Don’t be so hard on the young man,” I (Josh) said as I pulled my colleague over to one side. “You need to extend a little grace to Don.”
Don, my new assistant, came from a difficult family background and had some issues to deal with. And, I admitted, those issues were playing out in his lackluster performance. But my colleague thought that was no excuse for Don to be “mouthing off” to him and shooting hoops instead of packing up for my next trip.
“Do you know who Don reminds me of?” I asked my colleague.
“No, who?” he responded.
“Don reminds me of me at that age. I had a tough childhood, and even though I was a Christian there were some unhealthy patterns that stayed with me a while.” My friend began nodding in agreement. “I needed some mature people around me,” I continued, “to extend grace and help me correct some of those unhealthy patterns. That’s what Don needs too.”
Even though God imparts his new nature to us, it requires a process to live it out. And we need others around us to administer grace sometimes to help us in the process of correcting our unhealthy patterns—or you might say, help us unravel our grave clothes.
The man approached the grave of his dead friend. He had missed the funeral that was conducted four days prior. The body was actually entombed in a cave with a massive stone rolled across its entrance.
“Roll the stone aside,” the man commanded to those with him. He then raised his head toward heaven, said a prayer, and shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” At that moment his dead friend came to life, raised at the call of Jesus of Nazareth.
Lazarus had been wrapped in a linen burial shroud soaked in spices to help preserve his corpse. With the spices now dried, the linen was hardened. At Jesus’ word, new life went right through the hardened grave clothes and into the body, and Lazarus hobbled out of the tomb wrapped like a mummy.
Outside the tomb, Lazarus no longer needed his grave clothes. They were definitely an impediment to a body that was now alive. So Jesus told Lazarus’ family and friends, “Unwrap him and let him go!” (John 11:44). With the help of his friends and family, Lazarus was unwrapped and set free to experience a brand-new life.
Notice that the grave clothes did not fall off Lazarus the moment Jesus called out to him. There was a process involved in getting him unwrapped after he had come to life again. When we become Christians, Christ gives us new life. It is as if he calls to us, “Come out! Come out of your old, dead existence. Come out and enjoy the new life I have given you.” Christ is the initiator of the new life. And it is his power that activates the transformation process of becoming more and more like him. “You have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds,” Paul says. “In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature.” But notice how Paul refers to the process when he concludes that your brand-new nature “is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you” (Colossians 3:9-10).
Like Lazarus, we emerge from the tomb of our past shrouded in grave clothes. We may be bound by the negative influences of our family of origin, our old friends, and the old life we used to live. Christ’s invitation to new life penetrates the grave clothes—the things that bind us—and new life begins. But we may still be hobbled by the wrappings. We may instantly be alive with Christ’s nature within us, but it takes a process of time and spiritual growth for that nature to be lived out to maturity. Paul talked about being built up so “we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ…becoming more and more in every way like Christ” (Ephesians 4:13,15).
Jesus could have chosen to have Lazarus burst out of his grave clothes in a display of power. But he didn’t. He chose to involve the people in Lazarus’ life. It was as if Jesus said to Lazarus’ friends and family, “You unwrap him! You be part of the process of releasing him from the grave clothes! You help him in the transformation process!” Jesus does the same with us. He continues the process of transformation by bringing others into our lives who love us enough to extend grace to us, teach us, and mentor us in the process of becoming more and more like him.
Paul said, “I’m sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again” (Philippians 1:6). The work has begun in us, but it must be continued day in and day out as God’s nature is unleashed through our attitudes and actions. Peter said, “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3).
Living a Christlike life is about discovering the new person we already are in relationship with Christ and acting accordingly.
There is a very important principle here about the transformation process of becoming more and more like Christ. As new followers of Christ we do live differently from our old lives. But the doing isn’t what continually transforms us. It is living in relationship with Christ and his nature, which is being imparted and empowered by the Holy Spirit, that continually transforms us. So the process isn’t so much in learning to do all the right things perfectly as it is learning who Christ is and acting according to our new nature.
The transformation process isn’t about becoming a new person by just doing right; we are to discover the new person we have become in Christ and act accordingly. There is a very important distinction.
