A New Year for a Change
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 Cor. 3:18
New years are great times for new starts, aren’t they?
Besides planning my year, every January I also do a heart checkup. Like an annual physical, this gives me a chance to evaluate where I am: am I growing in my identity as a saint? How am I dealing with the hardships and trials in this season of my life? Are there sins I need to address lest they minimize my testimony?
It is far easier for me to plan new habits and projects, and frankly, a lot more fun. I get excited about these kinds of changes.
However, this is not the goal in life. God is not merely after my productivity or the support for my personal aspirations. He’s after something far greater: transformation of the image of Christ in me.
I want to plan well so that I can live out God’s kingdom values through my days, but I also recognize that far more critical to God is who I become. What I do is important, but if I execute my plans in prideful independence, treating others as projects instead of people, I have missed the mark too.
So this quarter, I want to take yet another step further back: to explore the topic of real change. How do we not only do good works for Christ but become people who are becoming more like Christ as we do so? How do we be people of God even as we do the works of God?
The Gospel Gap
In their book, How People Change, Tim Lane and Paul Tripp describe “the gospel gap”—the difference between what we profess to believe about Christ and the way we actually live. This gap is often behind much of our struggle as we navigate through life here on earth. We can believe all the right things but when we look at how we live our lives, God is nowhere to be found!
I personally wrestle with this gap all the time. This is why I have called this blog “Connecting the Dots.” I know I need God’s help to live consistently with what I believe.
I need help living like a saint, adopted by God, instead of surviving like an orphan fending for myself.
I need help trusting that my sovereign Father rules the world and stepping out in faith in his care and provision.
I need help loving my husband and children even at expense to myself, knowing that investing in my home and family reflects Him.
I need help extending my gifts and talents to build up my spiritual family through friendship and discipleship.
I need help stepping out of my comfort zone to see those outside this family and invite them in.
I need help understanding Scripture rightly and finding ways to apply it in each of these areas.
I need help to change and become like Christ.
I need help to bridge the gap between who I say I am and how I live.
Closing the Gap
Though we are born sinners, the moment we humbly receive God’s solution to our problem of sin, our status changes.
We are transformed instantaneously into saints, a beloved child of the Father. We are ushered into a new family, the Church, the beloved bride of the Son. We are transformed into the temple of the Holy Spirit who serves as a seal and guarantee of our inheritance.
The good news is that we are not alone in the gap. We can cry out to the Father for help (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). We are given the meaningful work of reproducing more children through discipleship to extend His family. We are indwelt by the Spirit who walks with us, helping us through every situation and season of life to become like Christ.
Unlike our justification by faith that begins our spiritual journey or our glorification of our bodies at the end, the process of sanctification that closes the gap is a long, slow undertaking. As 2 Cor. 3:18 describes, this transformation is “from one degree of glory to another.”
Often this journey seems to go backwards as much as going forward. It can be discouraging at times.
But when God is overseeing the process, these setbacks can be viewed differently.
Difficult seasons of pain and heartache become the crucibles where we deepen our faith as we experience His comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Chronic suffering that lingers like a thorn in the flesh remind us of the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Stubborn sins that tempt us at every turn become opportunities for us to choose again and again the ways of righteousness He prepares for our escape (1 Cor. 10:13).
Living in this world is hard because it has not been changed yet. It is still groaning in the pains of childbirth (Rom. 8: 19-23). It is still awaiting its freedom from corruption.
It is also hard because though we have been made spiritually alive, our bodies are still decaying and will one day die. We live with people who still are dominated by sin and hurt us. These things coming from without and within make life difficult here.
But the good news is that we live in an era of history where we know Christ has come. There is always hope for those who place their trust in Him. We have a future awaiting us that makes all our sufferings here worthwhile.
This hope is critical to closing the gap. It is what keeps us persevering when we’d rather give up. Love for our God motivates us to endurance with patience and hope.
This is how we change from the heart. Unlike a habit or project, it does not focus merely on externally following rules, seeking emotional experiences, doing good works, studying the Bible, practicing self-stewardship, or surrounding ourselves with an extensive community. These certainly are blessings that help us to grow in the truly important things in life, but they are not the goals and ends in themselves.
Essentials for the Journey
Second Peter 1:3-9 tells us that we have been given everything we need to change. Our past has been forgiven in Christ. We have a future hope to color our understanding of life here. And we have been given everything we need for a life of godly living.
In this quarter’s study, we’re going to take a deep dive into this process of spiritual transformation. To be sure, it is entirely God’s work, just as our salvation is.
However, Scripture also makes it clear that we are to be active participants in this process. In Philippians 2:12-13, Paul urges the believers to work out our own salvation even as God is at work in us. Paul sets an example for us by telling us he disciplines his body and keeps it under control, as an athlete does, so that he will not be disqualified at the end of the race (1 Cor. 9:27).
This is a picture of the life of faith. If you’re ready to join me on this deep dive, I encourage you to do so with two things in hand:
1. Be willing to let the Holy Spirit have access to your heart. This is where change really happens, not through external practices alone. With David, ask Him to open our eyes to see the truth of our hearts (Ps. 139:23-24).
2. Be willing to invite a friend to journey with you. Look for a friend who humbly recognizes they too are in process but is also courageous enough to speak the truth in love.
Along with weekly worship at a healthy local church, these things go a long way to helping us close the gospel gap as we journey with Christ daily.
