Truth That Transforms

I may not be the prettiest or the funniest lady out there…but let me tell you something, I’m also not the smartest.

I have never been to Bible college. I have no masters degree. I can’t tell you the Hebrew or Greek of anything off the top of my head. And if I’m honest, recalling the exact location of the scripture I do have memorized isn’t my strong suit. But what I do offer is a heart truly transformed by the love and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Waking up to this truth has taken time. Like maybe some of you reading this, I had a lifetime of Sunday School knowledge and a deep desire to love God. But heart transformation? I knew I needed it, but I didn’t have it. I believed and confessed Jesus as my Savior at a young age. I was baptized and faithful to his church. But I had not begun to truly grasp the gospel. I didn’t love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I believed in God, but I didn’t believe God. Maybe you’ve been there…maybe you are there.

My high school cousins try to keep me in the know. Phrases like “spill the tea” and telling me “no one calls it ‘IG’ or the ‘gram’ anymore” often surface in our conversations. And Facebook is for old people. I know, it hurts. Maybe you have corrected a parent or been corrected by a teenager in your life. Words change overtime, become irrelevant, lose their meaning, or are just forgotten.

The word gospel is one of those words. A classic example of, “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.” If you’re familiar at all with the Bible then this word might make you think of the books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Those are “the gospels.” But if you’ve been involved in church ever in your life, you might have also heard that gospel means “good news.”

Gospel gets tossed around the Christian sphere—gospel centered, gospel ministry, gospel community. But at its core, gospel means “good announcement” or “good news.” But what is the good news? The gospel is not “just good news” but the best news. So even if you have heard this a thousand times, keep reading. After all, we could all use some good news in the midst of a pandemic—why not hear the best news again?

What is the best news?

God created the world in perfection. Pure perfection with no stain of sin in what he had deemed “good.” Sin surfaced through the one act of Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12). They allowed deception and doubt to creep in after a short conversation with the enemy (Genesis 3:1-7). What was once a perfect, intimate walk with God—shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand—was now marred. 

After Adam and Eve sinned, God asks, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). He’s not asking for their physical location. God acknowledges that Adam and Eve are no longer in his presence. A “gulf” now exists between them which had not been there before. A gulf that would require a bridge. 

From that moment in Eden, we see what this corruption of sin does to humans and the earth. We see toil and struggle from the nation of Israel, despite the faithful promises of God being revealed time and again. We see the Israelites’ hearts enticed and won over by other gods that could offer them nothing, when the God who had provided everything lived in their midst.

The Scriptures tell of the chosen people of God failing to live up to his good design, incapable of fulfilling his law in the way our perfect God required. And in response to our failure, the Lord came down to us—fully God and fully human (John 1:14).

Jesus Christ at the right hand of God from the beginning came to do what we could not—to fulfill the law and design as God intended (Matthew 5:17), to live perfectly, and then take the wrath of God into himself (Hebrews 2:17). Paul tells us“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  And instead of us living a life that required regular sacrifice to atone (pay for) our sin, God gave us grace. Jesus Christ took our punishment. An innocent and perfect man took the wrath and anger toward sin and brought it upon himself by means of public mockery, humiliation, beatings, and ultimately death (Matthew 26:67, 27:26-50).

But then on the third day, Jesus Christ rose again and conquered death (Matthew 28:6). Overcoming the darkness of both the world and the enemy, King Jesus purchased back a people sold to slavery—his people (2 Timothy 1:10). The Lord’s Kingdom was restored because Jesus took upon himself the retribution of death that was placed on our heads by sin. He proved himself as the rightful ruler of this world.

Sister, we could not get back to the presence of our Creator on our own. The law of the Old Testament proved our need for a Savior. And as our punishment, Christ  took not only our sin but also our shame and guilt—as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

Why does this gospel matter?

Sister, you know what comes to mind and gives you a lump in your throat? God traded you straight up and gave you grace for that instead. 

You know the secret that you hope no one ever finds out about? Grace covers that, too.

The words you have said, the choices you have made, the life you lived…gone. Grace is yours.

When we grasp the level of separation from God that was once ours and the punishment that had our name on it but then was replaced with grace and mercy through the love of our Creator God...that is called freedom.



No punishment now awaits you. No guilt clings to you. No shame needs to haunt you. Grace and love abound for you instead! And you did absolutely nothing to deserve that. In fact, Jesus Christ showed his love and grace for you while you were actively rebelling against him (Romans 5:8).

I will never forget the day I sat in front of the Christian Counselor I saw for a traumatic childhood. The Lord used this woman to help me see the unlocked chains still present in my life. The Holy Spirit took a lifetime of “head knowledge” and transformed it into “heart change.” Grace frees me and changes me. He desires that for you too, friend.

But what does this gospel change?

Absolutely everything. We will view every single day as an undeserved gift. And every living creature as something under God’s reign and rule to be stewarded well on behalf of the King. Every human will be seen as a mighty, awe-inspiring image bearer of our King. From the overworked telemarketer to the overzealous soccer mom, everyone stands in need of the gospel’s freedom.

We will see every heartache as an opportunity to grow. Used for our sanctification—the journey to become holy and complete—to look more and more like our Savior. We can embrace every trial with joy because we know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. Perseverance allows us to mature and become complete so that we lack nothing (James 1:2-4).

And how do we see ourselves? As a fully seen, fully known, fully loved, fully redeemed child of the King, we walk in a holy confidence. We know our worth and the source of our worth. But even greater than that, we have a purpose. And that purpose remains to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  Jesus said “go”—we do not sit on this transformation. It’s not a Hershey Kiss you eat and then forget about after the taste of chocolate has disappeared from your taste buds. This gospel gift is shared. 

Each day as a woman [re]Purposed for the King is a gift filled with hope and light. Now we all know that not everyday is sunshine and rainbows. But living out of this truth and grace allows us to be filled with peace, joy, and contentment. The Holy Spirit continues to transform us as we live out the implications of the gospel. We seek to live with purpose and intention.

“It has been said that a stone lying in the sun can’t help but grow warm. In the same way, as we learn to expose our stony hearts to the warmth and light of the gospel, we can’t help but be transformed.” - Steve Childers

The gospel is not a “get saved and behave” situation. We have a greater grace than that—one of sanctification and growth in Him. 

Friend, continue to expose your stony heart daily to his truth through the Word, prayer, and Biblical community.

Our faithful God will continue to renew and transform you and be right by your side until the day we meet our Savior in glory, where we will be completed and whole once again. (Philippians 1:6).

And what a day that will be! See you then.