Transformed Into the Image of Christ

Introduction

We have been trying to understand what is required of us to be saved. We have seen that we must hear the gospel, believe it, and obey it.

While our salvation has given us a great blessing in the forgiveness of our sins, it also gives us a tremendous purpose to live with.

We are to be faithful servants of the Lord and live for the purpose of being transformed into the image of Christ.

“Be faithful until death” is our motto; we do this because each and every day of our life should be for the goal and purpose to be like Christ.

Saved To Be Like Christ

Now that we are saved, we must understand that we have been saved to be transformed to be like Christ.

We were not saved to remain like we were!

We were saved to become something that we maybe thought impossible.

Now that we have been saved, the gospel continues to work in our lives and grants to us the purpose of being transformed into the image of Christ -

We have been saved with a purpose t

Throughout the chapter, Paul has been contrasting the gospel with the law of Moses.

The old covenant was glorious, but it faded away.

But the new covenant has been established and it has the power to transform us into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We have been chosen to live in conformity with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ -

The holiness of Jesus is contagious and is to be spread with other Christians.

Jesus becomes the pattern and standard for how we are to live -

Hearing and obeying the words of Jesus is the foundation of wisdom -

Jesus expected people to listen to Him and obey His words: “...these words of Mine and acts on them...” - v 24

The crowds were amazed that Jesus was preaching and teaching with authority as from God; He was not just passing along popular opinions. His teaching captivated the hearers and demanded them to listen to Him.

Jesus’ life becomes the standard by which we are to live up to -

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Jesus is the pattern and standard for how we are to live

We were not saved to remain like we were!

His teachings and His very life become the model

We were saved to become something that we maybe thought impossible.

Not Conformed To This World

Behavior

Once we have repented of our sins and have been baptized, we are supposed to show a change in our behavior.

Our behavior is the outward manifestation of what is going on in our mind -

Thus, Paul instructs us to not be conformed to the world — we should not be molded to look, act, think, and talk like the world!

Being conformed is when you allow yourself to be affected by outside influence.

The transformed life is when we allow ourself to be guided by the word of God and the gospel for how we are to live.

We are to be transformed by renewing our mind!

Changing our behavior through the transformation of the gospel, we will be “holy” -

In the middle school class, we have been talking about “holiness” all quarter.

We have defined “holiness” as “doing right and obeying God.”

All of our behavior is to be holy -

How we talk, think, act

How we think

How we act

The process of being holy is something that requires work and diligence -

We have been created in righteousness and holiness - v 24

Put away the bad; start doing the good - vv 25-32

Our mind and our thinking must be rooted in God’s word. We must develop the skill of discerning what is right and wrong.

The Bible is not a rule book where you go to rule 1, section 4, sub-section d to read what you do in one particular case.

Is this outfit too revealing?

Can I drink alcohol without becoming drunk?

Can I watch this movie/TV show?

Should I talk with this person on social media?

Living in a sinful world will be difficult. But God’s word gives us principles and as we develop ourselves and exercise our minds then we will be capable of discerning between good and evil, right and wrong -

Unified In A Community

Part of the transformed life of being a Christian and growing to be like Jesus is our involvement in the body of Christ, the church!

Sadly, many people think they can be a Christian without being part of the church.

Those people aren’t reading the New Testament.

We are called to live among fellow Christians and brothers and sisters with like-precious faith.

We must learn to think of others -

Unity and peace will only be maintained and kept if we are working and remaining busy.

Unity and peace are not the end-goal; they are the means to achieving our goal!

We must use our talents -

We may not be able to grow our skill-set and add on more talents, but we will be judged for how we used our talent.

We will not grow if we “don’t get into the game.”

Brotherly love should be the motivation for every action we take -

Conclusion

The life of a Christian is not meant for us to remain as we have been. We are to live faithfully, serving the Lord, and being transformed day by day -

When we are transformed into the image of Christ, then we are really being transformed into the image of God our Creator -

Our transformation and holiness will be rewarded when this life is over and we dwell with God and Christ for eternity - ;