From Glory to Glory

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."  2 Corinthians 3:18

I need transforming.  I'm sinful and flawed and that is why I need transforming.  God is in the business of transforming lives.

We become like what we behold.

Charlie just turned nine months old and he is now starting to mimic what he sees.  If he sees us clapping, he claps.  If he sees us waving, he waves.  And just like Charlie, who we spend our time with, that is what we become like.

Paul understood the reason why Christ had laid hold of him.  It was to conform him to His image.  Paul recognized he was not completely there yet.  But it was Paul's goal.  (Philippians 3:12)  Believers are perfect in their position before God.  There is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 8:1) Jesus gave us His righteousness in exchange for our sin.  He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God, in Him.  But we are not perfect in our practice.  Our responsibility (and joy!) as believers is to behold the glory of the Lord in His Word, to walk in obedience.  Believers are being transformed, progressively, degree by degree, into the image of Christ.  The ultimate outcome of the believer is to be completely like Christ.  And it will happen because God will cause it to happen.  (Romans 8:29)  In the meantime, we are to work out our salvation, we are to strive at becoming more and more like Christ in our practice.  We are to work, while He is working in us.

We become like what we behold.  The more we are in the Word, the more we will look like the Word.