Adam and Eve could have chosen to follow God and submit to Him, but they chose instead to retain the prerogative to make their own life’s decisions without deferring to God’s will.  Instead of the Tree of Life, they partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  In doing so, they made the choice not only for themselves but for their offspring as well.  As a result of our original parent’s wrong preference, we too, are cut off from the Tree of Life, and that which it represents—Eternal Life.

In order to obtain eternal life in the Kingdom of God a number of major changes must take place in us.  We saw that the final fundamental change was from flesh to spirit at our resurrection to eternal life in the Family of God.  Jesus told Nicodemus:

“Truly, truly, I say unto thee, unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.”  (John 3:5-6)

There is another fundamental change that must precede that final change.  A man is unable to turn to God in submission on his own.  A direct intervention on God’s part is necessary before anyone is able to come out of this world because God has seen to it that the Tree of Life is not available any more.

“The Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden… So He drove out the man… to keep the way of the Tree of Life.”  (Genesis 3:22-24)

God will not allow man to bring any of his cruelty, selfishness, resentment, hate, anger, jealousy, hostility, lies and deceit into the wonderful Kingdom of God.  Our fleshly minds have become antagonistic against God’s perfect way (Romans 8:7).  As a result of our sinful nature we are all subject to death – worthy of death – not life!  A conversion [Greek - epistrepho] has to take place in us.  That conversion is a turning from the ways of this world and a turning to the Lord.  Here is how it works:

God must first call us and grant us repentance and faith (John 6:44, 65).  We must act on those gifts and go through a change – a complete turning about.  That is what ‘epistrepho’ literally means.

That first fundamental change is our conversion.  There is an initial change that actually does take place when a Christian first begins to be called by God – but that process must continue throughout our lives.  Living a life of submission and turning to God is the mark of true conversion.  We can see the beginning of this process as God begins to work with a people:

“To open their eyes, and to turn them [epistrepho] from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”  (Acts 26:18) 

Yes, believing what Jesus says to do will begin to change our lives – and sanctify us – set us apart for God’s holy purposes.  Simply getting together on the Sabbath and avoiding unclean foods will not effect the necessary life’s changes that are absolutely necessary.  But living God’s laws in our hearts and minds will begin to change us to be like Him (Philippians 2:5).

Our conversion is not a simple matter of accepting that Christ died for our sins, and that, if we hold onto that belief throughout our life, we will be in the Kingdom of God.  It not enough to be baptized, keep the Holydays, and to fast occasionally and to pray often.  Certainly, these are all good and necessary, but they are not enough.  Those things do not make us Christians – they do not convert us – which is necessary.  It is what God does that converts us – giving us His Spirit – His Life.  We must live as Jesus Christ lived:

“Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”  (1 Peter 4:13)

The Christian Conversion process is a much higher magnitude of change than many suppose.  Our Conversion will not be complete until we have fully put on the mind of Christ and the very Life of God.  At the completion of our conversion process, there will be absolutely nothing remaining of the physical and sinful man that God initially called to salvation.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”  (Psalm 19:7)

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Sermon:

"Two Fundamental Changes - Part 2"