
“All of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more” (2 Cor. 3:18)
The veil being referred to was the veil that partitioned or separated God and man. It was the veil that kept us from being able to approach God’s presence and glory. That veil of separation, however, was removed when we received Christ, God’s Son into our lives as Lord and Saviour. We now have direct access into God’s presence and are partakers of His glory. Now, God wants us to be mirror s that brightly reflect His glory. But we cannot reflect His glory unless we become more and more like Him. Until Christ is formed in us (Gal. 4:19) we can only reflect the works of the flesh.
What are those attributes that Christ had? Love, peace, kindness, faith, patience endurance, compassion, gentleness, joy, humility, righteousness, a forgiving spirit, integrity; He never cursed, swore, lied or cheated anyone. He lived an uncompromisingly righteous life, etc. Unless the attributes or virtues which characterize the life of Christ are seen in us who profess to be Christians we cannot claim to be Christ-like and therefore cannot reflect His glory. By our own human effort, we cannot manufacture these virtues.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “…And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.” The Spirit of God who alone has the power and the ability to make us Christ-like is at work within us. We should allow Him to do the work of transforming and conforming us into Christ-likeness. We allow Him by listening, submitting and yielding to Him. If we don’t do these we will be hindering Him completely or slowing down the pace at which He seeks to make us more Christ-like.
How does the Holy Spirit speak to us?
- He speaks to us when we read and study the Scriptures.
- He quickens Scriptures to our mind (that is brings to remembrance).
- He prompts or nudges us quietly in our minds.
- He directs our minds to certain issues or situations (brings to our attention or notice)
- He gently lays or impresses things (sometimes as burdens) on our minds.
Sometime ago I had a pressing but gentle burden laid on my mind concerning my neighbourhood, which refused to lift for sometime. This prompted us to pray and take some precautionary measures. Not quite long someone in the neighbourhood came calling and told us what had been happening in the area of which we were unaware. We were very close to grave danger but didn’t know it. The Holy Spirit kept tugging at my heart, nudging me and impressing it as a gentle burden which refused to lift, so that we could pray about it and take precautionary measures for our safety even though we didn’t know what was happening around us.
As children of God we are to be led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14). It is therefore our responsibility to learn to listen to Him and walk in obedience to His leading. The primary way He speaks to us today in our day to day living is through the Holy Scriptures and by the leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts which is always in line with Scripture, and we will do well to pay attention to His Holy Scripture.
To be like Christ is to be a
Christian – Penn.
As we read the scriptures the Spirit of God speaks to us showing us areas in which we are lacking. He shows us virtues to be developed in or lives, sins to repent of, ways and habit to forsake and weight to drop. As our eyes are opened to the revelations given to us by the Spirit we should cooperate with Him in simple obedience. For example: what is He telling you to do? To share your faith more? To forgive someone who has hurt you? To spend more time in God’s presence? To study God’s word more? To make a reconciliation? To forsake a particular way, habit or sin? Our cooperation, that is, our submission and yieldedness is manifested in our obedience.
If we fail to walk in the light of the truth revealed to us then no further truth will be given to us. For us to continue walking in the light we must walk in and by the truth already given to us. By being doers of the word, not hearers and readers only we become more like our Master (Col. 3:16; James 1:22). For us to continue to grow in God’s grace we must be receptive to His word and willing to apply it to every area of life. Thus His glory will be seen more by those around us.