Do You Actually Belive In The Redemptive Power Of The Cross?

I am wondering if as God's people, do we actually believe one of our own core teachings? I know we believe in the idea that our immaterial spirits are redeemed so that can we can goto heaven in eternity. That is not what I am asking, I am asking, do we believe that Christ can redeem us in this life. Do we believe that our NEW man can be different than our old man.

I have this "DEVOUT FUNDAMENTALIST" at my work, who I know thinks I am as hell bound as a Satan himself, but I am in a conflict with him, because it is clear he ABSOLUTELY does NOT believe in Christ's power to redeem us. I mean seriously, if I am "the pagan" and he is "the Christian" why am I the one who actually believes the Bible and believes Christ's promises?

Paul is quite clear in Romans that we are NEW creations! When we behave in the behavior patterns of our former selves we are behaving "contrary to our nature." As NEW CREATIONS in Christ we have a NEW NATURE. The redemptive message of the cross is about how I live today! The redemptive power of the cross is not a redemption of our Spirit, it is a redemption of our BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT. We are completely REDEEMED!

So how then do we respond to a person's former sin patterns? Should a Christian be judged by by behaviors they have not participated in for the 10 years they have been a Christian? Should we decide that once a person has committed a "heinous" sin, that their conversion is only self serving and disingenuous. If we applied this logic to the church's most revered sin patterns of materialism, gossip, and arrogance. Then NO ONE would EVER be fit to serve in the kingdom.

The church in Acts, the church that Paul and James wrote about ACTUALLY believed Christ's teachings. I want us to once again believe that the mission of the church is NOT to prepare people for the "after-life" but instead to challenge people to LIVE a REDEEMED, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW!!!