The prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 43:18, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” In a similar vein, Paul says, “Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13–14; italics added). And, in the words of our Lord, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62).
Being in Christ means a commitment to complete change. In the language of Paul, it means no longer walking according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4ff). This means turning over a new leaf. It means committing to a new creation ethic. Being a Christian is not ultimately about what God does for us but what God does in us and through us. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we agree to close all former chapters on our life and open an entirely new one.
With this, the Hebrew word in the Old Testament meaning “repent” means “to turn and go the opposite direction.” This is what the life of holiness is all about. Just like on the day of Pentecost in which God did something entirely new and launched a new era, when someone comes to faith in Jesus, a new era of life begins. Being in Christ means dying to oneself—to self-satisfying desires—to the power of sin one’s life. It means complete submission. This is what Pentecost is all about, this is what the normal Christian life is all about, and it is what holiness is all about: radical change. In the words of the psalmist, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act” (Ps. 37:5).
One of the more difficult things that Jesus said was, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). This is extreme, but it is what is required. Jesus isn’t saying that Christians must hate their families. No. Jesus is saying, rather, that our allegiance to him must be first and foremost and that in order to follow him we have to be willing to forsake the things that are most dear to us. This is the cost of discipleship.
Being a Christian means a complete commitment. It means a definitive decision. It means putting our hand to the plow and not looking back. It means a firm faith that Jesus, and nothing and no one else, is the Bread of Life, the Way of Life, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, and the only gate to heaven.
