Rooted in Love: Living the Christian Life to the FullSample

Transformed into His Image  

Ancient mirrors were not as clear as ours. They were always a little hazy and blurred, and yet they could still reflect the image of whatever was in front of them. In 2 Corinthians, St Paul uses the image of a mirror to describe how we find ourselves growing into the likeness of Christ throughout our lives. In chapter 3 he has explored the idea that, unlike Moses in the Old Testament, who had to wear a veil over his face so as to avoid being blinded by the light of God, now that God has revealed himself to us in the face of Jesus Christ, we can look ‘with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord’. As we look on the glory of Christ, his compassion, his humility, his acts of healing, his teaching, his death and resurrection, we see right before us the image of God. As we look at the glory of God revealed in the face of Christ, we will be gradually transformed into his image, just as a mirror takes on the image of what is placed before it.

The fourth-century Christian theologian Gregory of Nyssa used this idea often: Human nature is very much like a mirror in its ability to change in accordance with the different impressions of its free will. When you put gold in front of a mirror the mirror takes on the appearance of the gold and because of the reflection it shines with the same gleam as the real substance. So too, if it catches the reflection of something loathsome it imitates this ugliness by means of a likeness, as for example of a frog, a toad, a millipede or anything else that is disgusting to look at, thus reproducing in its own substance whatever is placed in front of it.

Whether or not you find toads or millipedes ‘loathsome’, Gregory’s point is that, just as a mirror takes on the colours and shape of whatever is placed before it, so we will tend to take on the shape and image of whatever we put in front of our gaze. Ancient mirrors were made of polished metal and so often showed an image that was a little blurred. This helps our understanding here: we may reflect the image of what we look at imperfectly, but what we look at still deter-mines what happens to our souls. So, it matters what we spend our time looking at. Every-thing we read or watch on TV, websites, YouTube or Netflix shapes us in small and subtle ways, in a positive or a negative direction. Depending on whom we follow or what fills our feeds, hours spent scrolling through Twitter, Facebook or Instagram can either lift our spirits or twist them into knots. So, the advice of St Paul, and for that matter Gregory and many of the wise Christians of the past, is to make sure we fill our hearts and minds with what is life-giving, truthful, honest and wise. Jesus once said: ‘Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness’. What you let into your eyes affects your heart more than what goes into your stomach. In particular this reminds us of the importance of worship. As we come to pay close attention to the God of Jesus Christ day by day and especially when we come together on Sundays, asking the Holy Spirit to make Jesus real to us, we find ourselves slowly being transformed into the image of Christ, who fills our attention. It is a call to us to make a priority of worship, prayer and the reading of the Bible. Yes, there may be times we have to miss our regular acts of worship, but let’s try not to get out of the habit of looking intently and regularly into the face of Jesus Christ so that we, like those ancient mirrors, can take on his likeness as we grow into maturity.

Questions for Reflection

1. How could your present patterns of worship, prayer and Bible-reading be hindering your Christian growth?

2. What small step could you take to make worship more central in your life?

3. What small change can you make to be a closer reflection of Jesus Christ?

Thank you for following along with this plan! If you have enjoyed it, check out the full book, Rooted in Love, available from Amazon or from SPCK.