"Changed into the Same Image"

II Corinthians 3:12-18

12) Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

13) And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

14) But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

15) But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

16) Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18) 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.

W

e are still advancing that what the Lord wants is change. Therefore, in order to achieve this, we need to know how change is accomplished. No matter how much we know, the power given to us by God cannot and will not be used unless we know exactly what the power is and what it means for us to have it.

There is no point in trying to change flesh. It cannot and will not change because it cannot be sanctified. Everything about the flesh is carnal; opposed to the will and way of God and because of this, we have no recourse but to mortify it.

Despite its hideousness, too many try to operate according to the dictates of that which God abhors—the flesh. Scripture teaches us that sin is in the flesh, so in that Man is flesh, the Lord recognized that he would have to be taught to exist as he was created, yet have a way of transformation into the spiritual realm. So, in order to sanctify the unsanctifiable unto Himself, He sent Jesus.

Now, Jesus did not come to justify our excuses, but rather, to justify us—that we have no need of excuses. Indeed, no excuses are ever necessary, as long as we operate in the Spirit and not by the direction of the flesh. If we insist upon operating as if we have not received the Holy Ghost (that is, remain motivated by the flesh), we will have the same problems as any unsaved person.

In the reading of the book of Moses, we find that the children of Israel were blind and could not receive spiritual information. In verse 11 of our text, we find that though the Law was glorious, that which came after it was even more so. The reason? Because that which came after was grace and it was only grace which could lead us to salvation. It took grace to save us because the Law was inadequate in that it was about works.

In some ways, the children of Israel worked under a "handicap." It could well be that one reason they found it so hard to believe God was because they were so used to working and "fending for themselves." This is not foreign to us, for many of us have the same problem and when this is true of one, he cannot prosper outside of a change of mind.

Too often, as opposed to counting ourselves as completely "new" after salvation, we try to "stand" on some accomplishment before salvation. In point of fact, the Lord brings us all to the same "level"--humility. No one becomes anything in Him unless He is willing to acknowledge that he is nothing.

It is always better that one humble himself, rather than to have to be humbled by God. Could we ask him, it is sure that King Nebuchadnezzer would agree with this. You see, he was brought to a state of senselessness and operating as an animal until he came to the knowledge that God is all.

One can never acknowledge the Lord's sovereignty until he comes to a renewed way of thinking. The "vail" that covered Moses' face when he returned from the Mount served two purposes: 1) it shielded the people from a potentially damaging brightness and 2) it effectively "hid" the revelation of God from them. You see, they were not yet "equipped" to handle that revelation; they had not yet been prepared. In the same way, our feeling that we know what it is necessary that we know in no way "qualifies" us for the removal of the vail.

God is calling for perfection and perfection requires change. Change comes about only through the Spirit of the Lord. Along with fitting us for heaven, the Spirit of God enables us to live life "down here" as God intended--in freedom. True spiritual freedom should be near and dear to the "heart-mind" of all saints, as it is only through true liberation that we find "escape" from the misery of human existence.

It is ludicrous for one to answer the call to salvation, yet attempt to "salvage" his old, unhappy life. If that were what one wanted, wouldn't he have remained where he could fully enjoy it? We lose nothing in coming to the Lord, for in His company, we are changed by His glory into His same image—from "glory-to-glory."

To enjoy this transformation, there is no way around "doing" for God over oneself. To wholly fulfill His expectation of us as His child, we will have to recognize and accept who we are in Him—and who we are not. This is the sure path to "change" and conversely, out of the devil's grasp.