Summary
There can be a gap between what we believe about Jesus and who we are actually becoming. We can know the right things, believe the gospel, and still find ourselves stuck in the same patterns, struggles, and habits. And when we recognize that gap, our instinct is often to try to fix ourselves, whether by waiting for God to suddenly change us, working harder to earn change, or relying on our own willpower. But none of those were ever the plan.
The truth is, we are all being formed by something. The question is what is shaping us and who we are becoming as a result. The good news of the gospel is that change really is possible. Jesus didn’t come only to forgive us, but to make us new and form us into people who look more like Him. We don’t change through our own strength, but through the power of Christ and the work of the Spirit within us.
Outline
- Ways We Try to Fix Ourselves
- When we recognize the gap between what we believe and who we’re becoming, we often turn to magic, merit, or willpower. But lasting change was never meant to come from waiting passively, earning our way forward, or simply trying harder.
- What’s Actually Forming You
- We are all becoming someone, whether we realize it or not. If we aren’t intentionally being formed by Jesus, the world around us will gladly shape our desires, habits, and lives for us.
- Through Christ, You Can Change
- Change is possible, not through our strength alone, but through the power of Christ and the work of the Spirit. The gospel doesn’t just forgive us; through Christ, God is forming us into people who look more like Jesus.
Passage
19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you—
