Unchanging, Day 6

The Blessing of Change
in Our Lives

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

God’s unchanging nature is a blessing that we can take comfort in. The changing nature of this world and the people in it can be frustrating. But the fact that we humans can change is also a tremendous blessing that we should be thankful for. From the first disobedience of Adam and Eve, mankind has existed in a broken state, separated from God. But, because God has placed in us the capacity for change, we have the potential to be transformed into holy creatures with the ability to come before a holy God.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul contrasts the Old Covenant given through Moses against the New Covenant given through the Spirit. When the Lord gave the Ten Commandments tablets to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 34), Moses returned to the Israelites with his face shining from the encounter with God’s glory. Moses put a veil on to cover his face because the Israelites were afraid to come near him. The veil over Moses’ face was representative of a veil over their hearts that prevented them from seeing God’s glory and truth. The Law never had the power to transform the Israelites, and its work was brought to an end. But through the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the veil over our hearts can be removed so that we can behold the glory of the Lord and the truth of the gospel. Not only can we behold it, we can be transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another.” The blessing of change in our lives is that when one turns to the Lord in faith, the Holy Spirit slowly remakes in us the image of God that was lost when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.

Paul addresses this transformation again in his letter to the Romans. The word “therefore” in verse 1 of chapter 12 indicates that he is referring back to what he had previously written. Likely, he is referring to all that he wrote in chapters 1-11, which is a great exposition on the gospel of Jesus Christ. So Paul asks his readers to present their bodies—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—as sacrifices to God and acts of worship because of the truths of the gospel. Because of the love that God has demonstrated to us in the good news of Jesus Christ, we should have no hesitation to present ourselves as sacrifices to Him. Along with this sacrifice comes a process of transformation. Our minds are renewed by the work of the Spirit as we follow with some conscious effort on our own part to pursue the truth and to not be conformed to the world. The result is that our lives are transformed to come into alignment with God’s standards—what is good, acceptable, and perfect. The change initiated in our lives through the work of the Trinity in the gospel is essential to our salvation and is the only way that we can be transformed into the image of Christ.

Action Step: A caterpillar is an immature stage of a butterfly. The caterpillar hatches from its egg with its body parts optimized for its main purpose—eating. The caterpillar has short stubby legs that are perfect for crawling across the surface of the leaf it is consuming and mouth parts that are perfect for chewing. At just the right time, the caterpillar encloses itself in a pupa, where it undergoes a metamorphosis into a butterfly. When the butterfly emerges, it is equipped with just the right body parts for its new main purpose—reproduction. The butterfly has longer legs, more complex eyes, and wings, all of which it needs to move to a new area, mate, and lay eggs. The change to a new appearance accomplishes its new mission. Consider how our new birth in Christ is like the butterfly’s metamorphosis. Before our new life in Christ, our purpose is self-oriented. Once we are transformed, our purpose is to bear God’s image and glorify Him. Does your life have a completely different appearance as you are living out this new mission?