Thursday, July 9, 1998
Thursday, July 9, 1998
The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once
tried to destroy. (Galatians 1:23
NRSV)
Why would Christ tell people to be born again, if there were no chance that such a phenomenon
could occur? Why would the Scriptures time after time urge us to repent if repentance is really
not possible?
In Galatians, Paul describes the change that took place in his own life. He tells his reader that he
"persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it." That's important for us to
understand. Paul, or Saul as he was known then, was an extremist, a radical. If he had lived today
he might even have been a terrorist. And yet he changed. He changed so much that rather than
continuing to persecute the Christian faith, he became the most influential Christian who ever
lived. He even changed his name from Saul to Paul. He changed so thoroughly that this madman,
this radical, this terrorist became the author of the most beautiful writing on the nature of love
ever penned--I Corinthians 13: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love I
am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal . . . ." Can people change? If you believe the Bible, your
answer would have to be yes.
Prayer: Dear God, change me from my sinfulness into the joy of your love. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA