What if after being saved and knowing the truth of God’s ongoing work within us, our behavior does not change? For all of us, in some areas of our life, we likely may not change entirely while still living on this earth in these Sin-laden flesh bodies.

Yet, thankfully, we know also that we’re still saved, being kept “sealed” (2Cor. 1:22) and secure by the grace of His Holy Spirit within us.

• Formerly, the struggle under “the Law” was ‘how to perform against your will’; why you should perform was to avoid punishment. But we now know that Christians “under grace” will never face punishment of the Lord.
• Grace says Christ took all punishment for us and therefore we will never ever see the angry face of God. Grace answers the Christian’s dilemma with ‘why and how.’ Grace says it is the work of God’s Grace that repurposes the heart, by acting upon our ‘will’ through … knowledge of the truths and faith in the truth. For it is only “by faith” that we, as well-informed grace believers, know that Sin no longer has power over us… there only remains the lie of temptations in the flesh. (cf. Rom. 6:3-4, 6-7).

We are to conduct our daily walk by ‘faith’ in the same Gospel as saved us... always looking to and relying upon Christ our Savior.

“As (in the same way that) ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord (which was by faith), so walk ye in him (by faith) …” (Col. 2:6) 

“much more, being (now) reconciled, we shall be saved (Gk. completed, made whole)’ by HIS life.” (Rom. 5:10b).

What’s needed is not the application of ‘law’ to force our behavior, but rather the knowledge of the compelling power of God’s love and His ‘gospel of pure grace’ … to ‘win our hearts and minds.’  Only then do we freely choose right living.

Any struggle under grace is to be met with faith and patience in that God’s work within us… which is in-progress. Many want to see themselves changed now, as completing a race. No, our walk is to be in union with Him daily. Grace in the moment is applied to our hearts as Christ work within us “Day by Day.” The Bible speaks of those who waited and learned to trust; Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Paul in Arabia.

“though our outward (body) man perish, yet the inward man (soul) is renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16)

“it is God which worketh In You both to will (purpose) and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phili. 2:13)

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ (by His appearing):” (Philippians 1:6)

Having believed to receive God’s saving “grace and (the liberating) truth (which) came (to us) by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17);

• God’s grace provides us, “day by day,” the time and the situations necessary for grace to do its work in us.
• Meantime, God’s grace, all the time, freely lavishes the unconditional “love of God” upon us; to become known in our hearts. God’s Grace works to win our heart that we might co-operate with His Spirit within us!

The “Gospel of the Grace of God” (Acts 20:24) is not widely taught today, but it needs to be taught and ‘received by faith’ its hearers, then to be recalled by us “day by day.”

And, when we start extending God’s grace to others, we will see that our behavior has changed … without the law. Paul counseled Timothy:

“… be strong (Gk. endynamoo, enabled) in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:1)

God’s consistent unwavering love and grace does not ‘force us to do,’ but rather, it motivates our hearts while empowering us to live righteously.

“the ‘love of God’ is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost…” (Rom. 5:5)

This all brings us to this question: “How exactly do we become repurposed in our hearts?” Exactly how does God “work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13b).

As stated earlier, such ‘repurposing of our heart’s mind and will’ is the result of “the grace of God,” but it does not necessarily come to us with ease. It most often comes on the heels of us suffering the trials, tribulations and failures of life. All men fail and suffer the issues and consequences of wrong choices in life, both the saved and the unsaved, but Paul tells us our sufferings are among the “all things” that “work… for the good” (Rom. 8:28-29), for our eternal good.

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in (union with) me ye might have peace. In the world ‘ye shall have tribulation’ (Gk. thlipsis, pressure): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33) And we now know that ‘the overcomer,’ Jesus Christ, is all the time within us, in our spirit; yet we most often don’t turn to rely upon Him except in times of dire need. Eventually, after suffering the consequences of our independent choices often enough, we learn that we need Him all the time.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov 3:6)

It’s an inborn illusion that humans think we can handle things on our own… we act as if we are independent of Him. But eventually, having to endure the things that we cannot fix eventually breaks the illusion of self-sufficiency. Thus, our sufferings “work together for the good,” in that they release “the glory of God” from within us; that is Christ’s life (His glory) ultimately becomes expressed in our lives.

Peter wrote of the good fruit of suffering.

“the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect (complete), stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1Pet. 5:10)

Paul wrote:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, (so) that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, (so) that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh (body). (2Cor. 4:8-11)

Thus… “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Cor. 4:17)

When we first believed we were “baptized (set) into His death,” by the “Holy Spirit” a ‘dry baptism’ (cf. Rom. 6:3, 6, 1Cor 12:13), that is our “old man ‘is’ (forever) crucified with Him (Christ).” Yet, we well know that we still carry the remnant of that ‘old man’s corrupted independent heart, mind and will’ that needs renewal (Rom. 12:2) and repurposing.

To live a genuinely righteous life is an ‘expression or ‘the glory’ of the ‘Lord’s life’ within us.’ We arrive at this level of living only through suffering the situations and circumstances of this life while on earth. In the crucibles of our suffering, which are to purify our hearts, we begin to better see the blessings of His great suffering of the Cross for us… freeing us from our “Old Man.” What we begin to see… then takes hold of us… to refocus our hearts to let go of control… to give of ourselves to trust in His life.

The endless parade of daily trials and sufferings we all face produce a change of heart that then more and more expresses His life. This expression is the very “glory of God.” Paul wrote of suffering and glory as being intimately linked.

“For I reckon (consider) that the Sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

This understanding helps us to more fully appreciate these words.

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the Glory of this ‘Mystery’ among the Gentiles; which is ‘Christ In You,’ the hope of GLORY:” (Colossians 1:27)

It is by “Christ in you,” by His indwelling life and nature that we as believers have the hope of becoming the righteous ‘expression of His glorious life’ in our daily living on earth, while Christ is also our assurance of Heaven’s glory.

It is His daily work in us by the trials of life that refocuses, renews, and repurposes our hearts toward righteous daily living.

“though our outward (body) man perish, yet the inward man (soul) is Renewed Day By Day.” (2 Cor. 4:16)

“Being confident …, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” “it is God which worketh In You both to will (purpose) and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phili. 1:6, 2:13)

Please know that our sufferings are in no way punishments, but rather the blessing of God’s grace at work in producing His “many sons” who reflect His glory by “Christ in you.”