Introduction
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.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
The world teaches us to look at the person in the mirror and “be the change,” meaning change your behavior and change your world. They offer programs and self-help books to try to convince you that “you can do it!”
Religion, too, promotes behavior reform and good works as a way to earn favor with God and make the world a better place. Different ideologies but the same approach—they start with the outside, external behavior. But the Bible teaches us that this is not the way to experience transformation.
Jesus explained the futility of the external method of change when He said, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)
Here we see that our external behavior is an indication of what is in our hearts. Social and political reform never produces lasting change because these begin with changing externals when what is truly needed is an internal heart change.
But we cannot change our hearts. We need “God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” to shine in our hearts and give us “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” If we want to experience transformation, we must look to the face of One who can change us – Jesus!
And when we look to Jesus, we see that He has done what we could not. Jesus kept the law perfectly (John 8:29) and then died sacrificially on the cross to atone for our sins (1 John 2:2). At the point of His death on the cross, Jesus became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). He gave up His Spirit (John 19:30) so that we might receive His Spirit and be filled and transformed from the inside out (Ephesians 1:13-14).
And the beautiful thing about looking to Jesus for transformation is that the moment we look to Jesus in faith, the transformation process begins immediately, and then continues throughout our lives. Immediately, we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), but continuously, we are transformed into His image as we look to Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Illustration
Consider Jesus’ own transformation. He was living in radiant glory with the Father, in complete sinless perfection and perfect righteousness. See Him descend from heaven to earth where He took on a human body, and then took on the sins and sickness of the world. He went from blinding glory and spotless righteousness to humiliating shame and sinful wretchedness.
Sin makes us unrecognizable from God’s original design for our lives, that of being God’s image-bearers; and so Jesus, covered in our sin, was not recognizable either:
Isaiah 52:14 (NIV) Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness —
Look at this shocking transformation Jesus underwent. He, who was the very image of God, righteous and holy, was transformed into your image into your sin. Why? So that you, as a believer in Him, might be transformed into His image, into His righteousness.
Your transformation happens as you hear and believe the transformation message – the death of Jesus for your sins and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead – daily. This message of transformation has the power to profoundly affect our hearts, which is where all real and lasting change begins.
Application
Friend, do you have an area of your life where you want to experience transformation? You can experience the change you desire, but it won’t happen by making resolutions, trying to get a handle on your problem, or getting more disciplined in your approach to change.
To be transformed, you must look to Jesus and see His death and resurrection as the foundation for your new life. The more that you behold your Savior in His sufferings and glory, the greater your transformation will be as you enter into the cross/resurrection experience yourself (Romans 6:1-10).
Are you seeking to be pure in heart and mind? Look to Jesus and see how He became filthy with your sin so that you might be made clean. Fill your mind with all that is true and lovely about your Savior, for as you do, you will not gratify the lusts of your flesh.
Are you seeking freedom from gluttony and laziness? Look to Jesus and see how He emptied Himself on the cross, suffering hunger and thirst to provide you with fullness and satisfaction. Look how He laid down His life to purchase the grace that teaches you to say no to your cravings and yes to fellowshipping with Him in His sufferings.
Would you be free from anxiety and depression? Look to your Savior who entered into the darkness and took on all your fears and sorrows and died with them, so that you might have a mind that is sound, a heart full of love, and a new life of power and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).
Do you want to be free from fear? Fear has to do with punishment, so look to Jesus and see Him punished in your place that you might be pardoned (1 John 4:18), drinking the cup of God’s wrath so that there is only love for you.
No matter what the needed change, it all begins by looking to Jesus.
Question: How will you look to Jesus for transformation today?
Mike L. writes, “I will come to the cross and behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. More importantly my very sins that put Him on the cross He has forgiven, not because of anything I did or didn’t do but out of pure love for me a wretched sinner. The more I behold Jesus on the cross the more sin disgusts me. Lord please I’m begging You to draw me to Your cross every day, I am so sick and tired of the pride, the lust in my heart, the self-righteousness, I am so sick of me it’s not even funny. Lord I pray that You would continue to transform me into You likeness, please give me an absolute hatred for sin and please help me to see how much you hate sin, and detest even the littlest sin. Cause me to look at the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve’s sin was to only eat of the fruit from the tree of good and evil and that was enough for the downfall of humankind. Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my sins and I thank You for Your forgiveness, in Your Holy, Beautiful and Precious Name, Amen!!“
Joe writes, “I will look at what Jesus did for me and meditate on verses that say that I am dead with him to sin and alive with him in freedom and new life. I will put my faith in and rejoice in how he took my sin on himself and put his righteousness on me. I will relish in the fact that he gave up his Spirit so that I could walk in his Spirit and not gratify the flesh. I will praise him for breaking sin’s dominion out of my life by his grace!“
Bill writes, “It is more than just following some rules or steps that I do. It is more than merely making a spiritual checklist of prayer, Bible, witnessing, fellowship, and obeying God. It is as I do these things, I am looking to Jesus – seeing Him in all of scripture and being reminded of His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus became sin for me that I become righteous before God. There at the Cross, this is the only place that this transfer can happen.
Daily, I need to come to the Cross and look up and see my Savior, my friend, my Lord laying down His life for me.
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing the way to genuinely change and be transformed into the likeness of Your Son. Help me to look, help me to see Jesus there on the Cross. Help me to understand the depths and the pain of sorrow that Jesus went through for me. As I look, conform me into that same image of One who loves and sacrifices His life for me and others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.“
Reprinted by permission from the Looking to Jesus study at www.settingcaptivesfree.com. SCF exists to help men and women find freedom in Christ through the gospel.