2 Corinthians 3:18, "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."
James 1:23-25, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides in it, not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."
Two things we see concerning the Word of God from these passages: we see what God wants us to be, and we see what we used to be. I'll deal with the latter first. God wants us to remember what we used to be. Romans 3:23 says, " for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Nobody is exempt here. Adam brought the Curse upon all of humanity when he bowed to Satan and committed treason against God in the Garden. 1 Peter 1:14 tells us "do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in ignorance." Again, in his second Epistle, he says, "For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins." Also, look at Ephesians 2:12, "remember you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Never forget where you came from and what Jesus did for you. But accept it!
There is an overwhelming emphasis still placed on the sinful nature throughout many churches today. While I know that 1 John 1:8 says "If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us;" I also know that same book later says, "No one who abides in Him sins" (3:6). So, if there is still an overwhelming emphasis on the sin nature coming from the pulpit, that person must not yet be fully abiding in the Word of God. Also, look at 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." That is how God now sees you. That is what the Bible is meant to show you. Paul continues in verse 21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." We are new creatures! We are not remade versions of our former selves, but brand new creations of God in Jesus. That is what the Word is meant to show you - it is meant to show you what you are now in relation to what you were while you were sinners. You were an old sinner, but you have been saved by grace, and if you will put the Word of God to work in your life, and see yourself the way that God now sees you, James promises that a that point you will be blessed in all that you do.
This vision is not just based solely around redemption, either. The religious world loves sickness, disease, suffering and poverty. They are worn as badges of honor to the pious. But that is not how God envisions us. God has big, big ideas for His people. Take the following:
- We are children of God (1 John 3:1)
- We are conquerors (Romans 8:27)
- We are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2; Galatians 3:29)
- We are healed (Isaiah 53:5; 2 Peter 2:24)
- We are rich (Proverbs 14:12)
- We are prosperous (Psalm 1:3, 3 John 2)
- We are meaningful (Jeremiah 29:11. Ephesians 4)
- We are holy (Ephesians 1:4)
These are just a handful of the ways that God already sees us. That is His view of you. That is what He sees when He looks at you, because He is looking at you through the blood of Jesus. Just because you may not see it happening in your life does not mean that it is not God's intention for you to be walking in it. If you cannot see yourself living like this list, then you never will be. Everything is done by faith, so if you cannot believe for it, you cannot receive it. That is why God has given us His Word; it is the mirror in which we can see how God sees us and how He wants us to live, in spite of all we may have done and continue to do to Him. He wants you to see it, so you can believe it, so He can do it (fun sentence, huh?). It is up to you to know His Word and to take Him up on it. Look at yourself through the eyes of God. Look in this mirror and put it to action, and begin to live the way God intended for you from the foundation of the world (I must say, that was a really good, church last line...).
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