Continuing with Colossians 3:10 – that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.

This teaches me that spiritual rebirth is not just a one-off event. It is the start of a process of renewal that it seems to me mostly in my mind, since that is what controls my behavior. The ongoing needs to “be filled” with the Holy Spirit and for confession and forgiveness tell me that something is going on here.

1 John 1:8-9 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

Based on my understanding of Scripture and on my own experience, I am very much a Christian in-the-making, as God keeps chipping away at my rough edges and underpinning my foundation.

Last word: Still being renewed at age 75 is a lot more fun than just contemplating a slippery slope to extinction.