DO I REALLY LOOK LIKE CHRIST?

KNOWING WHAT CHRIST LOOKS LIKE 

When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I didn't get better looking and it seemed many of the sinful things of my past were still alive in me. Someone told me God had conformed me to the image of Jesus, but if that was true it didn't appear so to me. The only thing I felt was guilt and shame. So, if God's Word is true, I reasoned, there must be a way to get there. 

The Starting Place 

Romans 10:9--"..that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (NKJV) 

So, all we have to do is say these words and we have our ticket to heaven. Right? Wrong! Confession requires knowledge of The Truth (Jesus) and action, i.e., seeking to be like Him and believing He has created us that way! Wickedness, ungodliness and, yes, sometimes even religion is contrary to the actions that bring salvation and conform us to the image of Christ.  

Wait a minute! The verse above says I have a get out of jail free card! Here is some back up for this thought. 1 John 3:2(b) in the Amplified Bible says "We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will (as His children) be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is (in all His glory). Vs. 3: "And everyone who has this hope (confidently placed) in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless)." 

I don't mean to be a bearer of bad news but read on. 1 John 4: "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness (ignoring God's law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing--being unrestrained by His commands and His will)." Here, however, is the blessed hope: "For the Law as given through Moses, but grace (the unearned, undeserved favor of God) and truth came through Jesus Christ." (AMP)  

God's purpose for us IS to be like Jesus, but we don't have to be perfect! We must be occupied with Him, i.e., open to the Holy Spirit's revelation and conviction. Seeking, not in our own strength, but with Him in us to be conformed to His image! Seeking revelation of the Scripture from the Holy Spirit, believing it and acting on what He reveals to us will enable us to progressively become like Jesus! This is the plan He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11)! 

Understanding The Attributes of Christ 

Scripture tells us to "put on Christ." Here are some of my thoughts about how we can do that by living in the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22): 

• Love--this is unconditional love. It is putting the needs of others above our needs. Scripture tells us to love our neighbor, even to love our enemies! We don't love the sinful or evil things they may do, but we love who God created them to be. This kind of love can't be human, emotional love, which changes according to circumstances. It can only be the love of the Holy Spirit in us. 
• Joy--this is a heart attitude, even in the midst of chaos. Different from happiness that arises from our situations, joy comes from our gratitude and love of God. It is not simply singing a song while jumping and hand waving to "fake it until we make it." It is the joy received from the Lord.
• Peace--this is tranquility and calm that passes normal understanding. While we may use breathing and other techniques to facilitate the peace of God, it must be from resting, believing and trusting in Jesus. Only peace from God can bring spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. 
• Patience--also described as long-suffering in the Bible, patience represents a state of composure that results from a giving up of self and personal demands. It is not forced self-control. It comes from considering other people more important than ourselves! 
• Kindness--focusing on the needs of other people and helping them find solutions to their problems can produce acts of kindness. It doesn't result from our routine kind works, but from a heart filled with God's love. It is not accusing, judging or maligning others. Kindness is conspicuous by its absence! 
• Goodness--this is a degree of character that is achieved as we yield to the will of Jesus and follow His ways, not ours. It is the fruit of our righteousness in Christ. Contrary to common thought, goodness doesn't necessarily come with a title or position in business or government, or even in the church! It comes from living and operating in the Holy Spirit of Christ.
• Faithfulness--dependability, worthiness, fidelity, loyalty and devotion are among synonyms for faithfulness. Emanating from our trust in God, it is demonstrated by obedience to Him. It is not saying one thing and then doing another. It certainly is not accomplished by lying to others to get our way.
• Gentleness--mannerisms and behaviors comprise the way we relate to others, in any circumstance. Gentleness really is the opposite of rudeness, harshness and intimidation, which have negative long-term effects. Gentleness and kindness promote repentance in ourselves and in others. 
• Self-control--different from our self-applied control mechanisms, this is God-supplied control in difficult situations and circumstances. When we ask God for it, it often occurs without our efforts, or sometimes even without our recognition. It is our guide to demonstrating the other fruit of the Spirit in our lives!

Our Choice for Life's Journey 

We have free will and get to choose, you know. But we can't be part in and part out of our salvation. I remember a story told by a speaker at a conference about a man that wanted to buy a bottle of spring water. At the convenience store, he read the label on a bottle of water that said the contents were 99.44 percent spring water and .56 percent sewage. Did he buy that bottle of water? Obviously not!  The Grace of the Lord Jesus has been given to us, but its purpose is not to hide our .56 percent. It is to enable us to be free of it!

We can't believe part of the Bible and remove the pages or verses we don't like because we don't get to modify God's Word to fit our doctrine or beliefs! We can't agree with some of the attributes of Christ and pretend that God's Grace makes up for our ignoring the others! The context of the Scripture demonstrates Christ. He is THE WORD OF GOD.  

To be honest, we don't look like Christ because we don't really believe, or want to believe, who He is. We don't want to pay the price to become who we really are! It is easier to pretend! In his carefully orchestrated plan beginning in the Garden of Eden, Satan has crafted deception that has destroyed the basics of Christianity, at least for many believers. The fruit of Satan's labors throughout history are evident and operating in the world, in politics and even in the church today! When we leave this earth, we can either go out speaking the TRUTH, or speaking a lie. WHAT DO WE CHOOSE? LIFE OR DEATH?