Who do you look like? Do you have your father’s eyes, or your mother’s hair? When a baby is born, everyone is quick to look for similarities in the child with relatives. As we get older, there are some characteristics we hope we may have inherited - father’s intelligence, or uncle’s athletic ability, but hopefully not our maternal relatives weight problems! As believers who have given our life to Jesus, we are to start looking like the Savior. Our passage today from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church gives us encouragement as we seek to become more like Jesus.
Many wonderful things occur when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, one of which is liberty and freedom (vs 17). What are we set free from? For one, we are set free from the power and control of Satan and the kingdom of darkness. We are free from sin, and also the futile attempts to keep the Law as a means of earning righteousness. So many people try so hard to follow and keep all sorts of religious rules and rituals, thinking that if they are good enough they can make it to heaven. The fact is, no one will ever be good enough. By accepting Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf, we are released from that overwhelming burden of trying to earn heaven on our own through our own works and efforts. It is the Holy Spirit who works that in our life the moment we accept the Lord Jesus as Savior. He is the 3rd Person of the Trinity, and though not spoken of as often as the Father or the Son, He is equally important.
What else happens to believers after they have accepted Jesus as Savior, and been given liberty from trying to earn salvation by keeping the Old Testament Law or other religious rituals? Paul continues on in our passage by saying that we believers are being transformed into the image of Jesus (vs 18). We are continually and progressively transformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; Romans 12:2). Can someone as rotten, selfish, and sinful like me start to look and act like Jesus?! Yes! As we continually focus on Jesus the Holy Spirit will transform us to conform to His image. This doesn’t happen all at once, but progressively as we yield to Him.
As followers of Jesus, we have nothing obstructing our vision of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture (vs 18). During the days when the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, whenever Moses went and conversed with God, his face would then glow with the glory of God’s presence. This frightened the people, and they insisted Moses wear a veil until the glowing disappeared (Exodus 34:30). They did not want to see it. Now we come to God with an unveiled face through Jesus. We reflect His glory and are transformed into His image. Mirrors in Paul’s day were polished metal, and gave a far from perfect reflection. Even though our vision is unobstructed, we do not see a perfect sight of God’s glory now, but we will one day.
Paul finishes up this passage with an encouraging word for his readers to not lose heart or surrender, despite attacks from enemies or their own personal failings (vs 1). Our task is too important for that. God called Paul for his task and us for ours. He is not going to abandon it. As believers we are to renounce all of our hidden sins, immoralities, and hypocrisies hidden deep in our life (vs 2).
There were false teachers both then and now who twist and pervert the Word of God. Paul warns us to not distort the message of the Gospel to please our audience! Proclaim the truth!
In closing, we see the truth of Jesus in the Gospels, and it will transform us as we believe and apply it. If we are saved we have freedom. We are free, but we have to choose to accept it. We have to choose to believe it.
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