Forever Changed

Just heard the song "Changed" by Rascal Flatts. Posting the lyrics below. What an awesome testimony to the grace of God. It's the grace of God that brings complete change into our lives. It allows us to step into the forgiveness of God and gives us the ability to walk in the abundant life of Christ.

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Changed - Rascal Flatts

I came up out of the water
Raise my Hands up to the father
Gave it all to him that day
Felt a new wind kiss my face
Walked away, Eyes wide open
Could finally see where I was going
Didn’t matter where I been I’m not the same man I was then.

I got off track, I made mistakes
Back slid my way into that place where souls get lost
Lines get crossed
And the pain won’t go away
I hit my knees, Now here I stand
There I was, now here I am
Here I am
Changed

I got a lot of “hey I’m sorry”
The things I’ve done man that was not me
I wish I could take it all back
I just want to tell em’ that

I got off track, I made mistakes
Back slid my way into that place where souls get lost
Lines get crossed
And the pain won’t go away
I hit my knees, Now here I stand
There I was, now here I am
Here I am
Changed

I’ve changed for the better
More Smiles, that’s better
I even started to forgive myself

I hit my knee, I’m here I stand
There I was, now here I am
Here I am, Here I am, Here I am
Changed
Yes I am
I’m changed for the better.
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Last week, I talked about the fact that Jesus Christ came as the Last Adam to restore what had been lost by the first Adam. Jesus became our propitiation, our redemption, and our reconciliation unto God. To prove that all had been accomplished, Jesus said from the Cross "It Is Finished!" When Jesus came back from the dead mankind stepped into a new beginning. Jesus was the Last Adam but also the Firstborn from among the dead. What does this mean? It means that man does not find His beginning in the first Adam but the last. No more curse, no more shame, and no more condemnation. And it is our job as bearers of the Good News to wake up our brothers and sisters into the righteousness of God in Christ.

One of the best illustrations of what salvation along with the finished work of Christ looks like in the New Testament is seen in Jesus' healing of the 10 lepers (Luke 17). These lepers cried out to Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus told them to go and present themselves to the priest. Along the way, one of them realized that he was healed and turned back to praise God. Jesus told him, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole." The word translated "whole" is the Greek word "sozo" which means "healed, delivered, saved, made whole, well..." Through the finished work of Christ (death, burial, and resurrection), all of humanity has been healed. However, it is those who realize this and turn around (repent) who receive the whole package (sozo). They get the salvation, the wholeness, the healing, the deliverance, the peace, etc. In other words, the get in on the abundant life of Christ.

God has done EVERYTHING to make sure you could be saved. Believe on the finished work of Christ. Confess Him as Lord. And the Bible promises that you will be saved.