Law and Conscience (5)

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 by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3.18

The glory of the Law
In its context, our text is speaking about looking into the Law of God, just like Moses did on Mt. Sinai, and encountering in that Law the very presence of God Himself – His glory. The Law of God reflects the glory of God, and, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we learn to see that glory, even more powerfully than Moses did.

As that happens, Paul says, the Spirit of God within us begins to do a work of transformation in our souls. Taking the raw material – which is our old life, now redeemed – He uses the glory of God in the Law (and, indeed, in all His Word) to shape, sculpt, and transform us into the very image of Jesus Christ. We begin to be more like Jesus as the Law and Word of God, in the strong hands of the Holy Spirit, does its work in our soul – mind, heart, and conscience.

Thus, we are liberated by the Law of God from the old person we used to be – with all our foolish and corrupt notions and sentiments, and all our wayward priorities and practices – into someone who begins to reflect the character, values, and works of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4.17-24).

Put another way, the Law of God, as the Spirit writes it on our hearts and embeds it in our minds, becomes the rule book of the conscience whereby we can be all that we’re looking for, all we can be, by being made like Jesus.

What would Jesus do?
Back in the late 19^th century Charles Sheldon made a large impact inviting readers to ask, “What would Jesus do?” in any situation, as a way of following Him more consistently. In our own generation, we have seen that slogan and passion revived.

This shows us that, in their heart of hearts, Christians want to be like Jesus. This is a very good thing, of course. We’re tired of the old sinful person we were. We chafe against the continuing presence of the law of sin in our hearts. We want some relief from the daily barrage of temptations that so often leads us astray. We want to see more of the love of Christ coming through us to the world.

If only we could be liberated from all this sin and sadness, to become more like Jesus!

Well, we can. Paul tells us the answer to the cry of our heart, our longing to be like Jesus, lies in the glory of God which He has encoded in His Law. The Law of God is the law of liberty because it frees us from self and the world to be like Jesus.

Conditions of this freedom
There are some conditions, of course.

First, Paul says, we must hope that this glory and transformation can occur within us (2 Cor. 3.12). That is, we must believe that we can meet God in His Law, that we can encounter His glory in the holy, righteous, and good teachings of His commandments, precepts, statutes, and rules. For many of us, this will mean a serious change of mind, since looking into the law of God is not something we’ve ever taken very seriously.

Then, second, we must be very bold to come before God in His Law and linger there, waiting in patient meditation for the Spirit of God to do His work. We must wait for the Law to reveal the glory of God, and to expect that, when it does, what we will see clearly is the very face of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4.6)!

Linger in the presence of God’s glory. Study the contours of Jesus’ face, as the Law radiates His love and shapes your soul to refract that love and glory to others.

Then we must go forth unto God’s glory; we must come away from this encounter with God’s glory in His Law, fully determined to be like Jesus, think and feel like Jesus, and do what Jesus would do, to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10.31-11.1). As we thus go forward in faith, the Lord meets us in His Spirit, fills us with His presence and power, works out our salvation in us, and makes us able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think (Phil. 2.13; Eph. 3.20).

And so, in the daily course of our lives, we are liberated from our old selves into the new selves which are being made according to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is why God wrote His Law on our hearts when He sent His Spirit to dwell in us, so that, by His inward power and working, we might become more like Jesus, and, in every situation in our lives, we might do what Jesus would do.

For reflection
1.  Meditate on Ephesians 4.17-24. How can the Law of God help us in this process? Why?

2.  How would you counsel a new believer to be very bold in coming to the Word and Law of God? Bold for what?

3.  We are transformed into the image of Christ “from glory to glory.” What does that mean?

Next steps – Transformation: Meditate on 2 Corinthians 3.12-18. How do you experience this in your life? How would you encourage a believing friend to experience this transforming glory? Talk with a Christian friend about these questions.

T. M. Moore

This is part 2 of an 8-part series on Purifying the Conscience. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute buttonat the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Every Christian is called to grow in the Lord. Our course, Introduction to Spiritual Theology, provides context, vision, direction, and resources to help you keep growing in the Lord and His Kingdom. Study at your own pace. The course is free and online. For more information and to register, click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.