I don't think it is possible for us to become Christians simply by deciding to do so, because becoming a Christian is not something that happens by accident. Rather, it is the result of our sincere desire to follow Christ. Unless God Himself initiates the knowledge we need to have a proper understanding of our spiritual lives in Christ, then He will not be our Lord. This means it is impossible for us to make Him our Lord without Him doing something Himself. If I were to say that it would take a certain amount of effort to move a mountain in order to see the light and have a new understanding, I would be asking for something that is impossible. Just as it is impossible for us to move a mountain, it is also impossible for us to rule our hearts without Christ. We do not have the proper motivation to want to know Christ because our wills are bent on pleasing one person. Our own reality under the dominion of sin is that we are unable to see the light and have a new understanding without Christ. In order to gain a deep understanding of spiritual truths, we need to be motivated by our own desire for knowledge. To do this, we need to develop the same nature as Christ. This new knowledge comes as a result of Christ's will, and we need to be open to it and allow it to change our motivations, so that we can choose the good things for ourselves. It's not enough to have our old will plus a new one – we need to have an entirely new motivation.Our old way of thinking and living has been put to death because it was under the control of the law and was dead in sin and rebellion. We must be given a new way of thinking and living, with completely different motivations. Just as it was impossible for us to do what is right in our former state under sin, now it is impossible for us to be put back under the control of sin. We now have a new way of thinking and living that loves what is good and spiritual. Our nature has been changed. He is Lord by making us new.As we grow in our understanding of Christ, our decision-making process changes. We become more motivated to obey Him as we learn more about what pleases Him. In this way, the Holy Spirit starts to shape our overall character. We realize that our previous sins only made us unhappy and we want to get rid of them. We used to think that we could control our own lives and make our own choices, but we know now that there is a better way. We are willing to follow our new master and be good.Now that we know that we are not good, only Christ righteousness makes us good. Now since we have a new will our desires in this life are His desires. So that we have a new self. In this way even though we still choose to sin, we are no longer divided in our identity in Christ. Now these things that I have alluded to are being taught to us by the Spirit. The Spirit is teaching us that we are not good, but Christ makes us good. The new reality of our complete wholeness in Christ is gaining more and more traction in our lives, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This new sense of wholeness is what allows us to know that we are complete even though we fail. I mean, this wholeness is a divine communication of the reality that Christ has been our substitute, so that in our conflicting inward struggle with sin, we are gaining an understanding that He has given us the ability in our identity in Him that causes our spiritual desires to triumph over our sorrow. In other words, we have a new will that is being revealed to us by grace. We are no longer defined by our sin, but by our relationship with Christ. As we grow in obedience, we learn to rely on Him more and more, until He is the only One we pleads. He is Lord by how He has developed this new will in us. Because we no longer plead our own case. We plead His name. Our inability to gain a complete victory over sin is replaced by a delight in His work on our behalf so that we are always assured that our identity in Him is the reality of our new self. In this way, we learn to grow in obedience. It is well-known that a will in conflict is likely to be frustrated. I am referring to the conflict between serving sin and serving righteousness. However, we should not define our self-identity based on this conflict. The authority that determines the causes of our desires and our view of guilt and sorrow has been subdued, so we are always obligated to the authority of Christ's substitutionary act with regard to our identity.