Are there Half-Baked Christians?

Is it possible to be a half-baked Christian? I would venture to say yes.

Have you heard the expression that living in a garage won’t make you a car; the same as going to church won’t make you a Christian. Yet, how many sit in churches every week thinking they are Christians because they are there. Then for the rest of the week they forget that God even exists. I purpose that becoming a Christian is a life-changing experience. See article titled the Great Exchange.

Saying we are a Christian means we accept Jesus, who is the Christ - the Messiah, as our Savior, as the one who can forgive our sins. He is the One who, by his own sacrifice of paying the penalty of our sins for us, offers us eternal life in the presence of a loving, caring, awesome God. The Bible calls this acceptance: being “born again”. Some call it being “saved”. It means we now represent Him. It means we have had our sins forgiven. It means we know that when we die our spirit will live on in heaven, in His loving presence. We have made Him part of our lives, meaning he becomes Lord of our life. This is when we earn the title Christian.

This is what the Bible tells us is suppose to happen when we accept Jesus as our Savior, repent of our sins, and receive forgiveness for them. We become a new creature - a new creation; different from what we were before, a new person. What we were dies with Christ and then we are resurrected with Him to a new life. This is all symbolized in baptism. At this point, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire to do the right things and helps us to overcome the wrong things. As we ask Jesus to come into our lives, His nature comes to reside in us. Our mind is renewed; we begin to think differently. God becomes our focus and source.

I am not saying we don't ever sin again or never make mistakes. But as we grow in our spiritual walk with the Lord, they should certainly become less and less. We begin to grow spiritually by studying His Word - the Bible, by talking with Him - praying, by hearing His Word - through preachers or ministers. But too many people, when they think they have been born again, are not fully born again; they are only half-baked. The process was not complete.

When Paul mentioned about his struggle between what he did and what he knew he should be doing, often we never finish reading that passage. And as a result, people use this scripture from the Bible as an excuse to struggle with sin or to continue in it. But Paul continued his dialogue by asking who can help him. He then gave the answer to this dilemma. Christ and the Holy Spirit were the answer.

Christ sacrificed His life to release us from the grip of sin and its penalty. Then He sent the Holy Spirit to help us overcome and have victory in the areas of our life that aren't pleasing to God. You see friends; we don’t have to struggle on our own to overcome sin in our lives. We don’t have to think it's all up to us. And anyway, we don't always have the power in ourselves to overcome certain sins and addictions. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to overcome and have the victory, as Christ said we could. The Holy Spirit is going to help you.

The Bible also says that people perish for lack of knowledge. In a prophecy about Jesus, Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed [bruised] for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Here we see Christ did more than just forgive our sins as He gave His life for us on that dreadful cross. Our iniquities, the results of sin - which can even cause curses to be passed on through our generations - were taken by Him through His bruising, which is bleeding - under the skin. Our emotional pains were laid on Him to bring us emotional wholeness - His peace. He was wounded (beaten) - taking our sickness upon Himself - so we could receive healing in our bodies. Here is an interesting tidbit: Jesus took 39 lashes and it is said that all diseases fall within 39 categories.

We can’t receive what we don’t know is available to us. The same as you prayed to receive Christ as Savior - to receive forgiveness of sin, you also need to pray for emotional healing and physical healing. I’m not advocating here that you shouldn’t seek professional help in various areas of healing. God uses many sources to bring us the healing He wants us to experience.

And do you also consider that when Christ’s body was torn and His blood poured out unto death, the Bible says the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This took place in the spirit realm. In Exodus 26 we read that there was a curtain in the physical temple that separated the Holy of Holies - the place where God would commune with the High Priest after animal sacrifices had been made to atone for their sins (this symbolized the blood Christ would sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins). At the cross, Christ was the ultimate sacrifice and His blood now covers our sins forever, tearing that curtain between God and man. Now believers can go directly into God’s presence through prayer. We don’t have to stay out in the court area; we can now enter the Holy of Holies.

If you have been fully born again, Christ's nature is now in you. The Holy Spirit resides in you. What has righteousness to do with evil? You are no longer living in the kingdom of darkness - satan's kingdom or the devil’s kingdom of evil. But, you are now in the kingdom of light - God's kingdom of righteousness.

When we were born in the natural we received our DNA from our father. This included a sin nature that was imparted to mankind when the first man sinned: instead of trusting and staying faithful to God, his creator. When we are born again and the Holy Spirit enters us, we now have a part of God living in us. He becomes our Heavenly Father. We now have an additional DNA surging through us. Christ overcame the world - those sinful pulls - now we can too, because He lives in us.

We have also been given spiritual armor to use against our spiritual enemies, found in Ephesians 6:10-18. And, Jesus set the example of talking to our mountains (problems) - to tell them to "go." I received an email today that ended with the words: Don't tell God how big your problem is - tell your problem how big God is.

Read Psalm 51 for repentance and cleansing from sin and sinful addictions you struggle with, as often as needed. As strange as it may sound, some people with addictions feel that desire or that drive is a part of who they are. They feel that God made them that way or made them with that desire, because it is so strong in them. Let me advise you, addictions to sin in any area are not natural desires that are a part of you. It isn't a desire God placed in you. Perverted desires can be brought about by different reasons, but some are being flamed by a perverted evil spirit that wants to control you.

For example, there is a spirit of pornography, which attaches itself to those who get addicted to it. I had one person tell me, God allowed her to actually see it as it was cast from a man. She was surprised how small it was in comparison to the control and harm it could do, and added it had a tail like a rat. Deliverance may be needed in these instances. But, I also feel that as a person resists the temptation of an evil spirit, it will detach itself because it has lost its power of control. James 4:7 says submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Let me leave you with Psalm 46:1, which says God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Now is the time for every one to become a fully baked Christian!

By Nancy L. Harry

Eagles Rest Ministries

www.e-eaglesrest.com