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Convicted But Not Converted

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things become new – 2nd Corinthians 5:17.

Paul presents the results of Christ’s death for the believer and the believer’s death with Him. Because believers are united with Jesus both in His death and resurrection they participate in the new creation.

That is, they receive the benefits of being restored by Christ to what God had initially created them to be. All things become new; a believer’s life should change because he or she is being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Instead of living for oneself and others, a believer lives for Christ. Instead of evaluating others with the world’s values, a believer looks at this world through the eyes of faith.

When God created man in the image of Him and His Son, He was not speaking of a facial representation but of His Spirit. Man was created in holiness like his Father, sin was not in him. Man was created in both the image and likeness of God. An image is a representation or replica of one person. An image may be similar but not necessarily identical to its original.

When Adam and his wife disobeyed God, they were no longer in the image of God because sin had tainted their heart and spirit. Adam and Eve were created like their Father, God; when Adam and Eve had children, they produced children in their image, not in the image of God (And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness after his image, and called his name Seth – Genesis 5:3). This likeness is now sinful in contrast to (And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flow of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth – Genesis 1:26).

Notice in Genesis 1:26, God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, He was not talking to the angels, the angels were not created in the image of God. Both God and Jesus are self existing, they are equal in nature. God called Jesus God (But unto the Son, He saith, Thy throne, O God is for ever and ever: A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom – Hebrews 1:8).

Because sin was in the world, and Satan had become the god of this world, God sent His Son, Jesus to reconcile His people back to Him. There is no other name one can be saved by but by the name of Jesus. Jesus died and was resurrected, no other prophet or man has died and was resurrected.

Man can’t save himself, nor can he be saved by another man other than Jesus. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself. He was nailed to the Cross fo our sins He had not committed; He died on that Cross, and when they buried Him, He was in the grave for three days then He was resurrected. If He would have died and not been resurrected our sins would not have been forgiven. He would have been like all the other professing godly men.

Jesus was both man and Divine, He was our example of how we as Christians should live our lives to please the Father. One cannot come in contact with Jesus and stay the same. Many accept salvation because of conviction at the altar call, but after the altar call they return to their old lifestyle.

Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit will make us submit ourselves to the Scriptures; they aren’t going to make us submit to the process of them creating us in the image of God. We have to do this willingly, for them to make us new creations.

A new creation means we no longer live or have the desires we once had, and even we if still have some of them because we love God we will not commit to them. What we think is right in our eyes, will not be right until we compare our thoughts and actions to the Word of God.

The more we submit ourselves to God in prayer, reading the Bible, and fasting, the more we see things through God’s eyes, and we will begin to see our lifestyle has not been in line with God’s Word. The closer our relationship is with God, the more we lose ourselves from the things of the world.

Convicted and not converted will cause one to go to hell no matter how much they say they love God. When you love someone you strive to do the things that please them, you no longer want your will but their will.

The Bible gives us instructions on what to take off and what to put on and if we’re not conformed to the instructions our worship is in vain. Jesus is returning for His church, will you be rapture ready? If death knocks on life’s door, do you know if you will be going to heaven, if you’re not sure, then you need to make yourself become submissive to the Word of God.

There is life after death, there is a place of peace and a place of torement; convicted but not converted will not take you to the place of peace!

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