Transformed – teen devotion – June 28, 2020
“Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
God and gender: Satan’s baptism
So called experts promise that if you change your biological sex, you’ll be much happier. They say you’ll experience a renewed sense of being. Everything bad that happened to you and everything bad you’ve ever done will no longer be a reality because you’re no longer you. You’re someone else. You have a new identity, a new name, a new look, and in some cases a newly modified body. Anyone who knew you before won’t be able to recognize you again.
These experts promise a fresh, new, exciting start that will supposedly free you from all of your anxieties. All you have to do is take really expensive, hormone altering treatments for the rest of your life. If you really want a lasting transformation, they invite you to surgically and permanently remove or modify parts of your body.
Men and women who have gone through gender reassignment therapy and surgery have reported having feelings exactly as described above. But if you do a little research, you’ll find a different trend among those same people.
They report that those amazing feelings last between 7 to 11 years, and then suddenly the bottom drops out. They have this realization that they’ve done something horribly wrong to their bodies and the life they’ve been living is a complete and utter lie. They become overwhelmed with guilt, shame, and suicidal thoughts. In fact, there are many who have transitioned who are now “detransitioning.” They even have support groups to help them through the process of returning to God’s original design for them.
They’ve come to realize that all the hype and all the promises are a pack of lies that come at an extremely high price to them personally as well as to their families. The new life they were promised, isn’t life at all. It’s a sham. It’s what I call Satan’s baptism. You pay a high price to experience a new life that eventually leads to death.
Compare that to God’s baptism. In God’s baptism there are no expensive, long, drawn out treatments or painful surgical modifications. It simply consists of being washed with water while these words are spoken: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (See Matthew 28:16-20) That’s it! The results are miraculous. Jesus says you are born again! (see John 3:1-8) Made new! (See Romans 6) Your past no longer defines who you are. What others did to you can no longer chain you down in fear. You are a new and lasting creation because Jesus Christ makes it so.
The Holy Spirit said it this way through the apostle Paul, “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Verses 9-10 have always scared me to death, because I’ve committed some of those sins. God declares that anyone who continues living in those sins will not inherit the kingdom of God. That means you don’t get into heaven when you die. Instead, you go straight to hell.
But that’s not the end of the story. Verse 11 is the good news! Those sins we’ve committed aren’t who we are. They no longer define us, because we have been washed in God’s baptism, made holy by the blood of Jesus, and declared not guilty before God our Father. Our sins are what we were. Our baptism into the name of Jesus makes us who we are. We are a new creation!
If you’ve already received the gift of God’s baptism, remember it’s benefits every single day. If you haven’t been baptized yet, what are you waiting for!? Contact your local pastor today.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are amazing! You make everything new. Thank you for the gift of baptism that washes my sins away and gives me a new and holy life. Amen.
