Christianity today, for many Christians, has become merely a religion, not the way of life of Jesus that must be put on only as we become more and more like Jesus, so that we can be proportionally reconciled with God. When someone can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,” then balance with God takes place. Indeed, this is difficult, but there is no other choice. If we are not truly willing to change, we will never become true Christians.
For many people today, Christianity has become merely a religion that wraps their religious life. Yet the essence of true Christianity has been abandoned, namely, the transformation of behavior so that it increasingly conforms to God’s original design, with Jesus as its model. God’s original design is for human beings to be pleasing to Him, whose every action always aligns with God’s thoughts and feelings.
Indeed, none of us is yet perfect. We often feel frustrated when we look at ourselves. However, we must dare to resolve, “Lord, I do not want to be wrong. Not only today, but until I die. I want to live blamelessly.” Therefore, let there be no gaps or opportunities that we leave open for wrongdoing. We do not want to give space to sin. Every time we fall, we must immediately repent. In fact, we should dare to say, “Lord, I am finished with myself and with this world. I am not finished with you. I have been satisfied with myself, with what I have, and I have even committed many wrongs in Your sight to satisfy myself. Now I do not want to be wrong anymore.”
Remember, God’s part has been completed in providing the means of reconciliation. Our part is to change ourselves so that we can live in balance with God. We must realize that the opportunity to experience a transformation that matches God’s is extremely limited. There is no condition more dreadful and more regretful than losing the opportunity. If this momentum passes, there will be no second chance, for this life is only once. In this one opportunity, we must choose to have fellowship and be reconciled with God.
God has provided the means of reconciliation through the blood of the Lord Jesus. However, if someone does not work out their salvation with fear and trembling, is unwilling to live holy, does not offer their life fully to God, and does not shift their heart to the Kingdom of Heaven—which means not doing the Father’s will—then Jesus may say, “I never knew you.” This is truly terrifying.
God did not design salvation and reconciliation in a one-sided way. If God were to force someone to be reconciled to Him unilaterally, that reconciliation would not be sincere, true, or natural. It would be like someone being forced to make peace by a stronger party. God is not like that. Therefore, do not think that God unilaterally determines who is saved. God designed salvation for all people, meaning that everyone has the opportunity to be reconciled with Him. However, whether a person is willing to be saved and reconciled with God in proportion is a personal decision.
That is why the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 5:19–20 says, “Be reconciled to God.” Believers are those who receive the privilege of the firstborn gift, namely the potential to become heirs of the Kingdom of God and to live together with the Lord Jesus. Therefore, when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” this verse does not merely mean that Jesus is the only way to heaven. This statement is profoundly exclusive. Only through Jesus can one come to the Father. As expressed in Jesus’ prayer, “You are in Me, and I am in You, that they also may be in Us.” This is an exclusive fellowship. Thus, one must walk that way—hodos—and live in that truth—alētheia—to truly be reconciled with God.