Today’s devotion comes from 2 Corinthians 3:1-6.
“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:1-6.
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“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
Although we certainly cannot fully understand how we can behold “in a mirror the glory of the Lord”, we should not sit in a corner and stare at a mirror and only try to somehow mystically achieve it. We should meditate on God through the study of the Scriptures.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:12-13.
Being transformed into the image of Christ is important for the preachers and teachers to do in order to commend themselves to their audience as Paul had confidence with the Corinthians.
“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Verses 4-6.
But, being transformed into the image of Christ is also important for the audience to do in order to commend themselves to others as the Corinthians were “known and read by all men”.
“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ”. Verses 2-3.
Most importantly, this is God’s work.
“… our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Verses 5-6.
By the Spirit through God’s grace, we “are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Let us also meditate on the following Scriptures about this transformation “into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” Romans 8:29.
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:2-3.
“and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—” Colossians 3:10.
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3.
“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.” Philippians 3:20-21.
“Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” 1 Corinthians 15:49.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 