Until Christ be Formed in You

Ga 4.19 “19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”

Born Again vs. Made Again

You must be born again

Jn 3.3-5 “3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Elements of Birth

Spontaneous Life

Automatic Growth

Wonder, Discovery

But shortly after birth, we’re full of trouble

Job 14:1 KJV

1 Man that is born of a woman Is of few days, and full of trouble.

Spiritual life also finds limits to the spontaneous wonder pretty quickly.

But God takes time to form himself in you

Jer 18.5-6 “5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

V. 6 confirms God’s desire is to do as the potter has done.

Elements of Making

Intentionality

Effort against resistance

Patience

God is always willing to change his mind to ensure the good

Jesus is the second Adam

God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground

God did a lot of work in formation before he ever breathed life

Ge 2.7 “7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Adam failed after receiving the breath of life

And God made a new way of relating - animal skins to cover the nakedness.

Jesus, the second Adam, also had to undertake formation

Mt 4.1 “1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

Lk 2.52 “52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

Re-Make Your Life

Orient toward resurrection attributes

Co 3.1-4 “1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

Dispense with evil selfishness

Co 3.5-7 ESV “5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.”

These are features of your history, but they’re not hallmarks of your destiny

Dispense also with evil expressiveness

Co 3.8-11 ESV “8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

These are part of an old identity that you have already shed, and you have put on a new identity.

Live the ‘new you’

Live the ‘New You’

Co 3.12-15 “12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

I would summarize this list as empathy, patience, and unity.

For me, this is a daunting list!

Until Christ be formed in you

Paul uses a powerful and encouraging phrase to a church that was reverting to old patterns that weren’t helpful for Christian life:

Gal 4.19 “19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”

Until: that means you’re not there yet, but there is hope that you’re going to get there!

What do you do until?

Pray - like Paul, travail in birth

Keep getting up

Pr 24.16 “16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”

No final judgments

1 co 4.5 “5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

Keep under the seal of promise (the Holy Ghost)

Ep 1.13-14 “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Attend to the word

2 Pt 1.19 “19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:”

Pp 1.6 “6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”