The Key Change

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4)

Here and now we are sinners. None of us have clean hands and an innocent heart. In this state, none of us can stand before God and live. This means that somewhere between "here and now" and the moment when the saved will face God, there must be a change in them that will result in them being considered righteous. If we want to be saved, then there must be a change in us.

Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart (Psalm 15:1-2)

Behaviour as well as thoughts and desires must change. We must have "clean hands and a pure heart", in other words we must “walk uprightly," and speak “the truth in heart". We must regain the condition that Adam and Eve lost because of sin.

Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed {SC 17.1}

When should this change occur? Let’s go back to the first two quotes. "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?”. This is the future, something to come, while the second part of this statement: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart" concerns the present tense. The same sequence of times is also found in the second quote: "Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart". Our future depends on who we are today. And one more important conclusion, our future does not depend on what we were. "He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart " experiences God's mercy, because God will remind him "none of the transgressions which he has committed" (Ezekiel 18:22). The requirements of God's justice are fully met when "a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed" (Ezechiel 18:21).

One sin caused us to lose our ability to resist the power of evil. We are unable to free ourselves from the slavery of sin alone. In this regard, many of us ask ourselves, "How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous?" {SC 23.1}. Achieving this state is possible only when the "a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed" but none of us can do it. Our sinful nature and our attachment to sin are effectively opposed to our efforts to achieve justice. We do not have enough strength to reject sin on our own, but this does not mean that this change is impossible because "through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God" {SC 23.1}. The apostle Paul said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). This change does not take place in one moment, this change takes time because it consists of several stages, but the most important thing is that it is possible.

At the beginning we have to realize the truth about who we are. Our attachment to sin means that we don't like to think badly about ourselves, but we can think badly about others without problems. "God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess" (Luke 18:11-12). "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17). Even when we see our own flaws, we think that they are not important and that a small correction of character is enough to make us fair. However, the truth is different, unpleasant and even brutal. "We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Romans 3:10-18). This is the initial state of every human being, we are and we will remain so as long as we consciously reject God, or despite the impression that we live with God, we want to adapt ourselves to God's law or God's law to our requirements.

The first step to change is acceptance of our true state, acceptance of the truth that we are slaves to sin. Without this awareness, no one can feel the need to change his own life. Each sinner must first understand who he is and then desire the change with all his heart.

When the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law (…) he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven {SC 24.2}

True conversion is not about achieving justice, but about wanting to achieve justice. Conversion is not about abstaining from sin, but about turning away from sin and changing your attitude towards sin. Converted people stop loving sin and begin to hate it, they begin to loathe sin.

Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life {SC 23.2}

This change is so radical that the Bible compares it to death and rebirth. After this change, man becomes something completely different. A newborn man thinks and feels differently, has different desires and priorities. He no longer loves the sin he was once attached to, now he loves God, from whom he once turned away and whom he would not listen to. Now the Word of God is the most desirable thing for him.

„I will delight myself in Your statutes (…) My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times (…) Your testimonies also are my delight (…) I long for Your precepts” (Psalm 119)

I repeat it again because this is very important that this change takes time. It is a process in which God removes from us what we cannot remove. He does it step by step, and each of these steps consists of a revelation of the truth about what in our character requires a change, and then making this change, but only when we want it. Our consent is necessary for God's action and this is not just a verbal declaration, this consent must be the result of a keen desire to remove this defect that God has revealed to us. It must be the desire of the heart, not just reason. This must be the result of real sorrow for sins.

The prayer of David [Psalm 51] after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. (…) David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness—to be restored to harmony and communion with God {SC 24.3}

When the sinner begins to see his true condition and at the same time begins to see the beauty of God's character and the magnitude of his love, a desire for change may arise in him that allows him to approach God. This desire is an expression of the love for God, that dwelled in the heart. Because of this love for God sinner can, with God's help, overcome the resistance of his sinful nature and allow God to purify his character.

