What does it mean..."To be a Christian"? part 1

Christianity...can come in many forms. People all the time it seems are pointing out their ideas of another person's sin for example...and their need to repent, yet it so weird to repent of something you ...kind of like to do...know what I am sayin'? Besides, we often find ourselves  looking at everyone else's sins, and consider those sins worse than sins of our own? Is there such a thing as "bad" sin and "good" sin?

 Changing a lifestyle from one you are accustomed to, with all it's ups and downs, to a lifestyle that is pleasing to Him....isn't always as easy as it is "cracked up to be."
 It has been explained to each one of us many times, in fact I too have used this explanation: In order to receive Jesus and accept Him as your personal Savior and Lord, you simply pray what is commonly referred to as "the sinner's prayer". The basic requirements for this life altering experience to take place is: 1) When you have made this choice to say a prayer such as this, it must be a genuine prayer that has meaning for the one reaching out to Him. 2) Although this prayer may not exactly make sense to the mind when praying this prayer, there is an acknowledgment that your own life is needing His help. 3) Confessing that you are now asking for forgiveness of where you have seemed to fail in life and have allowed "sin" to dominate your life, along with a general sense you have been ignoring and refusing to allow Him to be the thrust or central figure in your life...is real a step of faith...because in all honesty, the purpose of the Cross, the fact Jesus died for each one of us, and now asking Him to come into your life, really comes with questions like..."How does this all work anyway?"4) Making Him your personal Savior (like a personal trainer for the gym?)...and then asking Him to be Lord, in all areas of your life...this is where like so many things in life... requires a repeated follow-up ( like becoming a close friend to someone you have discovered in life), a searching and examining of what this prayer you have spoken is now attempting to do, and the development that comes from this nurturing the new found friendship that allows your very life, your very lifestyle, and your thoughts, attitudes...just about everything about you...take on a change.

 One aspect of this prayerful experience is this "act of repenting"...because repenting carries a lot of "baggage" with it....or so it seems to me.

 There are many aspects to this thing referred to as "repenting", so allow me to start with this thought.  There is a quote by a lady named Mary Manin Morrissey...who has some controversies herself as to the whole "Christian thing", yet she issues a comment in regards to sin which can dominate our very lives. She writes: " Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt...Release the fear...Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hanging on to the past is the very thing holding you back from a new life. What is it?...you would let go of...today?"

 In chapter 8 of the letter Saint Paul wrote to the Romans, Paul writes some interesting thoughts along this line. This letter to the Romans was a little different than other letters we read of in the New Testament and Saint Paul's journeys... written after he too had prayed the "sinners prayer" and given Christ Jesus the rule of his heart...his mind...and his entire lifestyle.
Why?
  Unlike so many various areas Saint Paul had shared the Good News, Rome herself already had a young Christian church established...BEFORE Saint Paul arrived. In fact, some historians conclude Saint Paul had not even visited the group of believers in Rome...BEFORE he even wrote the letter to the Romans.

 While Saint Paul does focus on is the "power of sin". Paul acknowledges the fact we as humanity do NOT have a desire to please God. Yet, Saint Paul also recognizes just obeying a set of rules...will NOT free...anybody! Human nature is simply too weak...to overcome sin...by our vain attempts at "being nice" and obeying the Law ( a particular set of rules we adhere to that we think in our own rational thought will qualify us to enter through Heaven's Gates).

                                                          A Gleaning from Romans 8: 1-2

" Now that we are fully aware through the arrival of God's very own and only Son, the work He alone totally initiated and completed...resolves any fateful dilemma we might face...for we now have absolutely NO condemnation, we are now proclaimed from Heaven itself that we are NOT GUILTY for any sins or wrongs we have done, because we have made that choice to surrender our lives to Him. We no longer live under some continuous low-lying black cloud that had been over us. We, through His Grace, are able to receive a new power...which is immediately put into operation...when we call upon Him! This new power is only available to us through the work of our Lord Jesus...and the very power of the Holy Spirit!
 This very power that has been so generously given to us, is able to completely set us free from this vicious circle of continually trying to please and obey God through some type of Law or Commandments. We are now very much aware this "obeying of the Law" has never been able to set us free...free from the sin we enjoy doing...or free us from the power of Death itself.
 This new life in Christ Jesus is like a strong wind that has cleared any question of our innocence and the brutal tyranny that has held it's grip on each one of us...through the power of Death. Death is no longer able to make a mockery of us...watching us daily see defeat after defeat from the power of sin...which we tried to overcome through obedience to the Law.
 Now...we are truly free!"