Ever since I became a Christian it was my desire to reflect the character and image of God. I saw it was His desire too, for He said, “Be holy as I am holy”. Unfortunately, I failed miserably. Year after frustrating year I tried, but still saw very ugly fruit in my life.
Wouldn’t my constant reading and praying lead to obeying? It did not. No, something entirely different finally brought the transformation I desperately longed for. After years of struggle I finally discovered that change doesn’t come through focusing on what I must do, but on what He has already done. Today I reflect on one aspect of what I learned about how to reflect God’s image. You might be quite surprised to discover how effortless change can really be.
Mirror…a surface that reflects an image
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. II Corinthians 3:18
For years this verse was a mystery. According to this scripture being transformed into God’s image depended on what I was beholding….what I was looking at. It also told me what to behold.
“Beholding…the glory of the Lord”
What it didn’t tell me was how to do that. How exactly was I to behold the glory of the Lord? Was I to set my mind on all His wonderful attributes, meditating on His holiness and splendor? In doing so, would I then be miraculously transformed into that same image? Is that what it meant to “behold the glory of the Lord”?
I conducted a search of numerous commentaries to uncover the meaning of ‘beholding the glory’. I found a multitude of exhortations concerning what I must do. Read the Scriptures to behold the glory. Pray and spend time with God as Moses had when his face shone with glory. Need I say that I felt disappointment to think that transformation depended on my efforts? I had proved myself to be entirely unreliable.
As I continued to research the meaning of the word behold and beholding I discovered something amazing. These words are used nearly two hundred times in the New Testament, but the word used in this verse is used only once. The word used here is not simply beholding, it is actually “beholding as in a mirror”. There is a difference.
How is it different? Well, I can do some beholding in a lot of different places. I can do some beholding in a garden and see flowers. I can do some beholding in a forest and see trees. But remember, this scripture doesn’t say “beholding”….it says ‘beholding as in a mirror’. So if I go to a mirror to do some beholding, what do I see? Beholding in a mirror…I see ME!
Yes, according to II Corinthians 3:18, we are not told to behold the glory of the Lord, we are told to behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. Therefore, the transformation promised in this verse comes from beholding the glory of the Lord IN ME!!!!
Most commentaries explain beholding God’s glory as looking to see what God looks like. But when I go to a mirror I don’t go to see what the mirror looks like…I go to see what I look like. Unless I’ve got glass cleaner in my hand, my focus is not on what the mirror looks like, but on what I look like. As new creations in Christ Jesus our new man has been recreated in righteousness and holiness, according to the exact likeness and image of God. (Ephesians 4:24) According to God, that’s what…that’s Who I look like!
Transformation comes by beholding the glory of the Lord IN YOU. As we see the glory of the Lord that is within, beholding the realities of our recreated spirit, we will begin to reflect that glory for, truly, it is….
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
Joining the writing flash mob over at Lisa Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday. This week’s prompt…REFLECT
Part of this post was originally published last year as Beyond Beholding, and here’s a helpful companion post called Your Inner Image
just LOVE that photo…
change doesn’t come through focusing on what i must do, but on what He has already done…
been meditating on very similar thoughts so far this advent season ~
Thanks for visiting, Richelle. I know what you mean about the photo….I love it too. Wasn’t she so gracious to let me use it? It’s nice to meet you. Isn’t it great to hear that the Lord is moving in others’ hearts on the same topics. I’ll be popping in on your blog right away. Blessings….
When I started reading your post, I thought of how you read His word – and how it went deep down in you – and then I felt like it grew and grew (as you searched for how this relationship with Him is supposed to work) – and then I felt like when I saw my hydrangea bush we’d transplanted and not seen any sign of life suddenly push up from the ground to grow tall – when you realized that He was in you – and that means loving others as He loves us – so love this journey you went on and how you shared it! Thank you!
You’ve drawn a great parallel. I can say that I’m really glad I didn’t leave the garden in dismay because I’m really enjoying the beauty that’s finally blossomed. 🙂 Thanks for your visit and for adding even more to the story. Blessings to you.
Lisa, you have written a beautiful exposition here! I love the way you move from pondering and reflecting on the biblical passage to the growing light of revelation dawning within your spirit, heart and mind as Truth hits home so powerfully. I have never heard 2 Corinthinans 3:18 spoken of in this way before and my heart leaped within as I ‘got it’ at last!
Yes, we see ourselves and we also see Jesus reflected in us ~ what an awesome thought that is! Transformation into Christ-likeness is going on continually but we often fail to appreciate how far we have come as our focus tends to be more on how much we still need to change.
Thank you so much for giving me much to reflect on here and reason to rejoice too. Blessings 🙂 xx
Joy, you are a joy. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. It means so very much to think that any nugget of what God has been so gracious to reveal to me could encourage, help, or elicit ponderings in someone else. That makes MY heart leap. God bless you!
It is so simple and beautiful. God is wonderour and it is the glory of His sacrifice that shines through me. He saved me. Something I never could work to do. It was undeserved and all about His Amazing Grace. I so enjoyed your post today. You blessed me so much. Thank you
Thanks for stopping by, Mary. I love that you mention the glory of His sacrifice. When I began to understand the true nature of God’s glory it made me appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus even more! Moses was permitted to see God’s glory and Exodus 34:6-7 reveals the complete nature of that glory…kindness AND holiness (just ask Uzza and Ahio and the men of Bethshemesh). It was a glorious day in my life when I realized that, because of Jesus, I’d been made holy! And when I began to behold in me that root of holiness…I was able to produce the fruit of holiness. To God be the glory, right? 🙂
Lisa,
You have given us a gift with your study into the word “Beholding” in 2 Cor. 3;18, one of my favorite verses; Thank you very much…as I sit with God, He reveals Himself to me, and He also reveals myself to me – the good and what needs to be changed…blessings to you 🙂
There’s not too much I like more than studying God’s Word! Thanks for visiting, Dolly…and for taking the time to comment. Merry CHRISTmas!