JESUS TRANSFORMS US
A major complaint some people have about the Bible is that they don’t understand it. When we don’t understand something, we can’t apply it to our lives, and it therefore doesn’t benefit us. Reading God’s Word through the Old-Testament lens of the Law of Moses gives us an outdated interpretation that is no longer valid, and has no power to change us. However, reading it through the New-Testament lens of grace gives us a new perspective.
One example of this is Holy Communion, which is best interpreted through the finished works of Jesus. This celebrates Jesus’ work on the cross but, if we’re not careful, we can misinterpret the Scriptures on communion. Paul wrote that whoever partakes of communion unworthily is guilty of Jesus’ body and blood, and eats and drinks damnation to himself. A law-based interpretation makes us sin-conscious and tells us we’re unworthy to take communion if we’ve ever sinned; a grace-based interpretation reveals that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
The realization that Jesus has forgiven us for our past has a way of getting down into us to begin transforming us into better people. This is because guilt and self-condemnation have lost their power to keep us rooted in the same spot in life. Jesus creates clean hearts in us, and renews a right spirit in us. We learn the proper perspective when we let the Holy Spirit guide us and shed the love of God in our hearts, as we study the Scriptures.
God is found in His Word; we can’t help but be changed into His image as we behold Him through His Word. When the disciples saw Jesus in all His glory on top of the mountain, something inside them changed. Catching a glimpse of Jesus is bound to change us, as well.
Prayer:
God, we can’t possibly change ourselves. Thankfully, Your Word changes us when we read and study it according to the favor You have toward us. Thank You for the transforming power of Your Son. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 11:27-29
Hebrews 10:12
Psalm 51:10
Romans 5:5
2 Corinthians 3:18
Matthew 17:1, 2
Luke 9:28, 29
For more on how Jesus Christ transforms us, click on the link for the two-message series,
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