Becoming Like Christ Through Worship (2 Cor. 3:18)                                             2009.04.26    Pastor Richard Yu

The goal of Christian growth can be summarized as to be transformed into the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29); becoming “mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ,” and “becoming more and more in every way like Christ” (Eph. 4:13, 15 NLT).

Knowing that the full stature of Christ is nothing less than the fullness of God with all his attributes and characters (cf. Col. 1:15, 19; 2:9-10), I suggest that it is Christ’s self-giving love, the emptying of himself, the pouring out of his life for mankind’s sake, which most fully captures the essence of his divine nature, and most appropriately displays the fullness of his divine measure. (Phil. 2:5-8). Therefore, to be more precise, the goal of our continuing growth into the full stature of Christ is to become more and more like him in his self-giving love.

But how does this take place? I begin with the means of worship because there’s a clear Biblical principle that says that we become what we worship.

From the negatively perspective, we become like the idols we worship. The psalmist says that those who make, and trust in, the idols will become like the idols – that they have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see; ears, but cannot hear; hands, but cannot feel; noses, but cannot smell; and feet, but cannot walk (cf. Ps. 115, 135). And since the Israelites did just that (see. Is. 2:8), they have become spiritually blind, mute, deaf, and lame.

Think about the miracles Jesus performed, were they not mostly miracles that make the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear, the withered hands strengthened, and the lame walk? So in fact these miracles were signs that pointed to their being made alive spiritually through the works of Jesus.

From the positively perspective, we become like Christ by worshiping God in a Christ-centered manner. The Apostle Paul tells us that the Christian life is one of transformation into the likeness of Christ; and one of the chief means for that transformation to take place is by contemplating on the glory of Christ, by beholding the glory of the New Covenant as revealed in Christ Jesus’ works and resurrection. Paul; says, “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit”(2 Cor 3:18 ).

The word “reflect” includes the idea of “behold,” “gaze into,” or “contemplate.” It is an attitude and act of gazing; a repeated act of the soul, to be daily occupied with spiritual objects and heavenly things; hence, it is the essence of our worship of God. Christians are like Moses, standing in God's presence, beholding and reflecting his glory. Worship, then, is properly understood as the way we acknowledge God’s worth, and the way our knowledge of God affects how we live.

The more a soul (quickened by a habitual beholding of the glory of the Lord) sees himself in the light of God, the more he discovers how much there still is in him which is opposed to God’s Law, the more he perceives how far he comes short of the glory of God, and how unlike Christ he is in character and conduct, and the deeper he appreciates the grace of God through Christ the Lord.

To keep company with Christ through habitual contemplating of the things of Christ is to expose ourselves to that which restores in us his image, and thus we partake of his self-giving love, his righteousness, and his character. Furthermore, all this comes to us by the working of his Spirit in us.

From our study, I hope that we been impressed with the importance of "beholding" the glory of the Lord in our individual and corporate worship if we wish to be transformed. The Christian life must include contemplation and meditation upon the glory of the Lord as revealed by the Spirit through the Scriptures; and we cannot be transformed by infrequent and casual glimpses of the Lord's glory!

Are you "beholding...the glory of the Lord"? Do you take the time to contemplate upon the glory of our Lord as revealed by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures? We become what we worship. If we continue worship idols (such as money, power, achievement, fame, beauty) we will eventually reflect the inherent spiritual blindness and deafness, resulting in ruin. But if we worship God in a Christ-centered way, we will eventually reflect his holiness, resulting in newness of life.  So which way you want to choose? To ruin or to renewal? The answer should be obvious.