#ChristIsLord and God.
King of the universe.
On that rock I will forever stand firm.
Luke 15:10
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
God perfects what he has done. He is responsible for performing the change. He disciplines and perfects that life. It's in his nature to create and recreate. And it's HIS job to do that work.
It's not an excuse to keep on keeping on being your badself.
God is working in you...
Philippians 2:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Under the law, this concept was unknown. Under Grace we have the guidance of The Holy Spirit. The Tutor Of Truth. Our moral counselor. This Spirit of Grace and Truth will take you through the process of recreation (rebirth).
You didn't do it.
You believed, which gave The Spirit access to go to work in you.
CAUTION ⚠️
As soon as you finally understand this, the enemy will slide on up, and start whispering in your ear about all the things you need to do to make The Holy Spirit work happen. He'll start telling you that The Spirit needs you to do X, Y, and Z. And he'll convince you that it's really The Spirit telling you this. He'll work on that human part of you. That carnal social person. The sinner you were (and still are). And he'll stir up that idea in you that it's your work. He'll plant the idea that God helps them who help themselves.
Friends,
It goes like this...through your conscience, God helps them help themselves.
Did you see the difference?
In the old you, you believed God helps them who help themselves. In that process you helped yourself and you imagined God came alongside you ways to help. It's your work, motivated by your human nature. And God, you thought, comes along to give you aid. You know what that's called? Self interest. It's not necessarily a bad thing. The only bad thing in it is you. It's almost prevenient grace but not quite, because the work begins with you and of you. Under prevenient grace, God goes before you and makes the way for you to find your way to his justification. He begins the work outside of you, and when you repent you're justified and then the work begins within you. Before repentance you were still a sinner. And then you repented and became justified in Christ's holiness. And the work shifts, from drawing you to Christ, towards recreation.
All of this begins with this simple prayer:
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
(Luke 19:13)