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 (Rom. 8:29). God’s purpose in those whom He has called is for them to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Our constant quest in life is to become more and more like our Lord, to become a reflection and picture of the One whom we serve. "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:15). This we can do if we will let Christ reign in our hearts (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17). Of course, there are some things in which we cannot be like God — omniscient, omnipotent, etc. — but by looking to Jesus we can learn what it really means to add the attitude of godliness to our lives (2 Pet. 1:6).

Jesus Himself is the exact image of the Father (Col. 1:15). He was God manifested in the flesh (John 1:1, 14). If we want to know what God is like, we must look to Jesus as the "radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature" (Heb. 1:3). Jesus perfectly exhibits the nature of God because He is God (Phil. 2:6). This is why He could tell His disciples, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). The picture Jesus gives us of God is without flaw.

As we look at the perfection of Jesus in the Scriptures, we behold, as in a mirror "the glory of the Lord," and thus may be "transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18). The context of this passage speaks of Moses, who had been in the presence of God. His face reflected God’s glory so much that he had to wear a veil. In the analogy, when a person turns to the Lord, the veil, which lay over the hearts of hardened minds, is removed. This allows us to see the Lord in His glory; and gives us to the opportunity to become transformed into His image.

But to some, the gospel is still veiled because their minds are darkened (cf. Rom. 1:21; Eph. 4:17-19). They cannot see the glory of Christ or be transformed in their minds because the "god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:3-4). To me, this is an enlightening statement.

Satan does not want us to know what God is really like. If he can successfully keep a distorted picture in our minds about God, then he can keep us from being conformed to His image. We see this back in the garden, when he deliberately lied and slandered God’s severity: "You surely will not die!" (Gen. 3:4). This gave Adam and Eve a different picture of God; they accepted the lie and sinned. In failing to honor God, the Gentiles of former times "exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man" (Rom. 1:23). They became foolish and futile in their thinking because their concept of God was warped.

This may help shed some light on why there are so many false doctrines about Jesus. Since Jesus is the exact representation of God, if the picture of Jesus can be changed, then the picture one has of the image of God changes. And this makes it impossible to be conformed to His image. Paul expressed his fear of this to the Corinthians: "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). This deception would occur through their acceptance of the preaching of "another Jesus" whom the apostles did not preach (vs. 4).

We must never think that various doctrines that distort the true picture of Jesus are not very significant. They are doctrines that can destroy souls because they make it impossible for us to see God as He really is in the Scriptures. If one denies the Deity or the humanity of Jesus (i.e., God manifested in the flesh), then that one has changed the picture of the image God gives of Himself and puts gullible souls at risk.

However, if we can remove the veil from our hearts and look clearly into the word of God, we see the true picture of the One to whom we must conform. In doing this, we must lay aside the "old self" with its sinful practices to put on the "new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created" us (Col. 3:9-10). If we learn Christ properly (without distortion from false doctrines), then the old corrupted self can be put off (Eph. 4:20-22). Then one may be "renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Eph. 4:23-24).

By being conformed to the image of our Lord, not only will our lives here reflect such a transformation, but ultimately He 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" (Phil. 3:21). What a great thought! "Just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:49). Let’s understand that our purpose here is become more like Jesus every day.

Doy Moyer