Between The Before And After

Since living in America, I have discovered the joy of HGTV, a channel that is dedicated to the transformation and renovations of houses. I love watching them flip old, rotting, unattractive buildings into beautiful, welcoming, functional homes.

But the problem with HGTV is that it makes transformation seem so quick and easy. In the space of a half an hour show, a dilapidated house becomes a sought-after home. In what seems like 10 seconds, the whole kitchen is gutted and rebuilt. It all seems so speedy and seamless.

However, if you’ve ever tried a home improvement project, you’ll know that it takes an awful lot of time and effort. There are no shortcuts or fast forward buttons. There is a lot that happens between the before and the after.

And it’s the same with our lives. In Romans 12 we’re called to be transformed, to measure our lives at a higher standard than this world, and that sometimes that (incorrectly) puts the pressure on to be perfect right now. It can be so discouraging when we compare our work in progress lives against the final designs of what we’re called to be.

It’s so vital to differentiate between saved and transformation. “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Justification, ‘saving’ happens when we place our trust and faith in Jesus and his work on the cross. But transformation is something that keeps on rolling until the day we see Jesus face to face.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Are BEING transformed. Being is the present participle, the continuous form of the verb ‘be’. I.e. it’s still happening. The transformation is still in progress, the end point has not been reached. It isn’t something that happens suddenly overnight. Rather, transformation takes time.

First, you are saved when you first repent of your sins and put your belief in Jesus. Second, through the power of the Holy Spirit, transformation begins and continues for the duration of your life. There will be many steps backward, and some hidden rot that takes a while to deal with, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, you are continuously being transformed by the gospel.

Another thing that happens on HGTV is that the homeowner gets to drive the design decisions. They provide the direction as to what the end product should look like, they get to decide which rooms should change, and what is off limit. That makes sense, as they’re the ones paying for it all.

But when it comes to the transformation of the gospel, the cost was not borne by us. The broken-down house of my life was purchased by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and so he gets to call the shots (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Thankfully, he is more than qualified for that role. He is the creator of the universe and the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2), so I can trust him with the plans and process of my transformation. His plans are so good (Jeremiah 29:11). But I have to open up every room, from the basement to the attic; every hidden thing needs to be open to change.

Because if I am to be transformed by Jesus, my whole life will be transformed, not just certain aspects. The gospel brings total transformation to every area of our lives.

It changes the way I interact with the people in my space. I become more patient and gracious and kind and humble as the love of God becomes the way I love others (1 Corinthians 13). I find myself seeking to serve rather than to be served, just as Christ chose to serve undeserving me (Philippians 2).

Total transformation changes how I handle my finances. It starts to bring in a whole new value system, where the iPhone 11 Pro and the latest BMW are not the pinnacle of success, and where it is truly more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35).

It changes how I approach my work. I find myself working harder and giving it my best shot, rather than letting laziness drag me down to the bare minimum, knowing it’s all for the glory of God.

Total transformation changes the whole concept of dating and marriage. It begins to change the game from self-gratification to having a much larger God-given purpose. People become more like beautiful individuals created in the image of God, that I am called to love and serve and team with, rather than a mere object to gratify my own selfish desires.

This list goes on: career choices, friendship, hobbies, where we choose to live. Everything is impacted, not just the areas that are convenient for us.

And in all this process of transformation, where we are living less for ourselves and our comfort and more for the glory and knowing of God, true freedom and joy is found. We’re free to love and serve both God and people. Which perhaps doesn’t sound exactly like the fun ‘freedom’ the world tries to promise us. In fact, the devil wants you to think that the only way to live a happy, fulfilling life, is by living for yourself. That’s a lie.

There is so much more joy to be had. The joy to be found in living selflessly is on an immeasurably larger scale than the joy you can ever find in living for yourself.

We were created to worship God, inherently designed to bring him glory. Of course, we can rebel and instead choose to worship ourselves, but that will never end well. We were created for the King who humbled himself to be a servant, who washed his disciples’ feet, who suffered for you and me. In following in his footsteps, and knowing him by obedience to him, I believe we will find the greatest fulfillment.

Let Jesus take the wheel and let Him completely transform you. There’s a joy that compares to no other kind of joy when we serve Christ, living wholeheartedly and all out for Him.