a choice (Proverbs 9:4), and one can depart from folly (9:6).
Yes People Can Change
The Bible is filled with examples of individuals who changed for the worse (Genesis 4:7), and changed for the better (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). In fact, many of the New Testament letters were written to people who had changed (1 Peter 4:3; 1 Thess. 1:9; Titus 3:3; Colossians 3:9). As someone noted saying that people cannot change is as unreasonable as saying that people cannot learn. Equally true is that people change when they want to change. “People who change on their own — we call them self-changers — are not usually getting any media attention. But 90% of people who stopped smoking did it on their own, and the same thing is true with problem drinking, [through] either abstinence or moderation. We don’t want to mislead people about hardcore alcoholics, but even some of them do self-change” Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/12/28/how-to-make-new-years-resolutions-stick-qa-with-expert-on-change/#ixzz2HLFlInwF
Is Change Complicated?
As I looked at article after article outside the Bible on change I did not find a complicated formula. The steps were very simple:
· Believe you can change.
· Start practicing the new behavior or attitude you want to adopt.
· Replace bad habits with good habits.
· Reinforce good habits with rewards.
· Remember, change is work. Do not expect it to be effortless or easy.
· Getting rid of those things that lead you into bad habits, like bad friends (1 Corinthians 15:33).
· You have to stick with it, perseverance is essential.
Simple Biblical Steps
When I look at various examples of change in the Scriptures I find that there are certain fundamental attitudes that make all the difference:
· Simple Honesty:
I own up to the fact that I have been living selfishly and treating God and others in a poor manner. I don’t defend my poor behavior, I don’t make excuses, I own up, “I am the man” (2 Samuel 12:13; Luke 18:13 “God, be merciful to me, the sinner”). This would include recognizing the problems we have created in our lives and relationships by not listening to God. That what we are currently doing is not working and in fact, it is hurting and making it very difficult for the ones that we claim to love.
· Simple Humility:
This would include the willingness to admit that I need help, that I cannot do it all myself, and that I do not have all the answers inside me (Acts 16:30).
· A Willingness to Listen to Advice:
This made all the difference in whether or not Naaman the Leper went away still a Leper or healed (2 Kings 5:13).
· Genuine Sorrow Over Our Foolish Choices:
That we are willing to see the real damage and pain that we have caused to both God (Psalm 51:4) and others. A heart that is broken and willing to do better (51:17). Genuine sorrow is evidenced by what comes out of our mouths after our sin is exposed. If excuses come out, then we are not willing to see the real damage. But if we say, “What must I do” (Acts 2:37), then the sorrow is real.
· Taking God’s Word Seriously:
When the Bible says that a certain attitude or practice will keep us out of heaven (Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:6), we believe it!
In the Parable of the Sower we see a number of truths concerning change. First, all people do not change. There are those who can hear the gospel and remain unmoved (Luke 8:12). Others, might change for a while, then revert to old ways (8:13). Some will change only a little (8:14). Yet others will explode with growth (8:15).
Can We Change Other People?
It would be correct to say that we cannot take control of another person’s life and at the end of the day, the person who really decides whether or not I change, is me. This is seen in such passages as Matthew 13:15; 23:37.
Can We Help Other People Change?
Absolutely yes! We have a message that can bring about unprecedented change in their lives (Romans 1:16).
Determine to Live the Christian Life:
Not only does this provide a good example, but it does something else. If someone is not living right, and I determine to keep living as a Christian, it forces them to make a decision. For example, the godly woman in 1 Peter 3:1 who has an unfaithful husband, and continues to live in a godly manner is presenting to her husband something that he must deal with somehow, for he cannot ignore her good attitude. He may get really frustrated because her godliness makes him feel real guilty for the things he does, says, or does not do and does not say. He may be softened and convicted, but one way or another, he cannot simply remain the same. It has been my experience that the life of the faithful Christian either moves the people around him or her to move closer to God or to move farther away. Just like the word of God, it will either soften the human heart (Acts 2:37) or harden it (Acts 7:54). So never think that you are powerless. Let your light shine and people around you must adjust to that.
Understand What You Really Want:
Someone noted that when a sinful urge hits you like a wave, do not cave. Such urges only remain intense for a couple of minutes or less. Remember that every sin is a cheap counterfeit. Such temptations promise fulfillment and happiness, but it is very temporary. The real pleasure that lasts, the happiness that is genuine, and brings no regrets, is doing the right thing. What we all really want is for someone to love us, to be happy, to feel good about ourselves, to be doing something that is very rewarding and fulfilling, and to find something that lasts. Only God can provide all these things!
Mark Dunagan | Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
Beavertonchurchofchrist.net | mdunagan@frontier.com
