Over the years I have been saying something in order to help people visualize how the Word of God transforms one’s life. I simply say that the Holy Spirit of God, takes the Holy Word of God, and makes me like the Holy Son of God. I first heard this statement from Pastor Bill Goode former pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Layfette, Indiana, who went home to be with the Lord in 1996. I heard him say something similar when I went to counseling training back in the late 80’s. He said: “The Holy Spirit of God takes the Holy Word of God and conforms us to the image of the Holy Son of God!” That simple statement had a profound effect on me, it helped me to understand the process of spiritual transformation. I have found that many believers really don’t understand the process of progressive sanctification, or spiritual growth. There seems to be a disconnect in understanding how God’s Word continually changes people’s lives as well as how it can be simply understood and applied to all of life’s circumstances.
I found that 2 Corinthians 3:18 seems to express this statement more completely.
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Here are few interesting comments about this verse.
“This verse is the climax of the chapter, and it presents a truth so exciting that I marvel so many believers have missed it—or ignored it. You and I can share the image of Jesus Christ and go “from glory to glory” through the ministry of the Spirit of God!” The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe
The word glass or mirror[i] is used in some translations.
2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV 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.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
The idea is that God’s Word is reflecting, as in a mirror the glory of the Lord in us, Christ in us. You are becoming like that which you behold!
“The “mirror” is a symbol of the Word of God (James 1:22–25). As we look into God’s Word and see God’s Son, the Spirit transforms us into the very image of God.” ibid.
“Moses reflected the glory of God, but you and I may radiate the glory of God. When we meditate on God’s Word and in it see God’s Son, then the Spirit transforms us! We become more like the Lord Jesus Christ as we grow “from glory to glory.”” ibid.
“When the people of God look into the Word of God and see the glory of God, the Spirit of God transforms them to be like the Son of God.” (Wiersbe, W. W. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament 2 Cor 3:18. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books)
“This relationship is also maintained by beholding the glory of Christ in His word. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 Paul tells us that as we behold the Lord’s glory, we are transformed more and more into His image. Beholding the Lord’s glory in His word is more than observing His humanity in the gospels. It is observing His character, His attributes, and His will in every page of Scripture. And as we observe Him, as we maintain this relationship with Him through His word, we are transformed more and more into His likeness; we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to progressively manifest the graces of godly character.” The practice of godliness, Jerry Bridges, Pg. 61
I became curious about how this statement over many years has informed and formed my thinking. So, I went back and saw the many places I repeated it in sermons or studies and noticed that the statement or emphasis has basically become part of my vocabulary. I found it in sermons, lessons, PowerPoint presentations and written homework assignments, stated differently at times but with the same emphasis. Here are just a few examples of how I have used this statement.
“Every teaching from the New Testament, after the Great Commission given in Matthew 28:19-20, is a reinforcement of winning and equipping faithful disciples in the local church (Ephesians 4:11-12). All of this is possible because of God’s sufficient and all-encompassing Word that is applicable to all of life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). We have the Holy Spirit working in us (1 Corinthians 2:12-13), and we have the very nature of God in us which empowers us (2 Peter 1:4). In short, the Holy Spirit of God uses the Holy Word of God to conform us into the image of the Holy Son of God. “Spiritual Journal HBC .docx
“In short, the Holy Spirit of God uses the Holy Word of God to conform us into the image of the Holy Son of God. You and I have the greatest opportunity and potential to be everything God wants us to be, if we consistently seek God’s Truth and apply God’s Truth to everyday life. If we do a constant inventory on our lives and lay our lives up against the grid of God’s Word, we can examine the dissimilarities and it should motivate us to change.” If we are not on the same page in our understanding of core values, we must ask ourselves, why? Marriage and Goals or Goals in Marriage.docx Godliness Through Discipline Study Guide hbc.docx First John Study HBC.docx
“This is the great part of growing and changing. I am becoming more like Christ by learning how to creatively implement God’s Truth into my life. No one is a super saint, no one knows it all, and no one is growing at the same rate or in the same ways. God is calling us into conformity to Christ according to His sovereign will. Like Paul we are all trying to attain but none will be perfect. God however is not looking for a perfect model He is in the business of perfecting His people by constantly showing us the Perfect Model, Jesus Christ. Christians who know the truth must be in subjection to the truth or it is sin, James 4:17. If God has provided the model in His Son the method through His sufficient Word and the might by and through the Holy Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit of God takes the Holy Word of God and conforms you into the Holy Son of God. How that is accomplished is as varied as there are different people who are Christians what is important is that you remember that you are responsible to grow and change in a creative manner.” 9048 Lesson6 Doctrine of Spiritual Growth.docx
Here is the point. One man made a simple statement that has had a profound effect on my spiritual life until this day. It has shaped my ministry and theology in many ways and has given me a tool, as it were, to visualize the sanctification process. Over the years there are some who have not quite understood what I was trying to convey by this statement, some have questioned the simplicity of the statement, while others have said that I have oversimplified progressive sanctification. All that I have been attempting to do over the years is make it simple for the average person to grasp a profound truth about spiritual growth. Hopefully it will cause folks to start digging into verses like 2 Cor 3:18 and begin to reproduce the truth they will learn. It has been my experience over the many years of doing ministry that folks have either overcomplicated spiritual growth, not understood how people actually grow and change through the ministry of God’s word, overlooked its significance. Some have over emphasized the academics of theology, theology proper at the expense of theology practical. The balance of both proper and practical theology has somehow been lost. This balance is what I sometimes call “putting handles on theology”. Actually, taking theology proper and learning how to reproduce it in practical, measurable, and meaningful ways in our lives.
People need truth, they need truth to bear upon life, they need a way to understand their theology and then comprehend how to apply it to their lives. This statement is a practical way to visualize how to do just that. “The Holy Spirit of God takes the Holy Word of God and conforms us to the image of the Holy Son of God!”
[i] The Lexham Syntactic Greek New Testament contains the syntactic analysis of Albert L. Lukaszewski, Ph.D.