A quick theology note before we start:
The passages for this week use the terms sanctification and transformation. Please keep in mind that there are two types of sanctification:
Positional sanctification means that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been set apart and forgiven of your past, present, and future sins. Nothing can change that. Don't forget that. Progressive sanctification is the same as transformation. It is a renewing, little by little, to increasingly reflect the likeness and glory of Christ. It is a change of a life that desires to please God.
God is faithful and good. God is sovereign. God is our redeemer.
What is our Mission?
Be Transformed
Intermission, Week 2
Last week, we started the Intermission period, and we discussed How gracious it is that part of the mission God gives us is to abide and pray—to remain close to Him and to speak to Him always.
What an excellent command for our Father to give us as part of our Mission. Such grace that He knew what we needed beforehand so that if we obey, we would not so quickly wander away. This week, we are looking at another layer to the question, "What is our mission?" Being transformed is a logical next step for us to explore because without abiding in Jesus and prayer, there cannot be a transformed life. To be transformed means to be made more holy. It is a constant work that Jesus does in us as we abide in Him. The truth that we are being transformed is a truth that I hold tightly to and stand firm on. Transformation shows us so much about our Perfect Father. A transformed life demonstrates God's power, His mercy, and His love for each one of us. As my Grandma would say, and I never really understood as a child, "Meghan, the proof is in the pudding." Evidence of transformation is a fruitful and changed life. Regardless of our sinful nature, we are given a promise that we are being changed little by little until one day we will be fully transformed into the image of Christ.
Transformation is the process of becoming what we were created to be in the Garden-God's image bearers. In the book of Romans, Paul tells us, "Do not be conformed to the world [To not be like the world, in what we say or do- to not act like the world is acting] but to be transformed by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2)." He tells us that "If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)." You may KNOW that you can not cleanse yourself, that only Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection can do that; however, you may have bought into the lie that you can transform yourself. Saying or thinking, "If I just try a little harder, then I can change, I can be a good person". You may have mustered up the courage to "do the right thing -no matter what" —until you failed. You can't do it on your own. We will always fail without Jesus.
"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 13-15)."
Transformation only occurs through the power of Jesus Christ in you and the confession of sins that the Holy Spirit reveals. The little by little change that is transforming you into the image of Christ cannot be done if you, with a hard and stubborn heart are clinging to the old man, the old ways. If we have greedy, bitter, calloused hearts, unwilling to change and selfishly desire the deeds of the flesh (Galatians 5:17), by practicing impure ways, how can we be made holy in the image of Christ? We can't. A seed can not grow in rock-hard soil. So, humble yourself before the Lord (James 4:10), repent therefore, and turn back, (Acts 3:19), allow Him to "break up that fallow ground of your heart and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12)." This is the way to transformation; this is our mission. Trying harder does not transform, it only ties your sin into a harder knot of sin. In order for a true transformation to occur, there must be honest repentance and a humble confession. Transformation comes by the way of letting go, not trying harder.
It is good to remember that Jesus does all the sanctifying in us. "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His blood" (Hebrews 13:12). Yes, we are positionally sanctified, but we are also in progress, constantly being transformed. "Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp (outside the known and comfortable) and bear the reproach (rejection) he endured (Hebrews 13:13)." Let us walk toward Him, forgetting what lies behind, the old you, the patterns of your former self, the way you were without Christ, and press forward to what lies ahead, even if it means suffering as He suffered for you. In this Intermission, as we wait for our heavenly home, that final Garden, it is our Mission to be transformed. As we abide in Christ and pray, confessing our sins to Him and to one another, we can anticipate transformation. For here, (on earth) we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. (Hebrew 13:14).
Do you have a heart willing to put off your old self, your old way, which belongs to the former manner of life and is corrupt and deceitful? Or do you like those old ways still? Are you still clinging to the old manner of life? It is a hard question but a good one to ask ourselves. When we get frustrated and don't see the immediate transformation (fruit of the Spirit) that we expected and hoped for, we need to ask the Lord why —talking to Him (prayer) is a good start. When my faith is stagnant, and I don't see fruit, it is always a problem with my heart, not someone else and not Him. I am looking at my life through a lens of self, my experiences, and my feelings instead of God's Word and His truth. I have stopped abiding and have stepped away from the true vine. When I ask the Holy Spirit to show me, He is quick to reveal those old sinful ways, those old thoughts that I have a tight-fisted grip on. Not because He is a mean God, but the very opposite; He is a faithful and good, loving Father who desires to show (reveal) the ways that please Him and the thoughts that honor Him. The question is, do we actually desire to please and honor Him in ALL we do, or do we still want to please ourselves instead? Do we respond to the conviction of the Spirit, or do we push it away and refuse to acknowledge what we are wearing? In our Ephesians passage this week, Paul doesn't tell us to put on the new way of life before we put off the old because there isn't room for that! We have to be shown, repent, and stripped clean, our minds renewed, in order to put on the new way. It is by his mercy that He does not cleanse us all at once; it is a gentle, little-by-little transformation. Jesus is doing the transformation, it is our Mission to surrender and BE TRANSFORMED to bear His image.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
