Suppression Isn’t Transformation: Where Can We Find Real Change?
“Suppression is not the same thing as transformation, and it is always the latter that the Spirit seeks to effect (2 Cor 3:18).”
- Sinclair B. Ferguson, In Christ Alone
We spend a lot of time and effort trying to force ourselves to be people that we, at the core, are not. But solid Christian character is not a simple act of will or resolution. It is not, for example, forcing ourselves to suppress pride for a moment or doing an act of love It is to have a God-wrought transformation so that we are humble and loving.
Connection to Secret Sin
I see a connection here between secret sin and suppression. If we feel like we are hiding secret sin – that we put on the outward show of a hypocrite – it is because we are trying to suppress our sin before men instead of seeking inward transformation before God.
Source of Real Change
We find real change when we confess that we can’t effect it in ourselves and instead turn to Christ.
That is part of the message of the Gospel: In Christ, by the Spirit, transformation is promised.
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