2 Corinthians 3:15-18Amplified Bible
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be; world without end; Amen, Amen.
You may be familiar with the passage in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Galatia that compares and contrasts those characteristics of a worldly person and then lists for us the much more desirable characteristics of the fruits of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:19-23 Amplified Bible
19 Now the practices of the [a]sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control) , 20 [b]idolatry, [c]sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
In Galatians 5:22, the word “fruit” is translated from the Greek word karpos.
According to Mounces Complete Expository Dictionary, karpos refers to the natural product of a living thing.
Primarily used to describe the literal physical product of trees, vines, and crops, karpos is also used metaphorically to refer to the natural product of a spiritual being.
Paul used karpos to help us understand the natural product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer.
The fruit of the Spirit then is produced by the Spirit, not by the Christian.
Obviously, an individual cannot display the “fruit of the Spirit” unless the Spirit is present in that person’s life.
The Bible tells us that when a person places his or her faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, God provides and guarantees their salvation by placing His Spirit within them (Titus 3:4-7 and Ephesians 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit takes up residence or “indwells” every person who has a saving relationship with Jesus.
If we are Christian, we have the Holy Spirit living within us (Romans 8:9-11).
Yet, like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight.
Like a successful gardener must battle against weeds and disease to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to rid our lives of the “weeds” of our sinful natures that want to choke out the work of the Holy Spirit.
The great news is, the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject those sinful desires and yield our wills to what the Spirit wants in our lives.
We can say “no” to sin and accept the “way out” God faithfully provides (1 Corinthians 10:13) by following the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Then, as we yield ourselves, give the Holy Spirit more and more control of our lives, He begins to do in and through us what only He can do.
The Holy Spirit’s endgame – His primary goal – is to shape us and mature us and grow us to look more and more like Jesus with each passing moment of life.
From the moment of salvation until the end of our lives on this earth, the Holy Spirit works to transform our nature, character to reflect Christ’s love of life.
Since God’s goal for all His children is for us to be like Jesus (Romans 8:29), the Holy Spirit constantly works to move us toward repentance to rid our lives of those “acts of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:19-21), display His fruit instead.
Therefore, the presence and outward manifestation of the “fruits of the Spirit” is evidence our character is being transformed, becoming more like Christ’s.
Our renewal depends on the power and wisdom of God in the cross of Christ. But that brings up a deeper question: How many of us actually want to be renewed?
Apparently many Christians ask, “Why should I change?”
I’ll give you the simple answer of our text—because God is continually involved in a change project that is centered in you.
“We … are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
We should change—indeed, we should want to change, because the crucified and risen Lord is changing us.
That changes our view toward change, doesn’t it?
It should not be thought of as a chore, a grind, grim duty, a tedious obligation, an unnecessary expenditure of energy or a too heavy burden we must pick up.
No, change is a privilege, an opportunity, a joy. In a world that thinks we are all locked into an endless chain of cause and effect, this text gives us incredible good news. We are free to change in ways the world cannot begin to imagine.
The root word for “transformed” in our text is the Greek word metamorpho, also used to describe the forced work of change of a caterpillar to a butterfly.
By His grace, by the power of his crucifixion, the evidence of His empty tomb, and glorious resurrection, Jesus is transforming us into his beautiful likeness.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
My Dear Father God, Creator and transformer of my life,
Lord God, I thank you for your Spirit, for the Lord, and for the freedom I have in them. Thank you that I, with unveiled face, can look freely and intently on the glory of the Lord, and be changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another. Help me remember that such transformation comes, not by my inherent wisdom or efforts, but only from the Lord who is the Spirit. Make me like Jesus! Help me want to share in his sufferings so that I can also share in his glory and his resurrection life! In the name of my Savior Jesus and because it is his will, I make these requests. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be; world without end; Amen, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 