… but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Summary: How we see things can change everything.
Have you ever noticed how polarized sunglasses cut out the glare? It is really quite amazing! The effect is most noticeable on water.
If you are near water — a river, lake, or the ocean — the sunlight bounces off the surface and makes the water look bright. Regular sunglasses darken the glare, but the water still looks like a hard surface of glare. Put on polarized sunglasses and everything changes! Suddenly, the glare is gone and the water looks … different.
Without glare, we can see into the water. We can see the fish, the weeds, the floating debris … whatever is down there. Without the glare, we can see clearly.
Righteousness is like water.
When we look at righteousness in the light of the law, we see the surface of the water. The law is the hard line between right and wrong in God’s eyes, but it is not the heart of God. The heart of God is quite simple:
Mankind, he has told each of you what is good
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
— Micah 6:8
The glare on the surface of righteousness is the law’s harshness: Do this and don’t do that.
Don’t have other gods, do not make idols, do not misuse God’s name.
Do remember the Sabbath and honor your parents.
Don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony, or covet anything. (Exodus 20:1-17)
It sounds easy. Just a few simple rules, but oh, so hard to follow!
Then along comes Jesus. He not only follows God’s rules, but he also embodies them. He speaks truth and confronts those in authority. He demonstrates his own authority by employing power that could only come from God.
Then he is killed.
If the story stopped here, all we would see is the glare. But the story doesn’t end there. Jesus rises from the dead as he said he would. He doesn’t seek revenge for his death. Instead, he offers forgiveness.
He wants his creation to believe in what is below the surface: Love.
In Jesus, we can see past the glare. In Christ, we see the depths of God’s love. In the Messiah, our eyes are opened to the truth that God’s love for us, his creation, is greater than the law that requires the death penalty for rebellion.
In Jesus, we are made whole through faith, not because of our righteousness, but because of his.
Application: Trust Jesus.
Food for Thought: How does seeing Jesus clearly change who we are?
Seeing Jesus clearly helps us to become more like Him. The more of Jesus I see, the more His character and nature is revealed and the more I want to follow Him and be like Him. Of course, the Holy Spirit’s work is also a significant part of the transformation process. But Jesus gives me a clear picture of what the transformation process is supposed to look like. He is the goal and He is the One I want to emulate more and more.
2 Corinthians 3: 17 – 18: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Romans 12: 2: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Thank you, Rich!
The 2 Corinthians passage you quote is very interesting:
“And we … are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
This ties Jesus and the Spirit together, and helps explain the transformation that happens as we are “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s].”
Yes. Both the Spirit and Jesus are Yahweh – the Lord. They both have a role to play in our sanctification process.
Just a side note: Micah 6:8 is a verse I think about a lot, as it serves as both a comfort verse and a confidence verse to me in my walk. When the enemy tries to discourage me, I read this and know what the Lord requires of me, and know that although I am incapable of delivering this on my own, I know with His Holy Spirit guiding my life, it is possible.
How does seeing Jesus clearly change who we are?
Seeing Jesus clearly reveals to me the truth of my own nature and my need for a Savior. Looking at Him in Old Testament prophesy, the record of His life, death, resurrection, and the foretelling of His return and reign in Heaven, I can clearly see that I do not measure up, that I cannot measure up, and that He has made the way for me to be with God in eternity based on His righteousness.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 18:37-38a
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
And in knowing the truth, I am now free to live a life that pleases God.
John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Chris,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
When you write, “Seeing Jesus clearly reveals to me the truth of my own nature and my need for a Savior” it makes me think of Jesus as a perfect “big brother” I look up to. He is everything I want to be, but I still need his support, encouragement and protection.
Late for the party, Thank you Rich and Chris for your Great Input!
How does seeing Jesus clearly change who we are?
God is calling all believers to be transformed into new creations, in obedience to His will over our own.
When we come to know Jesus, we experience the power of God in our spirits, which is like nothing we have ever known or imagined. We may need a couple weeks or more to come down from our spiritual high, and begin the process of transformation, according to Gods plan and timing, as we begin our journey of becoming His new creation.
Our transformation is deeply rooted in faith given by God, as our old ways simply slip away, and we begin living the new life being received from God. We cut influencing ties with this world system and those who would seek to restrain/interfere with our growth process, as we seek Gods will for our new life over everything else. We begin to experience significant change as we daily receive, accept His love and grace. Every believer can speak to the experiences where, through faith, and His Word we have by the power of God, experienced this remarkable change.
Our past faith is transformed into, and becomes our new reality/fact as we receive our new identity in Christ, and He begins to mold us into the people we were always meant to be. This journey of growth is ongoing, where every day brings the opportunity to new grow and change for the better, as we embrace the fact that through Jesus, we are continually being renewed and reflecting His glory, and will reach our state of perfection according to His will, as we one day meet Him face to face in heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.
Romans 12:2, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Titus 3:5, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Ron!
Your description of the changes Jesus brings out in us reflects my own experience. Gradual change brought on by a change in priorities — from my own to my Lord’s. Such a big difference!