Man needs salvation not because he is imprisoned in a body but because he willfully chooses his own way rather than God’s way. Man’s evil is not in his body; it is in his affections. He loves the wrong things. This affliction is so deep, so basic to man’s life on earth, that only a special Savior can free him from himself. That is why Christianity insists that Ghandhi and all who agree with him are wrong:
Man does not need a teacher;
He needs a Savior.
–Bruce Shelley
We need more than a teacher, because our insides are messed up.
From within us we love the wrong things.
We value the wrong things.
We desire the wrong things.
Our affections are for things that are not God-honoring – things that boost our pride, feed our selfishness, drive us to be greedy, stoke our envy and jealousy, etc.
Therefore, we need someone to transform us. To take what is inside and change it so that our desires and affections change.
For that, we need more than a teacher.
We need Jesus… the transforming Savior.
Are you allowing Him to change your affections?