WHY I AM AN EVANGELICAL, PART 2

In the classic definition of an evangelical Christian is the affirmation of need for personal conversion. John 1 says "to any who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

I believe that God has given us the freedom to chose Him. With any freedom comes responsibility. We ultimately have a responsibility to acknowledge that God is God, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Lord (Leader) to whom we are all accountable. We have a responsibility to cease the basic human idolatry that says "I can be my own God" and let God be our God.

Genesis 1:26 teaches that we are created in the image of God. This doesn't mean that we look like God--like you may resemble your human father or mother. It means we are created with God's spiritual DNA so that we can reflect His character and live according to His purposes.

Yet because of the Fall, because humanity has chosen to be like God on its own terms, we are born with a sin nature. That nature, which does not reflect the character of God is incapable of living according to the purposes of God. Our sin, which is not part of a perfect sinless God, separates us unless we let God do His work of making a New Creation out of us. We do not grow into being a Christian, we must be born anew as a Christian.

When someone makes the choice for us to be a Christian, we have no responsibility to live like a Christian. And our old nature, without the decision to surrender our lives to God and cooperate with God in making us a new Creation ... keeps us the old person who may do religious things but ultimately will not BE A NEW PERSON IN CHRIST.