Beholding His Glory: From Glory to Glory (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Brethren, the Christian life is not about polishing up the old self but becoming a new creature altogether. The Holy Spirit takes those who behold the face of Jesus and changes them from one degree of glory to another. Think of Moses, whose face shone when he came down from Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:29).
He merely saw the back parts of God’s glory, yet his face blazed with light. How much more should we, who behold the unveiled face of Christ, shine with His likeness! Psalm 17:15 cries, “I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” That’s the end goal – satisfaction in His image.
When we walk in His light, as 1 John 1:7 says, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Do you see it? The Spirit isn’t giving us a religious glow; He’s changing us from the inside out.
Conformed to the Image of His Son (Romans 8:29)
God’s purpose is clear – He will make us like Jesus. He’s not interested in our comfort; He’s shaping our character. The Spirit works through joy and through tears, through ease and through affliction, until Christ is formed in us. Our lowly bodies, says Philippians 3:21, will be “fashioned like unto His glorious body.”
The seed of His likeness has already been planted within. 1 Corinthians 15:49 declares, “As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
Even now, the life of Jesus is manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10). The Holy Spirit presses us like clay on the Potter’s wheel until the image of the Son emerges. Are we yielding to His hands or resisting the shaping?
Renewed in Knowledge After the Image of the Creator (Colossians 3:10)
Transformation begins in the mind. The Spirit of God doesn’t patch our old thinking – He renews it entirely. The Lord gives wisdom, and out of His mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).
That’s why Paul says, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). The Holy Spirit takes the words of Jesus and writes them on the tablet of the heart, reminding us of all that He has said (John 14:26).
Every time you open the Word, the Spirit is sculpting your thoughts to match heaven’s pattern. O my soul, are you letting His truth rewrite your mind, or are you clinging to the world’s script?
The New Man in Righteousness and True Holiness (Ephesians 4:23–24)
The Spirit doesn’t merely touch up our behavior; He creates something entirely new. “He saved us… by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).
When we are in Christ, we become new creatures – old things pass away, and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). David knew this cry well: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Holiness isn’t about trying harder; it’s about yielding more. The Spirit breathes righteousness where there once was rebellion, peace where there once was pride.
Fruit of the Spirit: The Visible Image of the Invisible Christ (Galatians 5:22–23)
The Spirit’s transformation is not hidden. It bears fruit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. This fruit is the reflection of Jesus Himself. The branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the Vine (John 15:4–5).
Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). The kingdom of God is not in meat or drink, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). Friends, the Spirit’s work in us is meant to be tasted by others. What do people taste when they’re around you – Christ’s sweetness or the sourness of self?
Sanctified by Truth (John 17:17)
The Holy Spirit purifies by truth. The Word of God is not just ink on a page – it’s living fire. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). The Spirit washes the church “by the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26).
He leads us into all truth (John 16:13). Sanctification is not a ceremony; it’s a daily cleansing as the Spirit applies truth to the heart. When we receive His correction, we are being purified. When we resist, we remain unchanged. Which do you choose today?
We Shall Be Like Him (1 John 3:2–3)
Here lies the blessed hope: “When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” This isn’t wishful thinking – it’s the Spirit’s endgame. Our citizenship is in heaven, and the Savior will “change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body” (Philippians 3:20–21).
Even now, the Spirit makes us partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). God disciplines us “that we might be partakers of His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). Do you see the pattern? Purification now, glorification later. The Spirit is preparing us for the sight of Christ Himself.
Transformed by the Renewing of the Mind (Romans 12:2)
Transformation isn’t a feeling – it’s a renewing. “Be not conformed to this world,” Paul says, “but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The Spirit teaches us to think with heaven’s logic. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
The Word stored in the heart keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11). Isaiah 26:3 promises, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.” Brethren, our outer life changes only when our inner thoughts are anchored in the Lord. The Spirit works first where no one sees.
He Will Finish the Work (Philippians 1:6)
God doesn’t start what He won’t finish. “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” The Spirit never stops shaping us until the reflection of Christ is complete. He establishes our hearts unblameable in holiness (1 Thessalonians 3:13).
We are chosen for salvation “through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Hebrews 13:21 says He makes us perfect in every good work to do His will. Friend, the Spirit’s chisel may hurt, but every strike is forming the likeness of Christ in you. Stay on the wheel.
Sanctified Wholly (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Here is the Spirit’s full desire – that our “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Holy Ghost doesn’t leave corners of darkness untouched. He cleanses both flesh and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1). We are “sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
And Jude 24 assures us, “He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” This is not self-improvement – it’s Spirit transformation. O my soul, yield to the fire that purifies and the hand that perfects.
Conclusion: The Spirit’s Mirror
Friends, the Spirit holds up a mirror – not to show us who we are, but who we’re becoming. Every act of obedience, every trial endured, every prayer whispered in surrender is another stroke of His transforming hand. Beholding Jesus is not passive gazing – it’s the posture of a yielded heart. And as we behold Him, we become like Him.
Let this be your cry today: “Lord, make me a vessel of Your likeness, until Your reflection is all that remains.”
Call to Action: The Question That Demands an AnswerIn Acts 2:37 Peter and the Apostles were asked the question – What Shall We do? And in Acts 2:38 Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Do you understand this? After hearing the gospel and believing, they asked what should would do. The answer hasn’t changed friend, Peter clearly gave the answer. The question for you today is, Have you receieved the Holy Spirit Since you believed? If you’re ready to take that step, or you want to learn more about what it means to be born again of water and Spirit, visit: Come, and let the Spirit make you new. |