Change is possible. This may be the biggest single disagreement the Christian faith has with the wider world today. For the sad fact is that many of those who do not follow Christ are convinced that the ethical demands of the Scriptures are simply impossible for anyone to achieve. They look at their own habits, feelings and desires, they assume that the way they are is the way they are supposed to be, and so they reject any belief system that considers their behavior to be wrong. Worse yet, they assume that Christians hate anyone whose behavior is not in line with the teachings of the Bible.

But the fact is that the Christian faith, indeed the ministry of Christ Himself is not driven by hate, but by love. As verse 14 points out, the love of Christ not only motivates our outreach to the world. No, it was the love of Christ for sinners like us that led Him to die for all His people. And if Christ had to die so that sinners like us could be forgiven, it just doesn’t make sense to pretend that sin isn’t a big, big problem.

But it also doesn’t make sense to believe that people can’t change. Verse 14 makes it plain that all who trust in Christ have actually died with Him – died to the power of sin. That’s why in verse 17, Paul can say that all those who trust in Christ are new creations. By the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, the power of our old sinful, self-centered nature is broken. Now, it’s true that old habits often hang around, and that we can even delude ourselves into thinking that we have to give into them. Those who are alive can indeed choose to play dead – but why should we want to?

And why should anyone want to go on acting like a prisoner when he has been freed? More to the point, why should anyone go on thinking that God is our enemy when, by the cross of Christ, all who trust in Him have been reconciled to Him? As verse 21 says, Jesus took all our sins on Himself so that His righteousness, His perfection might be credited to our account. The amazing truth is that when God looks at those who trust in Christ, He doesn’t see all the bad things we’ve done and continue to do – He sees the holiness of Jesus.

So, do people have habits, desires, and feelings that aren’t good for them and for other people? Sure – and Christians are no exception to that rule. But we know that by trusting in Christ we are not only forgiven of everything that is out of line with God’s perfect plans for us. We know that, by His Holy Spirit, God has given us the ability to change. And we pursue that change not least because we know how much God loves us.

II Corinthians 5:14-21 (ESV)

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.