Jesus Christ Himself said, ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life’ (John 5.24).
The verb tenses in the verse quoted above are significant. We already have eternal life; we have already crossed over into life. Eternal life is not a future thing we hope we might enter – it is a present thing we have entered – hallelujah! When we trust in Christ, however faltering our words; we have eternal life.
No wonder the apostle Paul is very bold. Based on the truth that we already have eternal life, he announces that we are already saints, ready for heaven. We are already seated ”in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.6).
Now we must become what we already are!
Paul makes three outrageous statements (2 Cor 3.18):
- we all reflect the Lord’s glory;
- we are being transformed into His likeness;
- with ever-increasing glory.
Hymn writers have tried to communicate these mind-blowing statements. Two well-known examples:
Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in Heav’n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise. (Charles Wesley)
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me (Graham Kendrick)
Our call to become what we already are means we seek to live the way of life in Christ Jesus, applying His life and example, working out the principles of the New Testament in the context in which God has placed us. As someone put it, this is our ‘eternal journey of exploration and wonder.’
Our goal is likeness to Christ – ‘to be conformed to the likeness of His Son’ (Rom 8.29). The guarantee is that the goal will be achieved.