Becoming More Like Christ
To grow more in the likeness of Jesus Christ is one of God's goals for all of us who already know him. This is accomplished by first expanding our awareness of who Christ is. It is only logical that we are unable to mature into the likeness of a person whom we have never met. The more we know about Christ, the more we learn about Him, and the more we resemble Him as our knowledge and comprehension of Christ grows. We are to know and understand Christ for a variety of reasons, one of which is so that we might have confidence in our religion.
In Ephesians 4:14-16, the Apostle Paul emphasizes once more the following truth: "Then we will no longer be infants, subject to being tossed back and forth by the waves, as well as being blown here and there by every wind of teaching, as well as by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful plotting. Instead, if we tell the truth in love, we will mature into Christ, who is the Head of the body, and this will occur regardless of the circumstances. As each component of the body performs its function, it is from him that the entire body, which is connected and kept together by every supporting ligament, flourishes and builds itself up in love." The following information is stated once more in 2 Peter 3:17-18: "Therefore, my friends, given that you are already aware of this, be on your guard so that you are not led astray by the folly of lawless men and fall from the secure position that you currently have. But may you abound in the grace of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. All glory, honor, and praise are his, both now and forever! Amen." These verses demonstrate to us that increasing our knowledge of Christ will protect us from falling prey to errors that undermine our faith.
It should go without saying that intellectual prowess alone cannot develop a Christlike character. The truth that we discover in God's Word ought to have an effect on our emotions and persuade us that we are obligated to put into practice what we have discovered. Romans 12:1-2 tells us in no uncertain terms that the process of filling our minds with the knowledge of God not only brings us closer to becoming more Christ-like, but also that obedience to that knowledge brings us into alignment with the perfect will of God: "Because of this, I strongly encourage you, brothers, in light of the grace of God, to present your bodies to God as holy and acceptable living sacrifices; this is the spiritual act of worship that you are to perform. Refrain from conforming any longer to the pattern of this world, but instead let the renewing of your mind completely alter you. After that, you will be in a position to examine and validate the will of God, which is his will that is good, pleasant, and perfect."
Because we give up control of our lives to God as a result of knowing and obeying Him, the natural consequence of this is that He becomes larger and greater, while we ourselves become less and less as we do so. The Christian matures to reflect more of Christ and less of his own nature, just as John the Baptist was aware that "[Jesus] must increase, but I must diminish" (John 3:30). The following is a summary of what Jesus imparted to his disciples, as related by Luke: "If someone wishes to follow me, he or she must first humble themselves, take up their cross daily, and then follow me. Because everybody who wants to save their life will end up losing it, but anyone who gives their life up for me will end up saving it " (Luke 9:23-24). The crucifixion was a means of execution, and Jesus instructs his followers to "take up their cross" so that they can "put to death" their old sinful nature using the weapon of the cross. God desires for us to put this world and all of its fleeting delights out of our minds and instead focus on obeying what is written in His Word. According to John 1:1, Jesus is the Word that comes to life, and the Bible is the Word of God that is written down. Therefore, being conformed to Christ requires first being conformed to the Word of God.
It is essential to understand that the first step in maturing into a more Christ-like person is to accept Jesus as our personal Savior from our sins. Then, we advance in our understanding of God by consistently reading and studying the Bible and acting in accordance with what it instructs us to do. This progression, which results in our maturation as followers of Christ, takes place over the course of our entire Christian lives. This process will reach its zenith only once it has been completed and we have entered heaven to spend forever with God.
In Ephesians 4:14-16, the Apostle Paul emphasizes once more the following truth: "Then we will no longer be infants, subject to being tossed back and forth by the waves, as well as being blown here and there by every wind of teaching, as well as by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful plotting. Instead, if we tell the truth in love, we will mature into Christ, who is the Head of the body, and this will occur regardless of the circumstances. As each component of the body performs its function, it is from him that the entire body, which is connected and kept together by every supporting ligament, flourishes and builds itself up in love." The following information is stated once more in 2 Peter 3:17-18: "Therefore, my friends, given that you are already aware of this, be on your guard so that you are not led astray by the folly of lawless men and fall from the secure position that you currently have. But may you abound in the grace of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. All glory, honor, and praise are his, both now and forever! Amen." These verses demonstrate to us that increasing our knowledge of Christ will protect us from falling prey to errors that undermine our faith.
It should go without saying that intellectual prowess alone cannot develop a Christlike character. The truth that we discover in God's Word ought to have an effect on our emotions and persuade us that we are obligated to put into practice what we have discovered. Romans 12:1-2 tells us in no uncertain terms that the process of filling our minds with the knowledge of God not only brings us closer to becoming more Christ-like, but also that obedience to that knowledge brings us into alignment with the perfect will of God: "Because of this, I strongly encourage you, brothers, in light of the grace of God, to present your bodies to God as holy and acceptable living sacrifices; this is the spiritual act of worship that you are to perform. Refrain from conforming any longer to the pattern of this world, but instead let the renewing of your mind completely alter you. After that, you will be in a position to examine and validate the will of God, which is his will that is good, pleasant, and perfect."
Because we give up control of our lives to God as a result of knowing and obeying Him, the natural consequence of this is that He becomes larger and greater, while we ourselves become less and less as we do so. The Christian matures to reflect more of Christ and less of his own nature, just as John the Baptist was aware that "[Jesus] must increase, but I must diminish" (John 3:30). The following is a summary of what Jesus imparted to his disciples, as related by Luke: "If someone wishes to follow me, he or she must first humble themselves, take up their cross daily, and then follow me. Because everybody who wants to save their life will end up losing it, but anyone who gives their life up for me will end up saving it " (Luke 9:23-24). The crucifixion was a means of execution, and Jesus instructs his followers to "take up their cross" so that they can "put to death" their old sinful nature using the weapon of the cross. God desires for us to put this world and all of its fleeting delights out of our minds and instead focus on obeying what is written in His Word. According to John 1:1, Jesus is the Word that comes to life, and the Bible is the Word of God that is written down. Therefore, being conformed to Christ requires first being conformed to the Word of God.
It is essential to understand that the first step in maturing into a more Christ-like person is to accept Jesus as our personal Savior from our sins. Then, we advance in our understanding of God by consistently reading and studying the Bible and acting in accordance with what it instructs us to do. This progression, which results in our maturation as followers of Christ, takes place over the course of our entire Christian lives. This process will reach its zenith only once it has been completed and we have entered heaven to spend forever with God.
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