2 Corinthians 3:18 “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.”
Once a person trusts in Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior, a process of transformation begins. The person’s soul is saved eternally, his or her sins are forgiven, and nothing can change that. However, from the point of salvation, a process of transformation starts to take place. The purpose of this study is to help the believer understand how he or she can give himself or herself to this process of transformation.
Before we look at this text in detail, take a moment to consider a few of the following questions. If you have time, it might be profitable to take a piece of paper and write down your answers and thoughts on these questions as they relate to 2 Corinthians 3:18.
What is the key activity in this text?
What is the key instrument in this work?
Who is the key person affecting this work in us?
1. What is the key activity in this text?
In order to understand the key activity in this text, you must discover the key phrase or kernel thought. In any text of the Bible, in order to do this, you need to first strip away all the extra “grammatical baggage.” In this verse, the key phrase becomes very clear – “But we all…are changed.”
The word “changed” in this text comes from a Greek word from which we derive our English word “metamorphosis.”
We can understand the idea behind this word by reflecting on what takes place in the insect world when a caterpillar enters its cocoon and is transformed into a butterfly. In the same way, once a person trusts in Jesus Christ as personal Savior, he or she begins to be transformed into an entirely new image with new desires, a different character, a changed heart, and a noticeably different conduct.
But, specifically, what are we being transformed into? Look again at the verse. We are being changed “into the same image,” referring to “the glory of the Lord.”
What an incredible thought? From the moment of your salvation, God has a purpose in your life. He is intent on you being transformed into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
2. What is the central instrument in your transformation?
The key instrument in this work of transformation is a little bit more difficult to “pick out” in this text. In order to understand the key instrument in our transformation, try to answer this question:
In this text, what are we “doing” that is working in us to transform us into the image of the Lord?
If you read the text again with that question in mind, you come up with this answer: by “with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord.”
There is some imagery in this phrase that we need to understand better. Consider the following explanations:
- What we are doing? We are clearly looking upon something.
- What are we looking upon? The glory of the Lord.
- How are we beholding the glory of the Lord? As in a mirror (the meaning of glass).
How is it that a believer can look upon the glory of the Lord? The answer to that question is clear, in the Word of God. That is exactly what we see in the verses surrounding our text, both before and after. The mirror through which we are beholding the glory of the Lord is the Word of God.
Here is the answer to our main question – the key instrument in the work of our transformation is the Word of God.
Before going to the next question, note the way in which this work occurs in our lives. The text states that our transformation into the image of Christ occurs progressively – “from glory to glory.” This is very important for each of us to understand. None of us has arrived. All of us need to continue to grow. And, it isn’t all going to happen at once.
How can we apply these truths to our lives? The believer needs to be committed to persevere in the work of his or her transformation by giving himself on a regular basis to the Word of God – both by private, daily meditation, reading, and memorization, and also by attending the public preaching of the Word at a Bible believing local church.
3. Who is the key person affecting this work in you?
It is critical for the believer to understand that while he or she is responsible for exposing him or herself to the Word of God and submitting to it, the central person who empowers the believer’s transformation into the image of Christ is the Spirit of God. Note the wording in the text, “even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In order to better understand how this works, consider Philippians 2:13 – “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” According to this verse, while we have full responsibility to submit and apply God’s Word to our hearts and lives, it is God Himself who works in us to give us the desire to do His will and the ability to do it. This work is done through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is why this work of transformation of the believer is called the “fruit of the Spirit” –
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Conclusion and Personal Application:
Thank you for taking time to study 2 Corinthians 3:18. We hope that you have been edified and encouraged in the Lord. As a believer in Jesus Christ, what is your relationship to the Word of God? As you submit to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will work in you and transform you more and more into the image of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Please take a moment to pray concerning the truths of this text, asking God to continue His work in you, thanking Him for His grace, and submitting to His Word. If you need to confess and forsake sin, we want to encourage you to do so right now.
I John 1:9, 2:1-2 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
As this study closes, please consider your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are not certain of your salvation in Christ, please review the Gospel page of this website by clicking here.
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Thank you.