Thursday, August 29

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:17,18)


The passage from 2 Corinthians 3, particularly vv. 12 to 18, provide great encouragement to the Christ-follower. In them, Paul highlights the "fading glory" of the Old Covenant: that even Moses, the great communicator of that covenant, experienced this fading glory and veiled his face to hide that reality from his fellow Israelites. In contrast, anyone in Christ (under the New Covenant) experiences an "ever-increasing glory."

Why can Paul be so confident of this contrast in light of the change in covenants? Like us, he roots that confidence in the trustworthiness of God and His Word. The author of Hebrews describes this New Covenant as simply "better": "But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises." (7:22; 8:6) The covenant improved because it is rooted in the completed work of Christ rather than the ongoing sacrificial system.

As Hebrews explains, if that first covenant were sufficient, God would not have needed to establish another covenant. Yet, every page of the Old Testament speaks of establishing a permanent covenant and restoring the promise of Creation. That restoration comes through adoption into sons and daughters of God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Given the sufficiency and completeness of Christ's sacrifice, we may confidence of our standing before God as His sons and daughters. Not only do we have this standing; rather, we "are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." We are not standing still; we are becoming more like Christ."

That transformative work comes by the power of the Holy Spirit, Whose Presence brings freedom. Freed from the bondage of slavery to sin, we are now open to becoming all that God has intended us to become in Christ. What a reality worthy of celebration!

Paul summarizes this passage to freedom and the unlocking of our potential in Christ beautifully in Ephesians 2:8-10: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Let us rejoice in being "God's handiwork" and giving this day to Him!

I highly commend a new movie released last week, "Overcomer." The movie underscores our tremendous identity as sons and daughters of God. As the main characters discover, knowing our identity unleashes us to bless others and experience great joy. Please find a trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGyieGVn4P4.


Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son so that we might be freed from the bondage of slavery to sin and released to freedom in Christ. Help us to rejoice in our standing as sons and daughters. Give us hopeful anticipation of our own transformation, and allow us to celebrate that transformation in others. We love You and honor You today. In Jesus's Name, amen.


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