Cleaning (Yourself) Up?

 I watched a video the other day about if you need to clean yourself up once you become a Christian. The new Christian was asking a pastor if he needed to stop smoking pot since he is now a Christian? The pastor pretty much said to him that it was between him and Jesus. 

It reminded me of when I became a Christian. I heard of the new life, the old is gone. I was a different person now. Didn't really feel like one at first. But I knew there were things that I needed to stop doing.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Bible

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

I asked my g/f at the time (now wife) about one of my favorite bands AC/DC. Do I have to stop listening to them now that I am a Christian? Can I not buy their music anymore? Go see them in concert? Of all the bands and music that I listened to, apparently AC/DC were the only one I was worried about. She kind of chuckled at the question that I asked. Just like the pastor mentioned above, she told me that it was between me and Jesus. What He wants me to listen to, purchase and attend. Only He can tell.

So, I prayed a new baby Christian prayer about my music and concert habits. Today, as I sit here typing this, I have very little secular music in my collection. I still have some, but not near as much as I used to. God had me get rid of the music that He wanted me to. And if He tells me to get rid of more, I will. No questions. Yes & Amen!

So I have been asked this question a lot lately. 

Do I need to clean myself up before coming to Jesus? 

The saying that we Christians like to use "come as you are". There is no scripture that specifically says that. But the Bible does give some answers about coming to Jesus.

Joel 2:32 New Living Translation

32 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,

This passage says that "everyone" who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved. Not just a clean and well dressed person. Everyone from rich to poor. GQ to Skid Row. Mansion to homeless. If you call on the name of The Lord, you will be saved.

We think that we need to stop sinning and live a cleaned up life to even approach Jesus. That is simply not true. We can never achieve such a life this side of Heaven.

Isaiah 1:18 New Living Translation

18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.

See, we have a sin stained life. Nothing we can do to clean ourselves up. Not enough bleach or cleaner in the world to do that. Only Jesus can! He takes our stains of scarlet and makes them as white as snow. He is the ultimate stain (sin) remover!

Because Jesus is the cleaner of our lives, we should show it. Live like we are changed.

Romans 13:13 New Living Translation

13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.

That is our old life. We now live for a greater purpose. We are free to live a life for Jesus! He has set us free from our former lives. Thank God! 

Galatians 5:13 New Living Translation

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

To answer the question about cleaning themselves up after becoming a Christian, I say to them. Do you clean up before you get in the shower? Or do you let the shower do the job that it is designed to do? Come to Jesus and He will take care of the rest!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.