I have often wondered if a person can follow Christ privately without any change publicly. Can a person believe everything in the Bible without those same beliefs changing the way he/she interacts in the public? Who knows what is really happening in a person’s heart but God Himself. For some of us the miracle of a changed life takes place in an instant while the change is a long term process for others. I’m guilty of categorizing or labeling those who are different than me, thinking that he/she has manipulated the gospel message to justify guilt pleasures. But the bottom line is that the Holy Spirit changes everything about us, including our social life, as we surrender to Him.
“So we have the answer to our question: Single-minded and joyous devotion to God and his will, to what God wants for us—and to service to him and to others because of him—is what the will transformed into Christlikeness looks like. That is the outcome of Christian spiritual formation with reference to the will, heart, or spirit. And this outcome becomes our character when it has become the governing response of every dimension of our being. Then we can truly be said to have “put on . . . Christ” (Romans 13:14).” - Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ
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