In this last post on our series on following Jesus, we look at the results of following Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (KJV). I found the King James Version a little hard for me to understand, so I looked at other versions. The Living Bible puts it like this, “But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.” I decided to try another version as well. The NIV states, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
If we read before the passage, the chapter is comparing living under the law versus living under grace. The Apostle Paul talks about Moses and how, when he came back from being with God in the mountain, he had to wear a veil to hide the glory of God that shone on his face until the glory completely faded away so that the people wouldn’t see it fade. The people recognized he had been with God because they could see it in his face. Moses brought the law (the Ten Commandments) down from the mountain to give to the people to show them God’s requirements for living a holy life. The covenant of the law shows us our sin and we are condemned because the law is impossible to follow perfectly. If we break one law, we have broken them all.
However, as Believers, we live under grace, which Paul says is a better or greater covenant. As we follow Jesus and allow Him to change us from the inside out His glory, or His light, shines through us, and those around us can see Him shining out in our very appearance. Paul talks about looking into a mirror and seeing God’s reflection. When we follow Jesus wholeheartedly, He begins to change us from the inside out. We are transformed when we allow Him to make the changes in us that will result in us looking more and more like Jesus; we are reflections of Jesus’ glory. Romans 12:2 tells us we are not to be conformed to this world, looking like the world; rather, we are to be transformed by letting God change our thinking, “renewing of your mind”. (NIV)
The closer we follow in Christ’s footsteps, the more we become like Him. When we are saved, His Spirit comes to live inside us. The Holy Spirit directs us. He is that little “nudge” when we need correcting or a prompting to do something out of our comfort zone. The Holy Spirit speaks to us if we will only listen to His still, small, voice; and He will guide us to live in the light that shines from Jesus so that we reflect that light to others.
Some may say they don’t know if they hear the Holy Spirit speak to them. We all have times when we aren’t sure we hear His voice. Lately, I’ve been aware of His nudge to share something in my blog as I write my posts. It’s like a strong urging from the Holy Spirit to give insight on something He wants my readers to know. When we keep our hearts open to receive, He will give us what is needed. The more we are receptive to His prompting, the closer we get to becoming more of a reflection of His glory. The more we reflect His glory, the more we are transformed and become a mirror image of Him. Today, let Him transform you by following Jesus closely.
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