You Are A Beautiful Work of Art!

Image result for sculptor working on a block of wood

 Galatians 4:19-20 "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!"

 Paul calls the Galatians his "dear children".  He considers the Galatians his spiritual children, because he shared the gospel with them and they became born again through believing in Jesus.  But the very reason he felt so close to them is also the reason he is so upset with them. For they are turning from the Gospel back to the Law.     

 Then, Paul uses the metaphor of being in the pains of childbirth to compare his desire for these young believers to become mature believers.  He specifically says he is in these pains, "until Christ is formed in you."  Paul uses similar language in Romans when he says  "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." Romans 8:29

 Though we are not Jesus, we are called to be like him.  We are called to follow his teachings, and be led by His Spirit who lives within us to obey them.  Christ being formed in us is a process that begins and ends with God's grace.  Because we still have a sinful nature we fight being conformed to Christ and constantly need God's forgiveness.  Why? Because it is easier for us to be conformed to the world than be transformed by the renewing of our minds and the obedience that comes by faith.  

 Someone has likened this process of becoming to conformed to Christ to a the process a sculptor uses to create a beaufiful sculpture.  The sculptor starts with a block of wood and carefully chips away.  The sculptor has an image in mind of what he wants to the sculpture to look like, but it takes time to develop the block of wood into the design he has intended for it.  One day through carefully chiseling and sanding the block begins to look exactly like the artist originally desired.

 In the same manner God our Creator is sculpting us through the power of the Holy Spirit into a beautiful work of art that reflects the image of His Son.  It is not a perfect analogy but you get the point. Though we will never be completely conformed to Christ until the day He calls us home, we set our eyes on Christ and rely on the promise that "He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it."   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more