And as Christ draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, “What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation, demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?” {SC 27.1}

The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God’s dear Son. The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something they have not.  {SC 27.2-28.1}

We all are sinners from birth, but God does not judge us for that. He knows that we come to this world with sinful nature, it is our heritage and we have no influence on it. That is why he tells us that we must be born again, because without transformation into a completely different being, none of us can, or rather is, able to live in the conditions prevailing in God's Kingdom, the kingdom that all Christians are waiting for . God also knows how strong our attachment to sin is and how difficult it is for us to turn our backs on all the things which this world is using to draw us to itself and pull us away from God. God knows this, and because He is a God of love and forcing people to obey is contrary to His nature, He reveals the truth about Himself and thus wants to draw us to Him. He doesn't act like a man who wants to marry a woman and says to her: "Look how good I am to you, you should love me for that", although his behaviour often indicates the opposite. God does not tell us that we must love Him, but by revealing Himself to us, He gives us the opportunity to love Him. Our sinful nature makes us unwilling to accept these revelations because they cause us unpleasant feelings related to the awareness of our imperfections. God understands this, he is God after all, and therefore with great patience he leads us through the process of gradually learning and accepting the truth. Step by step, he frees us from the bondage of sin and lets us feel the taste of true freedom.

Every Christian has felt it at least once. Everyone who saw and felt God with their heart for the first time also felt the difference between their previous life and life in God's presence. In fact, no one immediately felt the full taste of freedom, because the first change is not a total change. This is only the first step to remove all bonds of sin, but the difference is so clear that a person wants to feel this taste all the time. However, quite quickly this first impression, this feeling of joy and happiness, is disturbed by the growing awareness of these defects that still remain in us. The growing awareness of God's love and perfection is associated with the growing awareness of our own imperfection. That is why God not only helps us to know the truth about us, but at the same time reveals to us the truth about Him, so that the sinner does not fall into depression because of his mistakes, but is attracted to Him and let Him make further changes. They are necessary for the sinner to be completely freed from the bondage of sin and ultimately be born again, becoming a new creature. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). He did not say that it is enough to come to Him once, we should do it all the time, every day. Jesus brings rest to those who take His yoke daily and become like Him, humble with their hearts. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [b]daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Only when we are open to further revelation of the truth about ourselves, when we desire this truth with all our heart and want God to change what He reveals; only then will we feel that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

Some Christians make the mistake of confusing reaching a certain stage of change with a complete change of character. The feeling of relief at the end of each stage does not change the fact that sinful nature still causes us to be reluctant to continue this path. It is easy to give up the next changes and focus on positive feelings resulting from a partial change of character, but a partial change does not adapt us to God's Kingdom. You cannot be born partly, man is or is not born again, or he is a new creature, or he is not. The new creature is not an modified version of the old, it is a completely new creation. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). So how can you avoid making such a mistake?

One of God's gifts for us is the voice of conscience. It is God's voice that speaks directly to our minds, not so much through speech we understand, but through impressions and feelings. God, through the voice of conscience, informs us in which direction we should go. This helps us make the right decisions. Are we not saying that our conscience is telling us something? The sinfulness of our nature means that we do not like to listen to the voice of our conscience, we do not like when our conscience tries to stop us from doing something that we like to do and to which we are attached. Listening to the voice of conscience is not listening to our desires, and above all, lust. Rather, they try to silence the voice of our conscience, turn off the source of unpleasant thoughts. It is Satan who tries to absorb our minds in various ways so that we do not hear the voice of conscience. So the voice of conscience is one of those safeguards against the errors God has provided us with.

Our common sense, i.e. the ability to think logically, is another safeguard. Logic is also something that comes from God. Contrary to what many Christians think, faith is very logical and there is no room for contradiction. It is thanks to the ability of logical thinking, supported by the help of the Holy Spirit, that we are able to understand the truths that God speaks about in the Bible. The study of the Bible must be done with God's help, and logic is one of the forms of this help. It is thanks to logic that we can see that the Bible does not contradict itself. It is logic that shows us how wonderful the various fragments of the Bible combine, written by different people at different times. And it is logic that God uses to keep us from errors. That is why Satan is trying to influence us so that we lose the ability to think logically. Satan does this to keep in our minds the impression that we are still thinking logically and rationally.

