Are you like me? Do you love dramatic before and after stories? It doesn’t matter; the stories could be about a home renovation, dramatic photos of an area before and after clean up from a natural disaster, or even a personal makeover that includes new makeup, hair styling, and a fabulous wardrobe update. I get drawn in by the sad “before” and then celebrate with the new “after” pictures. 99% of the time, I have no personal connection to those involved. Still, I feel a sense of satisfaction and maybe even accomplishment, as if I had somehow contributed to the beautiful “after” pictures.

The Apostle Paul writes about the greatest Before and After transformation of all time. Throughout his letters in the New Testament, Paul paints a very detailed set of images. First, Paul painstakingly reveals our Before portraits.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,  in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3 NIV).

Then, in Titus, Paul shares: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3 NIV). When writing to the Ephesian Church, Paul describes their Before portrait as…” darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” (Ephesians 4:17-19 NIV).

Before accepting Christ as Lord of our lives, each of us was disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to sin. We were incapable of living in a manner that pleased God. Our sin rendered us worthy of nothing but death and eternal separation from a Holy God. Our Before pictures were dark and ugly. No amount of cute clothes, dazzling jewelry, or new hairstyles could camouflage the foul recesses of our souls. No amount of good deeds or actions to help others could save us. In the book of Isaiah, God says, “… we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 6:6 NIV).

Those Before pictures sure are repulsive. If we were watching one of those reality TV shows, the audience would assert that no amount of skill or hard work could bring beauty to our Before portrait. A poll of the audience would yield phrases such as: “There’s no way!”, “Impossible,” or maybe even “Not humanly possible.” We would be forced to agree with each sentiment if we could lay aside our pride, self-sufficiency, and sin for one tiny second. There was no human way to restore, redeem, or save us as we appeared in our Before portrait. Without divine intervention, we were a lost cause.

I am so thankful that Paul doesn’t stop there. After painting our Before portraits’ entirely true and utterly hopeless reality, Paul writes two small but powerful words: “But God.” But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2: 4 & 5 NIV). Because God loves us, He chose to save us. Isn’t that amazing? Paul explains our transformation this way: “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 6:11b).

By one mighty and loving choice, God immediately moved us from our Before portrait to our “After” reality. His mercy was so great that he took our dead works, our filthy rags, and our sins and laid them on Jesus. God accepted the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross as payment for our sins- yours and mine. What, then, does our new After portrait look like?

First of all, we now live in forgiveness. In Colossians 2:13-15 we read: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,  having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. ” 

All of our sins have been nailed to the cross and forgiven. You are forgiven. Can we sit with this truth for just a moment? I want to ensure you are taking in the full scope of this. You are forgiven completely, irrevocably, and for all time. You are a new creature in Christ. I like the translation of this verse in the CEV version of the Bible: “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We also have the promise of eternal life with God. In Titus, Paul boldly declares, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7NIV).

A third aspect of our After portrait is that we have a new attitude of mind and can, with the Holy Spirit’s help, grow more like God and walk in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24 NIV). We can be kind, compassionate, and forgiving because Jesus forgave us (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).

Because God is the craftsman who completed our transformation, the work is completely guaranteed! There are no mistakes. He didn’t take any shortcuts or skimp on His work. He poured His grace out freely “… in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:7-9 NIV).

Sweet Sister, walk in that grace! Be a new creation. As you walk in your After reality, know He loves you and is proud of His handiwork.