A lot of new Christians are urged to start immediately doing things in order to activate the process of becoming like Christ. Well-meaning mentors challenge new converts to study the Bible, memorize verses, attend church as often as possible, witness to others, and replace old, sinful habits with patterns of godly living. These are all important things to do in order to be rooted in the faith. In fact, we can’t actually discover who Christ is and the power of God’s truth without prayer and the study of God’s Word. But we must realize that spiritual or studious activity isn’t what continually transforms us.
Living a Christlike life is about discovering the new person we already are in relationship with Christ and acting accordingly. It’s about interacting with and relating to Christ so the grace and power of God’s Spirit is appropriated within us. Studying the Bible, attending church, and sharing our faith do not cause God to regard us as more redeemed, justified, sanctified, or adopted more as his child. He already sees us in these ways because they define who we really are. So we don’t do our way into becoming God’s adopted children; we don’t do things to cause his divine nature to dwell within us. We are not changed from the outside in; we are changed from the inside out. As we live in relationship with Christ, we can start behaving according to our new nature and do those things that God’s children do—act like Christ.
I (Josh) have a good friend who became a Christian in his early twenties. Well-meaning Christian leaders got him involved in personal Bible study right away to help him start growing in his faith. They loaded him down with materials that challenged him to scrutinize portions of Scripture in order to discover promises to claim, sins to avoid, and commands to obey. It was a very thorough study project, and he dived into it wholeheartedly, spending hours and hours each week digging through the Bible to see what he had to do.
But after only a few weeks he told me he was worn out. He was so busy digging out verses in order to “grow” that he had missed the whole point of his exercise. So he changed his focus. He turned his attention to getting to know the God of the Bible personally, the God who had so marvelously saved him. His pursuit led him back into the Word, but his motivation was completely different. Instead of diving into its pages to become someone, he scoured the Word to find the heart of the One who had made him someone and sought a deeper relationship with him.
Today my friend is one of the most knowledgeable men of the Word I know. More importantly, he is more intimately in touch with the God of the Word than most Christian leaders. He learned early that living like Christ is primarily a matter of getting to know Jesus better because “his divine power has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3). We should read, memorize, and meditate on the Bible primarily to get in touch with God’s heart. The more we know God’s heart, the more we know who we are in him, which will naturally result in acting like him.
The truest statements about your transformed relationship with God are what God says about you in his Word. The Bible is where God opens his heart about who you are and how he sees you. If what you think or feel about yourself does not line up with how the Bible describes you, you are making yourself the victim of a case of mistaken identity.
It has been said that our self-concept is largely determined by what we believe the most important person in our lives thinks about us. If my (Josh’s) wife tells me I’m a loving husband, I’ll tend to believe her, because she is the most important woman in my life. And if she thinks that about me, I believe her. If my (Sean’s) father tells me I’m a caring son, I’ll tend to believe him, because he is the most important man in my life.
So when God tells you there are certain things about you that are true, what should you do? If he is the most important person in your life, then your self-concept—how you think and feel about yourself—will conform to his view. The ongoing change of your life in Christ is inextricably linked to how confidently you believe the truth of what God says about you.
Thirty-four-year-old Scott became a Christian in college, but he has lived under a dark cloud of guilt over his past sins ever since. As a teenager, Scott was involved in sexual immorality. After he trusted Christ, he changed his lifestyle because he knew immorality was wrong according to Scripture. But Scott could not escape the sense that God still condemned him for his past sin. He felt like a second-class Christian; he felt that God would never trust him with an important ministry because of his teenage promiscuity. As a result he felt defeated most of the time.
Scripture declares that “now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Who has the accurate picture of Scott’s true identity: Scott, who sees himself as condemned and of little value? Or God, who has forgiven Scott for his sin and no longer condemns him? God, of course! We see God’s heart concerning Scott’s sin in Romans 8:1. Scott is forgiven, cleansed. Scott’s inaccurate sense of himself began to change only as he believed the truth of what God said of him in that scripture passage.
Apart from the Word of God, we will have great difficulty understanding how God sees us. It is like the man who had a friend who loved jigsaw puzzles. When the friend’s birthday came around, the man bought two large puzzles as gifts. But as a joke, he switched the box tops on the two puzzles. The fellow who received the gift became totally frustrated as he tried to put the first puzzle together. Using the picture on the box top as a guide, he could not make any sense of the pieces inside. He found the second puzzle just as difficult, until his friend revealed the prank.