I will give an example illustrating how it works. I was an atheist for many years. As a child, I stopped believing in the existence of God, and my subsequent experience and knowledge only strengthened my belief that God does not exist. God patiently tried to stimulate my mind to think correctly, but I successfully defended myself against it. The longer my resistance continued, the harder it was for me to recognize God's actions. I think that this happens in all of us, regardless of whether someone is a believer or not. I also know that this persistence means that one day the mind will no longer be able to change its mindset to one that allows it to accept the truth.

I think I was very close to this state. However, something happened that destroyed my atheistic worldview. I saw something that I could not explain in any rational and logical way. The only logical explanation was the supernatural action of a higher being that atheists and evolutionists do not believe. God first took advantage of my parents' serious problems and cut me off from the influence of this world. I found myself in a place where I did not have access to the Internet, television, colleagues and many pleasures of this world. It was like Israel's experience in the wilderness. The only thing I could do outside of work was reading books.

Since I always liked books, I started reading those that were in the place where I was. This place was the home of my parents, Seventh-day Adventists, so the home library mainly contained Ellen White books, but I wasn't interested in them. I found several irreligious books, but I read them all very quickly and looking for something new I found the book "History of the Reformation." Although the Reformation is a religious topic, I treated this book as historical and began to read it.

I think that's what God wanted. I began to read about the history of the Reformation and nothing could distract me from it because I was like in a wilderness. The world was unable to give me something that would distract me from this book. And when I learned more and more facts about the activities of Martin Luther, at some point I experienced a kind of revelation. I realized that the only explanation for the fact that Martin Luther did not become another victim of the papacy is the action of supernatural power, such as God. It was a moment when my mind accepted the fact of God's existence.

God used the remnants of logic in my mind to move me and change my attitude towards knowing Him. In a similar way, God works with everyone, giving everyone a chance for repentance and conversion. God does this not only with those who do not believe in Him, but also with those who call themselves Christians, but are really far from God.

There is something in my story that I want to pay attention to. This is my way of thinking when I was an atheist. I have always considered myself a rational and logical man. The truth, however, was that I ignored those thoughts that suggested that some of my views were illogical. I removed all facts from my mind that were contrary to my atheistic philosophy, and despite such moments of doubt, I was convinced that I was right and that my worldview was true. Someone might say that today I also think that my current worldview is true. The difference is that today conscience does not tell me what I have often heard as an atheist. My mind sees no trace of illogicalness in my faith.

This way of thinking, consisting in tolerating illogical views and ignoring feelings that indicate a lack of common sense, is characteristic of anyone who is attached to sin. It doesn't matter if he is an atheist, Catholic or Adventist. As Ellen White wrote, theoretical knowledge of truths does not make us Christians. As people who claim to be Christians, we can also not listen to the voice of conscience and think in a very illogical way, guided by emotions rather than logic. This is exactly what Satan wants and uses all possibilities to deprive us of the ability to listen to what God tells us through conscience and common sense. Satan does this at every stage of a Christian change, and the closer we are to God, the more violent his actions are.

What I wrote about myself is just the beginning of a conversion story that leads to being born again. Even though I believed in God and then got baptized and became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, God still had a lot to do in my life. There was a change in me, but it wasn't being born again. When there was a change in my spiritual life, God showed me the need for further changes, stirring my conscience into action. Although I liked to think about myself that I am a good person now, the truth was completely different. I was still attached to many bad things, and such attachment is an obstacle that prevents me from living in God's presence. Ellen White wrote that "the warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness" {SC 43.3} I completely agree with this opinion. I know from my own experience that it is much easier to accept certain religious doctrines than the truth about my own faults and addiction to sin. When I believed in God and began to read the Bible, my reason easily accepted some of the Adventist doctrines, for example, I quickly found in the Bible that Saturday is God's Sabbath. However, this new knowledge did not change my habits, I still liked to do things that I knew were not good. Finally, I understood that knowledge understood as knowledge of truths and facts does not make us true Christians, or followers of Jesus. Would Jesus do the same in my place? Would Jesus think the same way I think? Would he feel the same as me? Only someone who lives, thinks and feels in the same way as Jesus “may ascend into the hill of the Lord" and “stand in His holy place", because such person “has clean hands and a pure heart".