The finished work of Christ makes it possible for Christians to be transformed. It is no mere cosmetic, surface change in external behaviour or mindset. It is a profound renewal of the inner person that impacts every facet of the Christian’s life.
Transformation begins with faith
At the heart of this profound transformation is the crucified and risen Christ. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) When we accept his death and acknowledge that he died in our place, as our Substitute, it begins our transformation. “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (! Corinthians 5:17) The old sins are cancelled and we receive the gift of righteousness from God.
God’s love is unconditional and it lays the foundation for our transformation. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God’s love leads us to repentance, and makes us capable of loving others. His love moves us from being lovers of self into being lovers of God and others.
A transformation from inside out
This inside job was clearly predicted by the prophet Ezekiel 36:26,27:
“And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances.” It refers to a profound inner change so that the person who is a law-breaker by nature will become a law keeper by the Spirit’s empowerment. He or she begins to live in a way that pleases the Lord.
A clear example of this is the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul. He persecuted the church with great passion and fury until he encountered the risen Christ on his way to arrest believers in Damascus. It was a radical transformation: the old was gone and the new has come. Paul became a great apostle and spread the good news about Jesus widely, suffering persecution because of his boldness and zeal. His motto became: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
The transformation of a Christian is like the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The caterpillar goes through a radical change inside a cocoon and emerges as a beautiful butterfly. Similarly, through Christ’s finished work, we undergo a spiritual metamorphosis. We shed our old nature and emerge as a new creation, transformed with the wings of truth and grace.
Deepening sense of identity and purpose
The profound inside work will inevitably manifest externally in our identity and sense of purpose. Like the apostle Paul, we will develop a deep assurance of our new identities. We are beloved sons and daughters of God upon whom the Spirit is powerfully at work. The Spirit works to make us a missional people. 1 Peter 2:9 declares, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Transformation is throughout life
This work of spiritual transformation into the likeness of Christ will continue throughout our life’s journey. Little by little, from one degree of glory to another, we are changed and renewed as we lovingly contemplate the beauty and glory of Christ in adoration and worship. This was Paul’s experience as he states in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
This is part of a planned series of writings on the topic, “The A to Z of Christ’s Finished Work”. I am writing it in alphabetic order. Thus far the others that I have written can be found HERE.