Sunday, July 7, 2013

How are we being transformed? Philippians 3-4


Philippians 3:20-21 (NASBStr)
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

As we read through chapter three we are told by Paul that the flesh benefits nothing in every stage of Christianity.   The flesh benefited nothing in the justification (the past) of our salvation and it will benefit nothing all the way through glorification of our salvation (the future).   Our sanctification (our present) is also completely ALL GOD ALL THE TIME.   Our faith in Jesus Christ to do the work necessary for justification THROUGH glorification is stated in this chapter.  No flesh will benefit but only FAITH in Christ.   So, at the end of the chapter we see Paul's statement above.   Our citizenship in heaven is fully on Christ as He "transforms" us to "conform" us to His image.   Where we are and where we are going is on the "exertion of the power He has" since all things are subject to Him.  That means WE are subject to His power.  We don't use our flesh to conform to Christ.  He uses His power (the power that was given Him that all things are subject to Him) to accomplish the task.   We don't have to worry about the process or the product at the end.  He knows the state we are in now and what state we are to look like at the end.   He has the power to accomplish that look.  Even when we fail to see the change God is in the process of transforming us into the image of Christ.  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:18; from one degree of glory to the next.    God is using HIS power.  It is not our power (flesh) that will make us look like Christ. It is our faith in Christ doing the work that will make us look like Christ.   All Faith, no flesh!!!

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