photo #8199201

THE CHANGED LIFE Oftentimes when I post something regarding the truth of II Corinthians 5:17, the fact that a true believer will have natural evidence, or fruit, of a changed life, some folks get the idea that I'm suggesting that a Christian cannot sin. Not true. I have never said or written that a Christian cannot or will not sin, only that his life will show some evidence of being saved. Jesus said, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Mat. 7:20)How much fruit and what kind of fruit is a different issue altogether, but there will be fruit. That doesn't mean that there will never be sin, only that there will not be sin ONLY. The old nature is still present in the flesh, but a new holy nature is now present as well, a nature that will bring about some changes, including a new attitude about sin.Folks like to reference I Corinthians 5, the Christian who committed fornication with his father's wife, as "proof" that a man can be saved and not have a changed life, but that won't work. That man was severely dealt with about his sin, and we read in II Corinthians 2 that Paul recommended his restoration in Christian fellowship, a clear indication that the disciplinary actions of the church had wrought a positive effect on this man. This would not have been the case had the man shown no changes at all. The presence of sin didn't mean that he was an unchanged man. Instead of repenting, an unchanged man would have doubled-down in his sin and claimed that no one had a right to judge him. This man did what a Christian is supposed to do when being chastened; he repented and found restoration. That in itself is evidence of a changed life. A changed life doesn't mean a sinless life; it means a CHANGED life that views sin and judgment differently than before as a result of the indwelling Holy Spirit.