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Conformed to the Image of His Son

By Rev. J. Patrick Bowman

I want to take us on a journey through several scripture references and two main concepts in the Bible as we become better acquainted with Gods eternal purpose for us. I will then use an example of renaissance art to illustrate what I believe we can learn from our study of the Word. Lets begin in Romans 8:28-29. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom 8:28-29 KJV) Paul makes a sweeping statement by saying that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose. He does not leave us an out to decide for ourselves which events, circumstances, trials, testings, attacks, etc., will work together for good. When he said all, he meant all. Notice he doesnt say all things are good, but that all things work together for good. Many people quit reading after verse 28 and therefore fail to see what purpose Paul is talking about. Gods purpose for us is simple: that we are conformed into the image of His son. And if we are called to this state of conformity by virtue of our relationship with Him and His loving claim on us, He will use the whole of our lives; the good, the bad, and the ugly, to work for our good in this conforming process. In His foreknowledge He saw the whole picture. He saw the who, what, where, why, and how of each of us and even after that, He stuck to His plan for us. He knew when we would cooperate with Him and He knew when we would allow our selfish natures to rise up in defiance to Him. But the plan was good from the foundations of the world and will be good for all eternity. We now move on to Romans 12:1-2. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom 12:1-2 KJV) Paul now urges us to do something no Old Testament sacrifice could do. He asks that we willingly present ourselves as a holy sacrifice to God. The animals sacrificed under the old covenant had no choice in the matter. They were killed without negotiation. But Jesus, Gods own Son, had a choice and made the choice to die on the cross for us. He negotiated with His own will in the Garden of Gethsemane and chose the will of the Father above His own, becoming the ultimate living, holy sacrifice. Paul tells us this is a reasonable service of worship unto God. He pleads with us to do the same.

Its reasonable because without the cross and death, there is no resurrection power. Jesus could not bypass the cross and neither can we. God asks us, through Paul, to offer our flesh in a different way. He asks us to reject the ways of the world; to stop being fashioned, or do not have the habit of being fashioned, as the world would press us to be. We have two ways of conformity to consider. One is to be conformed or fashioned into the image and likeness of His son and the other is to let the world mold us into its sinful likeness. The cross we bear is to cooperate in the process of conformity. It is a crucifixion of our flesh nature. And it hurts. Our nature is strong and defiant in us. Our mind, will, and emotions must be channeled, or fashioned to accept Gods eternal plan for us. This is a daily process of letting go of our own way and submitting to Gods rightful rule in our lives. Paul tells us that transformation by the renewing of our minds is the door by which we enter into agreement with God concerning our conformation, that proving out that Gods plan actually is good, acceptable, and perfect! The renewing of our minds is essential because repentance is a change of mind that brings a change of heart and actions. It is a paradigm shift that, when it has its full work in us, propels us to cooperate with God. Repentance brings positive action. The other uses of transformation in the New Testament are found in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15. These are references to Satan himself being transformed to appear as an angel of light and apostles of darkness, Satans ministers, appearing as apostles of Christ. The transforming here is of one fashioning themselves, by their own efforts of disguise, to appear as something they are not. It relates to outward fashioning as opposed to inward change. We have probably all seen, at one time or another, an image of David, the iconic sculpture by Michelangelo. Several weeks ago God put that image in my mind and asked me to consider the statue itself and the process it took to produce the masterpiece. It may surprise you to know that Michelangelo was not the first artisan to work with that mammoth chunk of marble. The original commission was given to a Florentine sculptor Agostino di Duccio in 1464 but his worked stopped two years later when Agostinos mentor, Donatello, died. By this time Agostino had roughly begun on the legs and torso portion of the statue. Ten years later Antonio Rossellino was commissioned to take up where Agostino had left off. His contract was very shortlived, being terminated shortly after being awarded. The piece then sat exposed to the elements for twenty-five years in the yard of the workshop of the cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore in Florence, where it was to have been displayed. In 1500 a workshop inventory denoted "a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine." Because of the vast procurement cost of the marble as well as the intense labor that had been needed to transport it from Carrara, it was then decided to find an artist to finish the sculpture. Michelangelo was just 26 years old when he began to sculpt his statue of David, in 1501, and worked on the project four years.

As I was faithful in my research I came upon the following words by Michelangelo that helped frame my thinking on our subject of conforming to the image of His son. "In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it." What a picture of Gods intent for us to be fashioned in the likeness and image of Christ. God sees what we can become: shaped and perfect in attitude and action. That is, our minds renewed and our actions following suit. Before we are revealed as His masterpiece, which is what all creation is groaning for, He uses all things for the good, hewing away at the rough walls that imprison our loveliness. Were there regrets on Michelangelos part over what he had to chip off to create the finished image he envisioned? I doubt it. The rough prison walls weve built up around us must be razed to expose Gods glory within us. Im almost sure he reasoned, as Paul did, that the glory of the creation is worth the loss. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Rom 8:18-19 KJV) Just as Michelangelo was not the first to work that piece of marble, God is often not the first influence that tries to shape us. The world, the flesh, and the devil are more than willing to try and create a graven image from us. When we are conformed to the world system which sympathizes with our flesh and allows the enemy access to us, the end product will be far from Gods image of what He would have us be. Thus Johns warning in 1 John 2:15-17. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1Jn 2:15-17 KJV) It is estimated that the ankles on David are supporting near six tons of weight. Can you imagine how much that piece of marble weighed before the hewing began? There is far more that was chipped away than that which remains. Our prison walls are thick! Paul tells us in Philippians to forget about what weve lost in the process and move forward to receive that prize of the high calling of conforming to His image. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(Php 3:10-14 KJV) So let us submit to the hammer and chisel of Gods process in our lives and have no regrets what He takes from us, but rejoice over what He is creating in us and through us.

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