Transformation

Living a Biblical worldview… What does this mean? Do many Christians truly understand this vague but important concept? The best definition of Biblical worldview that I have learned is: Practicing the Kingship of Jesus Christ in every part of life. Wow! How often do we think of Jesus as King during our daily routine? This poses an interesting element to our Christian walk and the only way to live this out is through a transformation of our lives.

In the New Testament, three versus cover the concept of transformation. The first verse is Philippians 3:21 which says, “ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body!” This word for transformation in the Greek means to change the outward form or appearance of something. By this definition, we are encouraged to go through an outward transformation of our bodies by the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. So, in living a Biblical worldview and practicing the kingship of Jesus, what are some ways that we can make changes to our outward body, life and actions that is glorifying to God? What are some ways in which we can live, or not live, that the world around us will know that something is different about us?

The next verse about transformation suggests a slightly different means of transformation. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Interestingly, this Greek word for transformation is slightly different than the word in Philippians. The word Metamorphoo denotes a change in condition and often refers to a spiritual transformation; an inward change in our life. As Christians, once we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to change our mind and our thoughts to those that glorify God. There are so many things in our secular world today that infiltrate our minds and steer us far away from Jesus. I think of it as that old cliché of “garbage in, garbage out.” If we are filling our mind with junk, our thoughts might turn into words and actions that are not valuable to the kingdom of Jesus. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I challenge you to consider what you spend your time watching, listening, or reading and rethink if those things help you to transform your mind toward things that lift up the kingdom of Christ.

The question is, how do we go about transforming ourselves outwardly and inwardly? If we are truly renewing ourselves from the inside out, we will then bring glory to our Father. Both of the verses in Philippians and 2 Corinthians mention the word glory. In fact, 2 Corinthians says that we will reflect the Lord’s glory through our transformation! I would like you to recall two different stories in the Bible where the glory of the Lord was reflected upon Moses and Jesus. Moses spent forty days with God as the Lord gave him the Ten Commandments. When he came back to the Israelites, they could not even look at him because Moses reflected the glory of the Lord so brightly. (See Exodus 34:29) Now think about the Transfiguration of Jesus, He reflected God’s glory as he “shone like the sun”(see Matthew 17:2). What is the common denominator with both of these examples of reflecting God’s glory? Both Moses and Jesus had just spent extensive and intense time with the Lord, so much so that they reflected God’s light so brightly that those around them could barely look at their face! We too can reflect the Lord’s glory by simply spending regular time with God in prayer and meditation of His word. God truly wants us to be His light to the world He created. We can only reflect His light and character by coming to know Him and who He is. Start with just spending a few minutes in Bible study every day, you will soon find that you crave His presence more and more as you come to a closer relationship with Him. Before you know it, you will “shine like stars in the universe” (Phil. 2:15) and be the hope and light in this lost world.

Living a Biblical worldview is not an easy task. It is difficult to be transformed and different from the world. But, remember that our purpose as children of God is to love, serve and glorify Him. It is only through living out the kingship of Jesus that we can truly find fulfillment of our purpose as we set out to glorify our King. Let’s find our true joy by being transformed inwardly and outwardly not by the things of the world, but by the Word of God and the power of Jesus Christ.