The words transformed and conformed are often used in church circles to encourage the forming of a vision, a image or even a goal of becoming something more than we perceive we are. These words are by their own definition a process which is taking place, some sort of change. Its just that these all important spiritual alterations, according to God's standard, must not take place as a mere intellectual realization, a lifestyle change or an accomplishment, as many suppose they must. In other words conformity to Jesus Christ does not take place as a aspiration of our natural man. Something so much more is required to please Him.
The transformation/conformity process the bible speaks of must not become simply a accepted way in which we conduct ourselves. Or a emotional feeling based composure. Even with all good intent and godly sincerity. If so then by God's biblical standards, we are simply in the flesh of the first Adams nature. Or worse followers of the law. Never acceptable in the Fathers sight."For me the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free" Rom. 8:2
Really all the changes that are necessary for God's grace to flow and His perfect will for our acceptance as transformed ones are and have been completed in and by His Son. If that is true as our spiritual reality and we know it as our condition in mind [a awareness of positional truth as doctrine] then becoming a spiritual reality within us, there is nothing more we need do. If we just know this much, as a inner reality, then by exercising faith, that we are contained in His life, we have arrived at the place of conformity to Christ. The Holy Spirit is now free to form His life in us. By faith of this fact as true in our life we have entered the realization of the completed transformation which is all by grace. We have begun, by His Spirit, to perceive ourselves alive in Christ in our bodies here on earth. "God....has made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Eph. 2:4-6. This is your irrevocable status as a saint before God.
How then do we deal with the Word when it says, we will be conformed to His image? What does this mean? At church we hear we are being transformed? How is this process taking place? Does God want us to change our behavior on the earth? Are we to think in a new and certain way as to our condition, then apply what we learn to our performance, by a intellectual acquiescence. Does a mere declaration in a sincere enthusiastic manner count? Can we be taught to act on the outside what in reality we already are in the spirit of the inner man and in God's estimation in heaven, completed in His Son?
The very word "teaching" could indicate we are developing and are engaging a process to alter the self, so that we might perform in a prescribed manner. Take on a certain countenance. Much like the transformation that takes place in the military in turning a civilian into a solider with great conviction. By his proper attitude and action he shows his military bearing.
The truth is that every Christian is already in the eternal completed state of God's desire. However he must come to know this by the Holy Spirit, then he may manifest Christ. Yes even those who are true Christians in the degraded worldly churches. Along with those who with good intent are organizing, working and praying for their congregation or assembly to catch the vision of a recovered Church. All have the same finalized spiritual identity and position before the Father. That of the Son. "For you have died and your [new creation] life is hid with God" Col. 3:3. The question is can we actually be taught this truth and then apply it to ourselves as the normal Christian life; as one transformed or conformed to His image?
The Lord is in no way dependent upon any teaching or mentally realized condition we might arrive at for His return, or us knowing our place in Him. Nor does He need us to perform or meet a standard in a certain manner to enable Himself in our spirit. The Word has described all that is necessary for a saint to be used as His Body. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great precious promises: that you might be partakers of the divine nature" 2 Pet. 1:4. The Holy Spirit dwells in us to ever glorify Christ. All that we ever will be or can be is already accomplished entirely by Him in us and in glory by His Spirit. We only need to completely abandon our natural man to experience it. This truth is slow to arrive for most.
So He waits patiently for us to become aware of something before we may realize our transformation. To first discover something very important ! "Jesus Christ must become our entire life". How? By a simple daily reckoning of His very death as ours and nothing more. The old Adam is finished, dead! Thereby if we believe this, we may experience in the inner man a divine spiritual reality: Christ's life in us and in heaven as the perfect new second Adam Man and we in that very same place. He has become our identity, us as a new creation in Him. He is in truth our very and only true life, both in our mortal bodies and in heaven.
Thus we become the manifestation of Christ on earth. The transformation that already exists, taking place, applied each day by the faith of our objective position [finished work of Christ] in Him. We thereby become mentally/spiritually conformed, by becoming aware of a life wholly in Him. We need expend no self effort once we have this assurance as life. Grace will supply all that is necessary to continue. But how is this accomplished in a way we may rest in; a daily peaceful assurance of this life as our condition?
It is by the individual acquisition of a faithful recognition of our position of death on the Cross with Christ as a objective fact. We then may live in apprehension of this fact in a subjective or experiential life in Christ Jesus. Each saint alone in their room having come to an end daily of their self in the old Adam. Casting off the old Adam nature in favor of the new creation in Christ. Usually by experiencing great personal need to no longer be a self centered man, living alone in the old Adam personality which plagues us all.
Recognizing and acknowledging each day our own death with Christ Jesus on the cross. Seeing the total incompetence of the self. The utter disputation of any reliability on personal self effort to know God. At that moment of truths desire and discovery a baptism of Spirit takes place, the new man is formed. No teaching or training will accomplish this in and of itself.
The saint will have now begun to allow a door to open. The transforming by faith, of the already completed and transformed one in Christ, is now beginning. The newness of a understanding of the total conformation that has already taken place upon the cross and in our spirit and in heaven. All accomplished by the very person of Christ Himself. Nothing of ourselves in any way qualifies for this position. Our life is only Christ's life! We are entirely "hid in Christ" and if this is our faiths position, a transformed life then takes place upon the earth; a change has come.
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