SHOULD WE CHANGE OR DOES GOD ACCEPT US AS WE ARE?


I just wanted to clarify so that we all understand that since no one is perfect and perfection is the goal there are some changes that we all have to make in order to grow into perfection and to be one with God who is perfect! Is that confusing?

On God accepting us as we are -

God accepts us as we are because we have no choice but to come to Him as we are. Many try to "fix" themselves up and them come to Him thinking that they can make themselves acceptable to God if they would just clean up their act. What they don't understand is that God's Holy is different than when we work on ourselves by quitting smoking or when we stop drinking, or start being nicer to people. His Holiness is not about us at all; we can stop fornicating and committing adultery and even try to control our thoughts but we cannot reach the perfection and Holiness of God no matter what we do. His Holiness is infinite cleanliness and righteousness and we are finite and mortal; we simply cannot reach that standard!

Man-made religions have adopted religious rituals and set ridiculous standards that are not biblical like vows of poverty and vows of celibacy in order to sound pious and in an attempt to please God but God doesn't require us to go beyond His requirements and we only frustrate ourselves and others when we set impossible to reach -

Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. - Luke 11:46

So here is our dilemma -

1. We are imperfect and cannot reach perfection on our own.
2. Perfection and complete holiness is a requirement for citizenship in heaven and the new earth.
3. Imperfection or unholiness (sin; missing the mark) which we are born into by genetic predisposition because we are descended from flawed Adam who sinned against God and received the curse of death is punishable by death in Hell and endless torment.
4. Obviously we are in a jam unless there is someone who can deliver us from this imperfection and death sentence.
5. Only God Himself can meet the standard (and in case you are wondering why couldn't He just remove the death sentence and free us that way, remember that once His Word goes out it accomplishes what He said it would do and therefore He cannot revoke or go against His Word because that would make Him a liar and God cannot (is incapable of) lie.
6. Since God Himself is the only One that can meet His standard of perfection, God came in human form in the person of Jesus Christ to free us from the death sentence by paying the "wages of sin" which is death by dying on the cross FOR us and so in place of us having to die for our sins He died for us sins so that now WE DO NOT HAVE TO DIE!
That is the promise of eternal life through Christ!
7. We still have the problem of being imperfect and needing perfect holiness in order to live at peace with God. Let me say this at this juncture because this is important. WE CANNOT QUALIFY FOR HEAVEN; WE CANNOT EARN IT, CANNOT DESERVE IT AND GOD WILL NEVER OWE US ANYTHING! That being said please understand that because God loves us so much, even enough to die for us, enough to come to life again so that we would not be eternally lost - now this is the really deep part so I don't want any one to miss this.

A human cannot totally enter a human and take over his or her body, mind and soul, but a spirit can!

When Christ died on the cross he took on a spirit form so that he could enter humans who were willing to accept His offer of forgiveness and promise of eventual perfection unto eternal life! This is called the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit and this is what separates Christians from every other religion on the planet! We receive in effect a new heart, a new mind and new desires, a desire to serve and worship a loving God! That new spirit perfects us gradually, depending on how much we allow it to work in us. Depending on how much we submit, obey, study His word, allow ourselves to serve others (love) rather than ourselves (lust) and willingly give up things that are against God and contrary to our own growth; as we become privy through prayer and study to the true character and personality of God we begin to understand what He wants, what He loves and what He hates.

Why do saved people call themselves Christians still have problems and still commit sins?

8. Because that Holy Spirit which is working in the Christian is working against the person's fleshly desire.
9. Because the Christian maintains his free will in spite of the "urging" of the Holy Spirit (conscience).
10. Because there is an enemy called Satan who relentlessly attacks the Christian and sends temptations, obstacles, tragedy, disappointments, lies, fear, insecurity and a host of other spirits our way to cause us to stumble and disobey God.

Why does God permit this relentless attack from Satan?

11. Because resisting the devil is how we grow into perfection! We don't know how much we can do with help of God until we are out to the test. So in effect, Satan is only a tool that God uses by permitting him to attack us which will either push us to perfection or back into sin depending on how strong our resolve is and how great our love for God is. This is why it is written in Romans 8:28:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for
good, for those who are called according to his purpose...

Whichever has more of our love, God or sin is what will be victorious over us.

God bless and I pray that this helps our understanding.