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Series: God's Magnificent Goal

Into His Image


God's ultimate goal for each of us as individuals - and as a corporate Church - is revealed in Ephesians 4:13:

"Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (see also Matthew 5:48; 1 Corinthians 15:49; Ephesians 5:25-27; Colossians 1:28; Hebrews 6:1).

The Starting Point

The first stage in our experience to bring about the fulfilment of the goal is the miracle that the Holy Spirit performs the moment we receive Christ as Saviour - we are BORN AGAIN (see John 3:1-7; 1 Peter 1:23).

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us NEW BIRTH INTO A LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1 Peter 1:3 (see also John 1:12-13; Galatians 3:26).

Just as in the natural a new-born baby has the family likeness, so we too are born in the likeness of our Father spiritually. Now, like babies, we must begin to grow to spiritual maturity .

The Growing Process

"Like new-born babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" 1 Peter 2:2 (see also 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Hebrews 5:11-14).

Just as in the natural there are three major stages of growth, so it is spiritually. In 1 John 2:12-14, John describes the Christians in three categories of maturity:

  1. Little children (childhood).
  2. Young men (adolescence).
  3. Fathers (adulthood).

The Pathway of Growth

The pathway of growth in the Christian life follows six steps:
  1. Condemnation (Romans 3:9) - Our condition before we come to Christ.
  2. Justification (Romans 3:24-26) - Our receiving of forgiveness and righteousness in Christ.
  3. Reconciliation (Romans 5:1-11) - Our fellowship with the Father restored through the blood of Jesus.
  4. Identification (Romans 6:8) - Our realisation of the totality of what Christ has done for us, and of our position in 'heavenly places' in Him (Ephesians 2:6).
  5. Sanctification (Romans 8:10) - Our walking in the reality of our new life in Christ.
  6. Glorification (Romans 8:38-39) - The crowning of it all when we enter eternity.

God's Agents for Growth

The Lord has given us three main agents to cause us to grow to full maturity in Christ:

Circumstances

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON, that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified" Romans 8:28-30 (see also James 1:2-4).

The Lord uses the circumstances and problems of life that we face as moulding instruments. As we express faith in the midst of these trials, the Holy Spirit works a change in our lives (read 1 Peter 1:3-7).

Ministries

God has placed ministries in the Body of Christ with special gifts to mature us (Ephesians 4:11-14). These men are the vessels of God to minister to us:

The Body of Christ

"But we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into Christ, the head. For it is from the head that the whole body, as a harmonious structure knit together by the joints with which it is provided, grows by the proper functioning of individual parts to its full maturity in love" Ephesians 4:15-16 (Phillips).

Each individual member of the Church, which is Christ's Body (Ephesians 1:22-23), is important to the other, bringing strength and encouragement through their mutual expressions of love.

A continuous Transformation

The main mechanism which God uses to transform us into the likeness of Jesus is a very practical one. It's called the trial of faith. Its purpose is to refine us (1 Peter 1:6-7), and it works in this way: In our walk with the Lord, situations arise which test our faith in God. God's plan is that in each and every trial we would gain the victory through faith in Him. He has designed the mechanism so that when we respond to the trial with faith, He responds to our faith with His grace to meet the situation. And that grace works some thing within us that changes us into another dimension of His glory. So, as we go from trial to trial, we also go from faith to faith (Romans 1:17), and thus from grace to grace (John 1:16); and through each trial we are being transformed "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18), until we ultimately hit God's target - we have been transformed INTO HIS IMAGE! (see Proverbs 4:18; Romans 8:18; James 1:2-4; 1 John 3:2-3).
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" 2 Corinthians 3:18 (Phillips).

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