The Feasibility of Change
Change is a vital ingredient in the spiritual life, and without it, the gospel would be meaningless.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the necessity of change in the Christian life, noting how time can dull our spiritual sensitivity and lead to indifference. He warns against complacency, where individuals may feel a temporary revival due to external influences but ultimately fall back into spiritual ruts. Tozer asserts that the ability to change is fundamental to the gospel, as it calls for repentance and a turning away from darkness to light. He stresses that without the possibility of change, the message of the gospel would lose its meaning. Ultimately, Tozer encourages believers to embrace the transformative power of faith and the call to continual repentance.
Text
. . . people in ruts . . . discover that the passing of time tends to dull their religious feelings, and the signal that used to be quite clear is fading out. Then they worry a little and say, "The signal is gone. I'll have to do something." Suddenly it comes on again and they hear it a little and say, "Oh, it's not so bad after all." They are just in a favorable pocket--perhaps some new preacher has come to town. They think they are hearing the voice again, and they are, a little bit. But it is not long until they are out of range and cannot hear it any more. Time has increased their indifference to spiritual things and dulled their religious feelings, continually making them harder to change.
Change is one of the ingredients of Christianity.
If people could not change, the gospel would be absolutely meaningless. If the Lord would say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; repent and believe," and a person could not repent or believe, the gospel would be meaningless. The fact that people can change is the only hope they have. If they could not change, there would be no reason to preach to them that they must change. And yet we are sent to preach that people should change, meaning they should repent. They should turn from darkness to light. They should turn from idols to God. They should change. This is absolutely necessary, a vital ingredient in the spiritual life.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Change
- The Necessity of Change in Christianity
- The Call to Repentance and Change
- Turning from Darkness to Light
- Turning from Idols to God
Key Quotes
“Change is one of the ingredients of Christianity.” — A.W. Tozer
“If people could not change, the gospel would be absolutely meaningless.” — A.W. Tozer
“The fact that people can change is the only hope they have.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize that change is necessary in your spiritual life, and that it is a vital ingredient in your relationship with God.
- Be aware that time can dull your spiritual feelings, making it harder to change and respond to spiritual things.
- Have hope that you can change, and that this is the reason to preach and call others to change.