The Home Page lists of many facets of transformation. That list could be made longer and longer until the subject might seem to lose definition. I believe, however, that there is at least a definite starting point, the narrow gate, the head of the trail. And beyond that lies an infinite expanse—we are dealing with God.
This is the trailhead. As an overview of what lies ahead, let’s consider what we have come to and what we are getting beyond. To begin with, transformation is not the past (or initial) salvation, by which we were delivered by grace from our sins. True, that was essential and required a price that none of us could pay. I can’t forget the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for me while I was still his enemy. I am deeply grateful to God. But real gratitude motivates us to follow our Savior—and he is moving on.
After I have invited God to change my inner nature, transformation is not about walling off internal privileged areas into which his agents of change are not allowed. “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13). I set out without reservations, even though I know that my Lord will not exercise all of his rightful claims immediately.
Transformation is not persisting in the flesh. By this I mean continuing in sinful behaviors and expecting to be covered by God’s grace. Neither is it living by law—that is, striving to serve God faithfully but doing so under human power and not by the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2).
This one is especially important for me, because I prefer an intellectual approach to everything: transformation is more than mental assent and understanding. If I am not learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ, then I am not being transformed.
Even skilled surgeons would not undertake a major operation on themselves. They seek out a surgeon who is even more skilled than they are. In the same way, transformation is not a work that I can accomplish for myself. Jesus promised always to be there with me on the trail (although it might not seem that way). He does expect my ongoing engagement and consent and surrender, but my transformation is in his hands.
And his craftsmanship involves a process of replacement. Out of fellowship with the world system and into fellowship with him (James 4:4-10). Out of resentments and into gratitude. Out of being easily offended and into humility. Out of the old mind and into the renewed mind that is in Christ (Romans 12:2). Out of false concepts and into God’s eternal purpose. Out of symbolism and into Christ, who is the reality behind all scriptural symbols. Out of independence and into interdependence. There is always another aspect of the inner life that needs to be purged and replaced. All of these steps of loss and gain are not random but parts of a whole, which is conformity to the image of Jesus Christ. God created us as image-bearers. In our fallen state, however, we bear our own image, the personal identity that Paul describes as “the image of the man of dust” (1 Corinthians 15:49). It’s worth quoting the whole verse: “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” This is transformation.
I have made a start on this trail. Perhaps you have, too, or you are standing at the trailhead. We have a rough sketch of the map. We can see that it will be a long journey with daunting demands. When the going gets tough Jesus will make a way for us to go on. Although he sometimes does this on his own, he delights in using other pilgrims in his stead. I hope that I can be one of those sources of encouragement.
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