The Image of Christ

Over the last couple of years, God has been directing me in odd directions. Strange concepts fill my dreams at night; they wake me up and send me to my laptop to write what I am trying to decipher. Writing has become somewhat of a communication with God for me, because as my thoughts pour into word, He deepens my insight into who He is. And these insights cause me to reflect on who I am; or who I am supposed to be.

Lately, God has specifically been directing my thoughts and prayers to what it really means to be transformed into His image. And through prayer, I meditate on the imperfections in my life. I began asking God to change those things which are against His will or opposite of what He created me to be. But rather than hearing, “Well, Jake I need you to do this, that and the other thing. Be this way. Be that way.” I began to simply hear, “Be transformed into the image of my Son.” And that’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I began to pursue this and it caused me to contemplate what this really means in my life. To be transformed into the image of Christ.

The word Sanctification, is just a big word for the continuous process of making ourselves holy, or setting ourselves apart. Distinguishing ourselves as a follower of Christ and dedicating our efforts to be more like Him. As we grow in Christ, we are continuously being transformed into His likeness. Becoming more and more like Him. It’s a process that we live our lives by, that begins with salvation and carries on until we are finally glorified; which is just the end result, or reaching the finish line after this life. In many ways, this process is a restoration back to what was intended in the first place, before the fall of man. And to find out more of what the image of Christ is, I actually found myself going back to the book of Genesis, and looking at what man was created for in the first place.

Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us make man in our image AND likeness”, and in the next verse (27), God goes on to say “in the IMAGE of God He made him.” For some reason, He is silent on “likeness”. Why is this? Well, what I think is going on here is a description of the progression of creation. See, in the first creation, man received the honor and privilege of being made in God's image, but the likeness of God is something that is ongoing, and finally completed when we leave this world. That’s what sanctification is all about.

I see myself living this out in a very practical way; by following the example of Christ. Imitating God, so to speak. And that draws into the even deeper concept of living our lives as Christians and realizing our identity as children of God. The Bible talks about followers of Christ being "transformed". Most significantly, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

As we become more like Christ, a restoration begins to take place in creation. We begin to be transformed back to what we were originally created to be in the first place. We see this in Colossians 3:10, where Paul talks about putting on the “new self” “which is being renewed in the knowledge in the image of its Creator.” And Ephesians 4:22-24, where Paul says that we are “made new” and to “put on the new self” “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

OK. This all sounds well and good, but I began to ask myself, "Do I really believe that this is true? And if I do, why do I not live as a “new creation” on a regular basis. Why do I walk out of the door on Sunday mornings, and live as the “old creation” when I get home?" If I am in fact, a “new creation”, then my life needs to emmulate a life that is lived in constant awareness of this basic principle. Am I conscious of this every waking moment? Am I transformed even to the point of how I physically see the world? Am I looking at life through the eyes of Christ, or am I looking through the eyes of who I once was?

As we find ourselves being transformed in Christ's image, it’s almost as if we are putting on "Christ" glasses that distort all that we see, but in a way that brings clarity, not a blurred reality. You see, when we refuse to allow ourselves to be transformed, we are essentially giving our will over to sin, and that is the exact antithesis of the Christ's image. And this is the essence of the fall of man, and the beginning of man's skewed and distorted image. We lost the image of God that He intended us to have.

In the early days of Christianity, followers of Christ were called Christians as a derogatory term. It meant “little Christ”. I can imagine the Greek philosophers calling out, “Hey look! There's another one of those “little Christs”. But when you think about it, what a great derogatory term. If only I could be called a "little Christ" more often! But could I be accused of that on a daily basis? Am I walking with God in such a way, that I am intertwined with Christ’s image and it spews over into my life? Am I a "little Christ"?

Digital History

I finally went digital, kicking and screaming, about 2 years ago. See, when I was in high school, I was really into black and white photography. To me, there was nothing better than spending an entire day shooting a role of film, entering the dark room that evening, and watching the images of my mind being transformed to print. It was a rush that I still think about from time to time. And when I do, I find myself feeling very nostalgic. I think back to what it was like when I was growing up and all the memories I keep in one of those "LIFE" files. We all have them, don't we? A thought pops into our mind, we smell something that flips a switch and we are transported to a time that seems so distant, but more familiar than much of reality. And it makes me meditate on who I am today and how God has used my history to carve out the man that sits here and writes blogs.

