Messages

Conformed to the Image of God - Pastor Craig Winnington

 

Conforming to the Image of God

In Romans 8:29 the Word of God states - ‘For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son’ another translation says it like this - ‘For He know all about us before we were born and He destined us from the beginning to share in the likeness of His son.’ God didn’t send His son to die on a cross for us to live the way we want to and then go to heaven, Jesus came to ‘exchange’ His life for ours - a Christ centred life for a self- centred life. Romans 5:17 says ‘.... Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness with reign in life through the One Jesus Christ’

Self centeredness has its roots in the Garden of Eden when Adam & Eve exchanged the life of God for the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ self centeredness became the heart of the human race, and it was this fact that sold mankind into sin. Jesus came to redeem mankind back to Himself to live a life out of the indwelling nature of God in us.

1 John 4:17 ‘As He is so are we in this world’

Romans 12:2 ‘Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’

This word conformed means to ‘fashion oneself to another's pattern, i.e. ones mind and character -to behave according to socially accepted standards’

The word conformed in Romans 8:29 means to be jointly formed with i.e. having the same form as another. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ Romans 8:17

The world conforms us to a system through mindsets. Christ conforms us to Himself through a relationship.

When we live a life with Christ as the centre, life's circumstances and challenges will be seen in the light of who He is - for ‘greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.’

Again in Romans 12:2 it states - ‘to be transformed by the renewing of the mind’ This word transformed in its original meaning is the word - Metamorphoun from which we get the word metamorphosis - to change into another for e.g. a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, exchanges it’s former life for a new life. The beauty of the butterfly is seen in its new form not the old. Many Christians today although having the nature of Christ, still live a life of defeat by hanging on to their past nature of ‘conforming to the world’ and not by renewing their mind to who Christ is within them.

2 Peter 1:3 ‘His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness - through the knowledge of Him’

When you squeeze an orange you don’t get apple juice. When you ‘squeeze a Christian, you should get Christ likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:2 states - ‘ you are the epistle read and know of all men’ The world doesn’t read the Bible - they read the Christian .

Question! What ‘oozes’ from you when you are ‘squeezed’ by the pressures of life? The old nature or Christ nature?

I conclude with this reflection from our eldest son, Michael, who is currently studying a Masters of Ministry Leadership degree. In a recent paper he wrote;-

‘Our minds must be changed if we are to see the world rightly, and comprehend the things of God so that we are better able to lead. That the church would have men and women, who, at the prompting of the Lord, will lead it into the unknown, whether it be out of the Ur or into Canaan, or down the Emmaus road’ (Ref Martin 2003)

Let us pursue to be conformed to Christ that the image of His love is reflected in the world around us.

Pastor Craig Winnington.

Have a faith filled week

Pastor Stuart & Colleen.