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

 There is a difference between being a Christian and just being religious. Religion is either trying to make oneself righteous or one who acknowledges there is a God but rejects the Bible’s instructions; they pick and choose what Scripture of the Bible they will submit to.

Religion doesn’t have principles to follow, such as Christianity; religion is about what one does rather than what Jesus did for them.

With religion, you can do what you want and yet call yourself a Christian or a religious person. True Christianity brings about a change in the person’s behavior and character, the Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore.

The Christian is not reformed, rehabilitated, or re-educated; the person is a new creation, living in vital union with Christ. Christians aren’t someone who merely turned over a new life, they are beginning a new life under a new Master.

Christianity comes with sanctification; Christians are once and continually set apart and kept. As Christians, they abide by the doctrine of Christ and will not follow any other doctrine. Christians are born again in their spirit, their spirit has been transformed by the Spirit of God, and they become one with God and His Son.

Christians take on the nature of their Father, whereas religious people’s nature, behavior, and character remain the same, not reflecting the Father’s nature. Christians don’t practice sin, for whatever is opposite of the instructions God has given us through His written Word is a sin.

Many have lost their souls because they wanted to gain the world through their beauty and talents, desiring popularity. In contrast, the Bible has stated,  “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” To gain the world is to be an idol, having glory and honor, given to the individual, and those who worship them will go to hell along with their idol.

God has forbidden the Christian to have no other gods before Him; an idol is not just a statue, it’s people and things. Anytime a person wants to be glorified and worshipped, this isn’t the Spirit of God being manifested in them; it is the spirit of their father. Satan wanted to be glorified. This is the spirit of pride, and God hates pride.

There is no way the Spirit of God is indwelling our human spirit, and our character and behavior haven’t changed. If we’re still doing the same thing we were doing before we became Christians, the Spirit of God isn’t indwelling in us. When He comes, He makes changes. God wants us to be Christians, not religious. This is why He instructed Nicodemus he had to be born-again, meaning he had to be born from above, it’s nothing we can do to ourselves.

It’s not God’s desire for anyone to perish, but He will not push Himself on anyone who doesn’t desire to be a follower of Christ. This is why Jesus instructed  His disciples that they had to be born-again, they would have to deny themselves, they would have to be doers of the Word and not just hearers and quoters.

When Jesus saves a Christian, they are supposed to be Christ-like, not mimic or imitate the world. We can’t live by the world’s standards and actions and be a Christian; this is why we have been instructed that we have become new creatures, our old way of thinking and behavior shouldn’t be the same. Jesus will be returning soon, and He’s coming for His church, those who haven’t denied the faith, nor disregard the instructions of the written Word of God.

Adam was created in holiness. God created Adam from the dust of the ground, and God breathed His Spirit into Adam. Adam became a spirit housed in a body. Eve was created from one of Adam’s ribs; she was known as a woman, Adam’s wife.

They both were given authority to rule and dominate the world, but when they disobeyed God’s instructions, the authority they had was given to Satan, he became the god of this world. No longer were they ruled by the Spirit of God, no longer did they have communion and fellowship with God; they had a new ruler, and his name was Satan. 

Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan; no longer is anyone bound by his bondage unless they reject the true salvation of Jesus that comes with freedom.  We can’t serve God and Satan; God has given us written instructions on how to serve Him, and He also indicates in His instructions how to find out how to serve Satan.  Read and study the Word of God; His truths will set you free!

Read and study the Word of God and examine yourself by the Word of God to see whether or not you’re living according to the Word of God. There is no other way to enter heaven but by submitting and applying God’s Word to your life. We’re spending eternity somewhere after death, whether it’s heaven or hell.