Much like our Creator, history is an entity that doesn't exist in time and space. We harness it through the mystery of the mind and the miracle of memory. And when you think about it, our memory function is really an incredible gift from God. We can restrain it, we can repress it, we can embellish it or we can allow it to run wild. We mold it. Carve it. And we cherish it. But the fact of the matter is that history is what it is. It remains constant despite our manipulation. History is what it is, and one thing that remains constant about history is that it is imperfect.

Open a photo album before the advent of digital photography. Let your mind go back as you look over the images. You'll find that much of what you see is a vast array of imperfection. Great memories and nostalgia that runs deep, but flawed and irregular. Look closely at the pictures. Look at the faces. Someone's eyes are closed. Your little brother has his tongue sticking out. Someone is not looking at the camera, not smiling or is scratching something that should not be caught on film! And hey, isn't the classic "red eye" hilarious sometimes?

But these imperfections are part of the canvass that is our life. Yes, God has created us in His image and likeness, and His image should be perfection, but unfortunately that image is flawed by the sin that is in our lives. Just read through the first few chapters of Genesis. We do our best to perfect life, but what is left is still the imperfect. We can label that memory file "PERFECT LIFE", but in reality it is still just "LIFE". A digital camera can help us eliminate the little flaws in our memories, but it doesn't eliminate the imperfections. And those imperfections create an elaborate, deep and warm canvass of history, and are who we are.

I lost my camera early this week, but found it this morning, and for some reason, I feel like taking a lot of pictures. I hope that you'll do the same this weekend, and don't be so quick to hit the delete button. Don't be so quick to backup only the pictures that are "perfect", because for that matter, what is "perfect"? Take pictures! Make memories! Fill up the memory card! But keep ALL of them and build a rich history; imperfections and all.

Flux (Part II)

In an instant, you move from the "valleys" of life, to the "hilltops". Tragedy turns to joy and you finally see the hilltop is just up ahead. You've been clawing your way up for some time now. You take a deep breath, take a few more steps, pull yourself up to the next foothold, and briefly consider resting for a while. No way! The excitement of finally being out of the "valley" causes you to accelerate your ascension. You're almost there! You press on, and although your arms ache, your legs quiver as they lose strength, and your fingers bleed from the climb, you finally reach your destination! A sudden rush of adrenaline surges through your exhausted body as you feel release. Like an animal that has just broken free form a confining and painful trap. You made it! The view is great, isn't it? You take a deep breath and take it all in. You're not only finally out of the "valley", but you've reached the peak. This is what it's all about, right? But now what?

"This time, my life is going to change for good! Through this difficult time, I've learned what I need to keep myself on track!" But a few days pass and as usual, life continues to happen around us. We find ourselves moving just a little closer to the edge of the "hilltop". After all, we're too smart to allow ourselves to make the same mistakes as we did before, right? We hop down a few levels, just to see what's going on down there. We explore a bit more than we should, because we're stronger now, right? We've learned ALL we need to know. But soon, complacency gives birth to stupidity and before we know it, we are heading full speed, on our way down to the next "valley" that awaits us; fueled by complacency. Drawn by the excitement of the descent, we make our way down, knowing full well what follows. We become disillusioned.

I've found that the ancient Israelites get a bad rap. Seeing the big picture before us, we see a nation that was chosen by God and continuously blessed by God. Even today, it's easy to see God's hand upon His chosen people. But, all you have to do is read through Isaiah 1:1-31, and you can clearly see how they seemed to have had a habit of discounting the "hilltops" of their lives. They became complacent, discount God's favor and complain until they find themselves heading downhill, inevitably toward the next "valley". But are we no different than them? Each time Israel followed God and cherished their relationship with Him, they thrived! Blessing upon blessing was poured out on them! They succeeded financially, socially, culturally, militarily and of course, spiritually. But what they soon did is not much different than what we do as followers of Christ. We settle into that comfy chair and continue to find more ways to justify mediocrity. After all, it's comfortable, isn't it? The predictability of life becomes something we can count on, and in a world that is increasingly unstable, we begin to rely on spiritual stability. We begin to live in a lull of life, and create an invulnerable persona of ourselves. Sound familiar?

Hence, the danger of complacency. As C.S. Lewis wrote, "God whispers to us in our pleasures", possibly because we should have our ears wide open! But the descent calls to us, and we rush down the slope in a state of spiritual amnesia. Our defenses are broken down and the flux of life continues.

