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The Glory of God in Man

As disciples of Jesus, we are being fashioned into his likeness to reflect his glory. Jesus prays in John 17:22-24,

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Through the power of Christ’s death, we are now filled with his very Spirit, who is constantly working to fashion us into Christians in the truest sense of the word. To be a Christian is literally to be “a little Christ.” We are meant to be marked by similarity to the one we serve and love. Our lives are to be filled with his love. Our minds are to be transformed by his words. And our hearts are to be devoted to serving him alone.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says,

“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.”

Through the death of Jesus, we can come before God with unveiled face. Jesus came to declare the truth about who our Father is and to clear the path to restored intimacy between humanity and our Creator. And as we devote our lives to seeking the face of our heavenly Father, we will naturally become like him.

God desires that we live with the same freedom, intimacy, power, authority, and good works as Jesus. He sent his Son to die so that we might be clothed from the inside out with Christ himself, affording us a new life, nature, and identity. You are not the person you were before salvation. When you were filled with the Spirit of God, you were filled with the very glory of God, the image of Christ engraved upon your heart.

While this concept of becoming like Christ often sounds heady and theological, it couldn’t be of greater practical importance. It couldn’t be more vital for us to believe and pursue the life given to us by the grace of God. Being transformed into the image of Jesus has powerful and practical implications for you and me. When you spend time with the Father, he desires to love you with the love he has shown Christ, a tangible and transformational love. He longs to set you free from the bonds of worldliness and sin. He longs to empower you and lead you to a life of purpose, miracles, and good works filled with the love of God himself. He longs to lead you to a destiny laid before you since the foundation of the world.

Take time to seek the face of God today. Come before him with unveiled face and allow him to reveal the imprint of Christ upon your heart. Allow the Spirit to show you the purpose for which you were created. And receive the love of God that has the power to transform you into the very image of Jesus Christ, your Lord, and example.

Prayer

1. Meditate on God’s glory given to you at salvation. Reflect on the importance and availability of living like Jesus.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”Galatians 2:20

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”John 17:22-24

“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.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh. Ask him to engrave the love and image of Christ in your heart in new ways. Ask him to guide you into a direct encounter with Jesus so you might know him personally.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

3. Spend time allowing God to transform you, love you, and set you free. Ask him what in your life isn’t like Jesus. As he reveals sin in your life, confess it and turn to Jesus as your model. Seek out a life like his today.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21