By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18
As a youth, did you ever use a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight on to a blade of grass until it began to smoke?
Or on a bright day, have you seen your reflection in a piece of chrome?
Driving to work on a recent winter morning, I had a motor accident. The sun was shining so intently into my face that I was blinded as I approached a roundabout. I just couldn’t see! The result was costly. I thank the Lord that no one was hurt.
All of these experiences come to mind when I meditate on our verse.
Ancient mirrors were made of shiny metal into which one could peer and see their reflection. If sunlight were intense, the rays could be reflected by the mirror onto the face of the beholder, strongly illuminating it.
The verse says that we behold ‘as in a glass’ or ancient mirror ‘the glory of the Lord.’ As we gaze on the splendours of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God reflects Christ’s excellencies on us.
The result is that we begin to be changed. The word is metamorphoo, from which our word metamorphosis comes. As a caterpillar is permanently transformed from larva through pupa and chrysalis into an adult butterfly, so a Christian who studies his Saviour will begin to look like Him.
Glory! You mean I can become increasingly Christ-like? Yes, that’s exactly what this verse teaches.
My part is to study my Saviour. Study His attributes. Study how He talked, what He said, and what that reveals about His great heart. Study how He treated both His friends and His enemies. Discern His attitudes and motives.
Only then can I live as He lives, think like He thinks, and respond as He responds.
Father, what a glorious prospect! Help me to purposefully study the One Whom You call ‘the desire of all nations’ (Haggai 2:7). I have set out on a lifelong quest to know Your Son more and more. May Your Spirit reflect Christ’s perfections in me, so that I increasingly bear a greater resemblance to Him. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.