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Convicting Ourselves to Death

by Nicholas Lewis  
12/15/2015 / Devotionals


Ironically, this article is inspired by a conviction brought on by the Holy Spirit. Now I don't mean to bash conviction for I believe that when it comes to Christian living conviction is absolutely necessary for further sanctification and a closer relationship with Christ, but I want to address the gap that seems to stand between conviction and change. I understood this gap when I heard of the story of the Rich Young Man from Matthew 19:16-29. Now I must attribute this idea to a Francis Chan from a sermon I heard of his, but I figured it would be beneficial to discuss it in depth in this article. If you haven't read the story, you definitely should, so before you go on reading look this passage up because it truly is the content of this article.

This is a story about solely relying on Jesus Christ. The man who must make this decision is a wealthy man and the object that lies between him and Jesus are his valuable riches. It would probably be better to say though that this man's security is found in his riches. He finds his identity in them. I mean this should be clearly seen because he gave up eternal life for these goodies! For goodies!? So if his purpose and identity was found in them how impossible it would be for him to give it up!

The theme of trusting in God is prevalent in this because this is a story about denying oneself and casting all securities aside in order to find true security in Jesus Christ. It's about letting go and letting God as that saying goes or at least I think it does. For this man it was letting go of his riches. For us it may be something entirely else. The riches themselves were not bad but his heart was inclined towards it because he thought it provided him with something God couldn't provide. The Rich Young Man didn't quite understand that trusting in Christ means understanding the deficiency of one's ability and the ultimate reality that only God can truly save us. We are rather all in or all out, there is no in between for we are rather for God or against him. This is exactly parallel to believing God can save us and not believing he can save us and acting on that belief.

This leads me to the point of this article and this has honestly been a real eye-opener for myself when it comes to conviction. Look at the ending of this story where the Rich man walks away sad because he had many riches. Now here is the big question. If the man made a decision to not follow Christ and instead enjoy his "glorious" riches you'd think he'd been content with what he had. If he truly wanted the riches over Christ why would he be so sad. If he was so sad about his predicament wouldn't he have chosen Christ and followed him? This is a situation that I find myself in and I think many Christians do as well.

Whenever we are confronted with a functional idol that is taking the place of God whether it be in our want or need for security, identity, belief, or intimacy it gets uncomfortable because we are clearly sieged by an ultimatum. Follow Christ and give up the idol or follow the idol and stop following Christ. It tests whether or not we truly believe Christ is the way, the truth, the life. Can God provide for me? Can he bring good out of this? We sin because don't believe. We sin because we think something else can save us, protect us, provide for us. Sometimes its sex, other times its drugs, or its our job, or its fantasizing, or its money, or its perfectionism, or its relationships, or whatever it be. Back then it was wood and stone images deified by the culture. Whatever it be, the ultimatum is the same. God or the idols. And unfortunately, many of us walk away sad. We walk away convicted by the reality that we are not fully trusting Christ, but not exactly persuaded that we should either. Like the Rich Young Man, we are convicted but not changed.

How many times have you listened to a sermon, read a bible verse, or listened to another's insight or testimony and instantly saw your sin for what it was. You were convicted and startled, maybe even horrified. Then the reality hits and its sobering, intensely sobering. The ultimatum is here. Will you give up the idol and work towards trusting Christ or will you walk away sad, convicted but unchanged. We hail conviction as Christians. We say, "wow, that sermon was convicting," (as Francis Chan said) but then we walk away unchanged because change is work and its all walk and barely any room for talk.

So many times I felt this way. But the key to change isn't necessarily legalistic work as much as its boasting in your weakness by simply trusting that Christ can and will work through us to become like Him. If you feel convicted and inadequate to overcome the sin its because you arewithout Him. You can overcome the sin and idol you are facing. You can overcome the unbelief that God can't provide. He will and can, but we must trust Him. Being saved by God is equivalent to believing he has saved you by the blood of Christ and not of your own works, lest we could boast in self sufficiency (v.) because boasting in our own selves is the very thing God is trying to destroy in us. It's what kept the rich young man from following Christ, the idea that he could provide for himself via the riches he stored.

True change comes in believing God can work in us and trusting he will. The question is whether or not we will walk away convicted but unchanged. Conviction is a beautiful thing, a true gift the Holy Spirit gives us. It turns our directions back to God but sanctification is cooperation with the Spirit and it's our job to drop the idols in abandon and follow Christ. Don't be like the rich young man. Don't walk away just convicted. Don't convict yourself to death knowing you're doing wrong against God. There can be change, there must, if we be true disciples of Jesus Christ.


My name is Nicholas Lewis and am currently studying to be a biblical counselor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and am also helping jumpstart a youth group at a local church. My hope is to also someday become a published Christian writer. Email: five [email protected]

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