The Dream Has Been Realized

I'm going to deviate from deep theological thought for this entry. Under the circumstances of today, I think the applications to Christianity speak for themselves. This morning, my mind instantly thought of Galatians 3:26-29, which I would encourage you to read, and I think you'll see how the peices come together.

Needless to say, today we are witnessing a very pivotal moment in American history. The events of today will soon be logged in the files of our memories as a "do you remember when..." moment that grandchildren will ask us about. This is one of those defining moments that continues to carve the United States into the country it is growing to become. After all, we are relatively young in terms of the rest of the world. We are still growing into the clothes that were carefully picked out for us over 200 years ago. When many said, "Those pants are too long! Look at that shirt! It's way too big! Those shoes will never stay on!", brave people with incredible vision simple smiled and replied, "Oh, we'll grow into 'em! Just wait!"

With the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President of the United States, I have to admit that the pants are starting to fit much better. The shirt is starting to feel a little more comfortable, and the shoes are not slipping off so easily. Our country is growing. Our country is developing. Our country is becoming what it was intended to be. Unfortunately, many disagree. Many see this day as a failure in American politics and culture. Many see this inauguration day as the beginning of a downward slide into socialism and national weakness. I don't know about all that, but I'm choosing to have a different take on today's events. Basically, I'm choosing to look at this for what it means to me, rather than what it means to our country, because it transcends politics.

Despite my political views, I am choosing to rejoice in this day. Despite who I may have wanted to become the 44th President, I am choosing to enjoy the fact that we have done pretty well as a growing country. I'm looking back and reflecting on a country that has made some big mistakes in the past and has come a long way in a very short period of time. Within many of our lifetimes, the thought of this nation electing a black president was remote, or a dream at best. And just celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King, it caused me to reflect on what his dream really was.

Many people are saying that today the dream has finally been realized, but I have to disagree. I disagree because I do not think this is what Martin Luther King Jr. had in mind when he shared his dream with this country. You see, I believe that the dream was already realized before anyone even knew who Barack Obama was. I believe that the dream has been realized in much smaller things that we take for granted. For me, the dream has been realized in the fact that my two sons see no difference in other children, regardless of color of their skin. I see the dream as being realized in sitting next to a black man on Metro rail and talking about our shared faith in Christ. I see the dream being realized by my son telling me how angry racism makes him.

Barack Obama's election as President of the United States does not make the dream realized. He is President because the dream has been realized. I imagine what Martin Luther King Jr.'s reaction would be to today's inauguration. I imagine that he might disagree with some of Obama's policy, and I'm sure that Obama might disagree with him on a few points as well. But something rises above policy and politics. We just witnessed a black family move into the White House! Just a short 50 years ago that was an outlandish thought! Regardless of political views, that should make all of us very proud to be American. This is an amazing step for Americans, and whether you lean to the left or right, you can still celebrate the huge cultural shift that has just occurred. Quite simply, you should be excited in the fact that we are finally growing into our clothes.

Flux (Part I)

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12) Then why are we always so surprised? Why do we think some something is wrong with us? Why do we think our trials mean that we've done something wrong in our lives?

Life is interesting. Since the creation of time, humans have pondered their existence. Our journey through this world consists of changes in perspective that cause us both unexplainable joy and unbearable pain, but rarely does there seem to be any middle ground. Basically, it seems that life is a series of peaks and valleys, with the ascensions and descensions occurring rapidly as we frantically try and make it to the next season of life. In our pain, we cry out to God and beg Him to accelerate our time in the valley, and when we arrive at the peak of the mountain top, we always seem to find some reason to discount God's favor. And what happens? We miss out on two very vital points in life where God teaches us the most.

C.S. Lewis wrote that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains". Is this why we seem to learn the most as we walk through trials? When you think about it, pain, emotional, physical or spiritual, is the one element of life that demands our full attention. It doesn't matter what's occurring around us; when we are in deep pain, it seems to be the only focus of our existence. It's as if nothing can penetrate the barrier of pain, as we sit isolated from relief. I wonder if this is what Lewis meant? In these times, is God lifting His voice to the limit of human perception? Is His voice the only thing that cuts through the solitude of pain? If we are honest, we know that God is allowing us to feel pain in order to teach us something that has been drowned out by the other senses of our lives. Joy, peace, happiness, love, passion, excitement; they all can hinder us from hearing from God. Pain cancels out the noise and exposes our soul bare. But we avoid it. We pray for God to alleviate it. And in the process, we fail to learn what God intends us to learn.