We experience similar frustration in understanding our position in Christ when we look at the wrong “box top.” If you regard your feelings, judgments, and personal experiences as the criteria for determining who we are, you will struggle to put together your true identity in Christ. Our picture to go by is the Word of God. The more you are in tune with God’s picture, the easier the pieces of your life will fit together to resemble that picture.
There are certain things that are true of you from the moment you trust Christ as Savior and Lord. The first two chapters of Ephesians provide a concentrated look at your attributes as a new creation in Christ. Below we have listed the many benefits of transformation that describe your position in Christ. Remember, these statements from God’s Word are already true of you because you are in Christ. They are part of your basic identity apart from how you might perform from time to time. This list shows how the most important person in your life sees you. The list is written in the first person so that you can read the blessings as your own. We suggest that you reread this list from Ephesians often to help you see yourself clearly as God sees you.
• I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3).
• I was chosen before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in God’s sight (1:4).
• I was chosen to be adopted as his child through Christ (1:5).
• I have redemption through his blood (1:7).
• I am forgiven (1:7).
• I have received an eternal inheritance from God (1:11).
• I am identified as God’s own by receiving the Holy Spirit (1:13).
Because of your position in Christ, great things are true of you. Paul understood that Christians’ lives would be stronger, brighter, more effective, and more joyful if they would accept and internalize the truth about ourselves in Christ. He therefore prayed that “your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him” (Ephesians 1:18-19). God really does want you to see yourself as he sees you.
Paul goes on to describe Christ’s resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father (see Ephesians 1:20-23). He adds that you were raised with Christ and seated with him next to the Father (see Ephesians 2:6). Then in chapter 2 he continues with more descriptions of the believer as seen from God’s perspective. Again, we have paraphrased these statements in the first person.
• I am alive in Christ (2:5).
• I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (2:6).
• I am an example of God’s grace (2:7).
• I am saved by his grace (2:8).
• I am God’s masterpiece (2:10).
• I belong to Christ (2:13).
• I have direct access to God through the Spirit (2:18).
In addition to this concentrated dose in Ephesians 1 and 2, God’s Word abounds with many other descriptions of how God sees you. Here is a broader list of statements drawn in part from Neil Anderson’s book Victory Over the Darkness that reflect your transformed life in Christ. Read these statements aloud to yourself as often as possible. Meditate on these truths during the week so that God can use them to shed the spotlight on who you really are in him.1
• I have peace with God (Romans 5:1).
• I am a child of God (John 1:12).
• I am indwelled by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).
• I have access to God’s wisdom (James 1:5).
• I am helped by God (Hebrews 4:16).
• I am reconciled to God (Romans 5:11).
• I am not condemned by God (Romans 8:1).
• I am justified (Romans 5:1).
• I have Christ’s righteousness (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• I am his ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20).
• I am completely forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
• I am tenderly loved by God (Jeremiah 31:3).
• I am the sweet fragrance of Christ to God (2 Corinthians 2:15).
• I am a temple in which God dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16).
• I am blameless and beyond reproach (Colossians 1:22).
• I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).
• I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
• I am a branch on Christ’s vine (John 15:1,5).
• I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
• I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit (John 15:16).
• I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing his inheritance with him (Romans 8:17).
• I am united to the Lord, one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17).
• I am a member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27).
• I am a saint (Ephesians 1:1).
• I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
• I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12).
• I am a child of the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
• I am a holy partaker of God’s heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1).
• I am sanctified (Hebrews 2:11).
• I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).
• I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9-10).
• I am firmly rooted and built up in Christ (Colossians 2:7).
• I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18).
• I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
• I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence (Ephesians 3:12).
• I have been rescued from Satan’s domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13).
• I have been made complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10).
• I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).
• I have been given great and precious promises by God (2 Peter 1:4).
• My needs are met by God (Philippians 4:19).
Can you see more clearly from this list what it means to be a new creation in Christ? One of the keys to your transformed relationship with God is to acknowledge that something very good happened to you when you trusted Christ. In Paul’s words, you have “clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you” (Colossians 3:10).
You are not primarily what your parents, spouse, or friends say you are, even though many of them may be Christians. You are not what your negative emotions or condemned feelings may say you are. And you are certainly not what the godless culture says you are. You are who God says you are—nothing more, nothing less. The more you review, recite, and internalize the verbal picture God paints of you in Scripture, the better positioned you are to grow like that picture.2