Dear Friends,
Have you ever met a real heathen? I am talking about the kind of person
who takes seriously the desire to live completely committed to fulfilling the
desires of the flesh. You name the sin, and he has done it or thought about it.
Want a descriptive list of this person, then turn to Galatians 5:19-21 and read
Paul’s description of the ‘perfect’ heathen. Imagine sitting next to that
person in church.
Last week I talked with a model heathen as I listened to him share
his story. When he had finished, I remarked, “You truly were the perfect
heathen.” We laughed as he had just finished his testimony of how God
supernaturally took hold of his life and changed him from the inside out.
My friend had told a coworker how unhappy he was with his life.
The friend invited him to sit down, and he took out his bible and thumbing his
way through the pages, he stopped at Galatians chapter 5. He told my friend to
read the chapter. As he began reading, he suddenly stopped and cried out,
“That’s me, that’s me.”
And my friend went on to relate how that encounter changed his
life. Immediately the Spirit of God revealed to him his sinful nature. He
realized, it was “Because of these things, (his sinful nature) that the wrath
of God is coming” (Colossians 3:6), and right there and then he opened his
heart and gave his life to Jesus.
I’ll never forget the story, and today you may find him sitting
next to you at our church.
The list in Galatians is lengthy (I counted some 15 acts of the
flesh) but not exhaustive. It is just a sample of what the fleshly life is
like. And Paul makes clear the consequences of such a lifestyle. He says
I want you to know that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom
of God” (Gal 5:19-21).
Now Paul was not talking about the person who struggles with some
of the sins on the list. He was talking about the person who habitually chooses
to practice this kind of behavior, arrogantly and willfully and with no desire
to change.
I am so glad that there are people like this in our church, who
like my friend have discovered the power of God to change lives. Paul writes,
“If any man is in Christ, the old has passed away; the new has come” (2 Cor
5:17).
Wise is the person who takes Paul’s words seriously, and says I
don’t want to miss out on heaven, so forgive me for my sinful nature, change my
heart and fill me with your Spirit so that I may know you and the promise of
eternal life.
It can happen. I know because 58 years ago it happened to me, and
it can happen to you, even if you are not the ‘perfect’ heathen.
Yours in faith and friendship,
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