Chicken or the Egg

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What came first your change in behavior or your surrender to Christ? Do you have to purify your behaviour before you surrender to Christ, or do you surrender to Christ and he purifies your behaviour?

I got to thinking about this becuase of a song I heard that talked about the misconception that you have to clean up your life before you come to christ. When in fact it is Christ that cleans up your life. The song suggested that you should come to christ as you are and have faith in him and he will purify your life.

thoughts?
 
suupah said:
What came first your change in behavior or your surrender to Christ? Do you have to purify your behaviour before you surrender to Christ, or do you surrender to Christ and he purifies your behaviour?

I got to thinking about this becuase of a song I heard that talked about the misconception that you have to clean up your life before you come to christ. When in fact it is Christ that cleans up your life. The song suggested that you should come to christ as you are and have faith in him and he will purify your life.

thoughts?
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For me, I thought I was cleaning up my life :rotfl: all on my own until after God dragged me back to Him. I then understood that He had been doing all the clean-up behind the scenes to prepare me to receive Him more readily. So He sobered me up a year before He brought me home and generously allowed me to think it was my doing! It’s all Him all the time, no matter how in charge we think we are!
 
The Lord doesn’t call the equipt. He equipts the called. GLORY!!!
 
suupah said:
What came first your change in behavior or your surrender to Christ? Do you have to purify your behaviour before you surrender to Christ, or do you surrender to Christ and he purifies your behaviour?

I got to thinking about this becuase of a song I heard that talked about the misconception that you have to clean up your life before you come to christ. When in fact it is Christ that cleans up your life. The song suggested that you should come to christ as you are and have faith in him and he will purify your life.

thoughts?
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I’m a cradle Catholic so the whole thing is so interwoven that it’s impossible to say which came first - at least as far as my being aware of it. My parents started teaching me about Jesus (surrender to Christ) and training me in Christian behavior from baby on - so far back there is no memory of it.

I later went through a period of disbelief in Christ, but it wasn’t connected with sinful behavior I didn’t want to give up - so your question wouldn’t apply to my return to the faith.

One certainly doesn’t have to be sinless to surrender to Christ. Altho I think it’s important that an adult realize that “surrender” includes learning what Jesus taught and following His direction. If one doesn’t intend to do that, in what sense would he be surrendering?

Might be good to recall that John the Baptist preached repentance for the forgiveness of sin to “prepare” the way for Jesus. (Lk 1:76-77; and 3:3)

Nita
 
God’s grace always comes first. If we accept God’s grace (which always comes through Christ and the Church), even without explicitly recognizing Christ, then we have “submitted to Christ” in that way. This grace always leads to Christ and ultimately to full communion with the Catholic Church in an explicit way.
 
And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
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For me, I don’t know if either came first. I was raised loving God, and the Jesus part came a little later, when my grandmother explained it to me. I was baptized in the Baptist church at the age of 9 or so, and I’ve never felt like I was not a Christian. It was always a part of my life, even before Baptism.

I find I obey more than I used to, but not by much. That comes with spiritual maturity, which we’re all constantly going through.
 
suupah said:
What came first your change in behavior or your surrender to Christ? Do you have to purify your behaviour before you surrender to Christ, or do you surrender to Christ and he purifies your behaviour?

I got to thinking about this becuase of a song I heard that talked about the misconception that you have to clean up your life before you come to christ. When in fact it is Christ that cleans up your life. The song suggested that you should come to christ as you are and have faith in him and he will purify your life.

thoughts?
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First you break.

Then you either get fixed or “not”.

The broken thing never fixes itself.

(( It may make itself desparately “quasi-functional”, but never fixed. ))

You want to be fixed? Learn to break easily. 🙂

Mahalo ke Akua…!
E pili mau na pomaikai ia oe. Aloha nui.
 
I think Christ changes us. I also think that he does not do it without our permission. He knocks, we must invite him in. We must ask him to rearrange our house and in return he feng shuis your life!

That is why i say: Come as your are
 
Definitely my submission to Christ came first because there is NO WAY I could of changed without His help:eek:

😃 Thank you Lord for saving me from my wicked ways.:gopray2:

Oh BTW the chicken came first:thumbsup:
 
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