We live in a world with a conscious and/or unconscious “television mentality.” The sensual images we see on so-called “reality television” are of “beautiful, sexy people” who are sex-crazed using acting and drama to titillate the “couch potatoes” who seem to have an insatiable appetite for being entertained.
In contrast to this kind of indulgence, Paul in Romans 8:29 calls us to Christlikeness: “God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son (KJV: “conformed to the image”), so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” [See Christ’s prayer in John 17:23!]
Romans 12:1,2 invites and challenges us today: “Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” [See Hebrews 6:1 – KJV “perfection” & NLT2 “maturity.”]
The iLumina LAB CD-Rom Study Bible resource says: “Christians are followers of Jesus Christ. To be a follower of someone is to pattern your life after him or her. Christ is the ultimate example of how to live a life that is pleasing to God.
“If we pattern our lives after Him, we will please God. Not only that, we will find ourselves accepted into His eternal kingdom.”
[Question: Is it not the stated (or assumed) goal of a vast majority of our contemporaries that someday, (Caution: we do not want to be known as a “radical religious nut” and live like Christ here!), --- but someday, somehow we all want to make it to that better place called “heaven”?
Matthew 7:13,14 warns, in the words of a southern spiritual, that ‘everybody talks about heaven ain’t a-goin’ there!’ The truth according to God’s Word is they should NOT even expect or hope “to walk all over God’s heaven!”
Think about this fact: If a person who avoided, ignored, or even detested being in Church or be in a Bible Study and Prayer group of friends on here on earth with “the saints that we know” --- would it not follow that “HEAVEN” would be more like “HELL” to them?
Our study question today is: “What is TRANSPARENT CHRIST-LIKENESS LIKE? What does Christ Himself say? What to the other texts of Scripture say?ILumina: “To be like Christ is our goal. We want to think His thoughts, show His attitudes, live as He would live here on earth today. It is an awesome goal, and since we are not perfect, that goal seems unattainable.
“The key is that we are not Christ, but can only hope to be like Him. While we cannot achieve perfection, Christ Himself does promise to give us the power for living effectively for Him.”
The truth is that He lovingly invites us to: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, (NKJV: “Learn of Me.) because I am humble and gentle at heart,… 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”.”
“HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY EVEN TRY TO LIVE LIKE CHRIST?
Romans 8:9 ~ “You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.)”iLumina: “By ourselves we cannot hope to live like Christ, for we are not capable of it. But controlled by the Spirit of Christ in us, we can!”
HOW THEN DO WE CULTIVATE THE CHRISTLIKE SPIRIT WITHIN US?
2 Corinthians 3:18 ~ “All of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – Who is the Spirit --- makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.”
IF WE CLAIM TO BE CHRISTIANS, WE MUST BE DEVELOPING A CHRISTLIKE SPIRIT
1 John 2:3 & 6 ~ “We can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. …belong to him? By obeying his commandments. …. “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
WHAT IS MEANT BY CHRISTLIKENESS?
Luke 9:23 . . . “He said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways (or “put aside your selfish ambition”), take up your cross daily, and follow Me.’”· Christlikeness involves selflessly following Christ.
Luke 6:36 ~ “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” [See Beatitude V]
· A compassionate lifestyle is a sign of Christlikeness.
1 Peter 2:21-23 ~ Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. “God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when He was insulted nor threaten revenge when He was insulted.” ( When He suffered, He did not threaten to get even.) He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
· Christlikeness is following in Christ’s footsteps. As we follow our Lord, we attract others to follow him also.
John 13:14-15 ~ “Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
· A life of humble service is a necessary part of Christlikeness.
[See Matthew 20:26,27 ~ “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”]
“HOW DO I BECOME LIKE CHRIST?”
2 Corinthians 3:18 ~ “All of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect [mirror] the glory of the Lord. And the Lord -- Who is the Spirit – makes us more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.”Philippians 1:6 ~ “I am certain that God, Who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Ephesians 4:14-16 ~ “We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, Who is the head of His body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing.”
iLumina: “We become more like Christ by carefully studying how he lived and loved. Then we invite him to work his powerful love through us.”
HOW CAN I SHOW CHRISTLIKENESS TO MY ENEMIES?
Luke 6:32-33 ~ “If you love only those who love you, why should get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? [Is that so wonderful?] Even sinners do that much!”Ilumina: “We show them Christ by treating them with Christ’s love.”
Matthew 5:44, 45, 48 ~ “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you In that way you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. … 48You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.!” (See Matthew 5:10-12; Luke 6:28)
Galatians 5:22-23 ~ When our lives are indwelled and controlled by the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
2 Peter 1:6-7 NLT96 ~ “Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love [brotherly affection] for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.”
iLumina: “When Christ lives in us and through us, we can show Christlikeness to others. Actually, we can’t do it --- Christ does.”
HOW CAN MY CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER AFFECT MY HOME?
1 Corinthians 7:14 ~ “The Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.” [NLT96: “They have a godly influence, … now they are set apart for Him.”]1 Peter 3:1-2 ~ “In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.” [NLT96: “…watching your pure, godly behavior.”]
iLumina: “How you model your faith in Christ will have an incredible influence upon your children, as well as future generations.”
PROMISE FROM GOD
Galatians 2:20 ~ “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”