Conformed to His Image

06.01.09

J.A. Matteson

"The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1 John 2:6

In the physical realm progeny reflect characteristics of their parents—by nature they must by necessity—and the same principle may be observed in the spiritual. Coming into the world the unregenerate possesses a sin nature where his mind, will, and emotions are at enmity with his Creator, perpetually inclined by nature to perform deeds pleasing to his spiritual father, the devil, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire….”(Jn. 8:44). All humanity share God as Creator in the physical, yet the redeemed alone know Him spiritually as Father, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’" (Gal. 4:6).

Unregenerate sinners often do good to their neighbor; however, the unconscious root motivation is ultimately ego-centric—at some level to satisfy the flesh—not Christo-centric, therefore, unpleasing to God, no matter how meritorious the deed, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Is. 64:6). The overarching meditation of the unregenerate heart is self-pride which is characteristic of their spiritual father.

The saint is born again of God and by nature displays characteristics of his heavenly Father whereby his thoughts, words, and deeds are increasingly Christo-centric. The Lord Jesus Christ possessing two natures—divine and human—is the pilgrim’s flawless example for righteous living. Empowered by the Holy Spirit the pilgrim is day by day conformed to the image of His Lord in thought, word, and deed, a distinctive indication of his new birth, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

As the pilgrim gazes upon the Lord Jesus Christ, behavioral characteristics indicative of the new nature come into focus. How did the Lord Jesus live and what characteristic might one expect to observe in His progeny? Highlighting but a few characteristics we first observe that the Lord Jesus Christ was a man of compassion, “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’" (Jn .8:10-11); that He revealed uncompromising obedience in completing the redemptive assignment the Father had given Him, “And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer” (Matt. 27:12); confronted by temptation He did not acqiese, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan ! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and worship Him only'" (Matt. 4:10); that He lived righteously, “But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness’" Then he permitted Him” (Matt. 3:15); that He was zealous for truth, exposing hypocrisy wherever it was found, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:25); that He was passionate about spiritual purity, “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer '; but you are making it a robbers den" (Matt 21:12-13); that He was a servant of men while bound to no man, “So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?” (Jn. 13:12); that He was a man of prayer, “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1); that He was exceptionally bold, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3); that He was the epitome of humility, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be reflected in the lives of pilgrims today.

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