Radical Transformation

I read a sign that said that Jesus could fill the void in your life. The sentiment of that sign is alright but it does not go far enough. It implies that a person is OK but lacks something in their life. As if Jesus is the final piece of the puzzle that is your life. Everything about your life is good; you need Jesus to complete your life. This is not right at all. This idea puts humans higher than they should be. As if men are really close to being holy, they just need the final piece to get there. Humans are sinful to the core; they are not merely incomplete. Jesus does not complete a person, he transforms them. Paul describes this transformation in Ephesians 2:4-5- But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved. This is the transformation that takes place: dead to alive. Humans do not have voids to be filled; they are dead and need to brought to life. The ideas of life and death seem to be avoided when churches try to advertise themselves. Churches and members want to see people saved and come to their churches (rightly so), but seem to be afraid, unwilling or unable to present the harsh, mean, ugly truth of how sinful people are and how dramatic salvation must be. Sin is deadly and should be presented that way. It should never be watered down or downplayed. The stakes are too high to alter the message. Jesus said- I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) Jesus came to give life, not to fill holes in lives or cap off an otherwise good life. He came to allow dead sinners to be brought to life. This is the message that churches and Christians should be presenting to the world.