Spiritually this earth is a dark planet. There is “the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.” Every child is born into this world spiritually blind and under the influence of the kingdom of darkness. Every man’s neck is, spiritually speaking, under the jackboot of the prince of the power of the air. We are all born alienated from God and indeed His enemies at heart. We come into the world hopeless and doomed. This tragedy is not the will of God. Man brought it upon himself by deliberate choice as we all know.
However, God whose nature is love would not allow the dilemma to persist. The Council of the Godhead designed the plan of salvation for man even before the world was created. A member of the Trinity would step down from His throne, lose all His powers and privileges, become a servant, and by some unfathomable reconfiguration process, be fashioned, humiliated and drastically reduced into the form of a human being. As a human, He would humble Himself even among men, become totally obedient to God and even accept the most shameful and a most excruciatingly painful death to deliver man from blindness, darkness and bondage and liberate him into the light of God’s forgiveness and the hope of eternity.
Therefore, without controversy, great is the mystery of the godliness, the holiness and the reverence toward God by Jesus Christ. It is God who was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. The picture painted in this paraphrased scripture is that of a deity seeking His worshippers and even dying in their place! There is no parallel in any other religion that He who is worshipped should become the substitute and a lamb of sacrifice for His worshippers. What kind of God would do that? What made Him do it? What can we learn from His conduct?
This Jesus is indeed the supreme example of godliness. He is the light of the world. Anyone who follows Him would not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. The life of Jesus is the light of men. He is the true Light that lights every man that comes into the world now. Moses brought the law which tended to paint the picture of God as a harsh and tasking person, but grace and truth came through Jesus and He revealed the true nature of God as the Father who greatly loves and accepts His children.
Jesus has become the standard. “For whom He did foreknow, He did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Freedom to do what is right and to live a holy life has now come for those who follow this Jesus. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. Therefore, the righteousness which the law demands can now be fulfilled in our lives through the Spirit of Jesus. If anyone does not have the
Spirit of Jesus, he does not belong to Him. It is this Spirit that quickens our mortal bodies to do the will of God. Those who are led by this Spirit are the true sons of God. They also will become the heirs of all that God has because of conforming to the image of Jesus and suffering with Him that we may be glorified together.
“But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” For the purpose of transforming us into the image of Jesus, God “gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; Till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head even Christ, From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Plainly God put apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors in the church to teach Jesus and bring every member of the Church to the same level of perfection and maturity as Jesus.
That is why Paul also said, “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Earlier in the same book he had said, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him…”
Note the key phrases, “looking unto Jesus,” “consider Him,” “consider the Apostle and High Priest.” Why? What qualifies Him to be set up as the standard for all men? His heart. His heart because this Jesus is the repository of all wisdom and knowledge. His heart because in Him you will find perfect love, overwhelming joy, supernatural peace, measureless longsuffering, original gentleness, unquantifiable goodness, everlasting faithfulness, the most disarming meekness and the most amazing self control.
No one goes wrong who patterns his life after Jesus. That is why He will be the object of our spiritual quest this year.
-ISAAC OKPANACHI