“If you ask those who have made a commitment to Jesus Christ what the Christian gospel is, you will probably be told that Jesus died to pay for your sins, and that if we will only believe he did this, we will go to heaven when we die. In this way what is only one theory of ‘atonement’ is made out to be the whole of the essential message of Jesus. Justification has taken the place of regeneration, or a new life.”
-- Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy.
Many Christians think that most of the significant transformation of their souls will occur either later in their lives when they finally get how to be a good Christian, or "in heaven." There's always this sense of "I'm not enough yet. I need to become more_______________."
This incessent assumption that you are so devoid of goodness and Christ-like character that you can never rest until you are more spiritual [and therefore supposedly more pleasing to God] sabotages the dramatic work Christ has already done in you.
Our mistaken understanding of the “new birth” is that it is something primarily reserved for heaven or the spiritual elite. We have made the Gospel entirely about Justification [getting your sins forgiven so that you can go to heaven] and assumed that Sanctification will happen ... someday. Hopefully.
The idea of "regeneration" -- that our hearts have already been made new and holy -- rarely gets spoken about in many circles. Even a noted evangelical like J.I. Packer has said regeneration is:
“the spiritual change wrought in the heart of man by the Holy Spirit in which his/her inherently sinful nature is changed so that he/she can respond to God in Faith, and live in accordance with His will" (Matt. 19:28; John 3:3,5,7; Titus 3:5).
This dramatic change in our nature and tendencies from sinful ... to holy has already occurred. This is not a new teaching. God has met his promise:
By this new covenant (new way of relating to God), “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb. 10:10) “…for he purified their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:9)
Enjoy your new nature!