The Mirror Does Not Lie Pt. 2: The New Man & The Image We Bear

The infinite wisdom of God never ceases to amaze me. The Word of God declares that while we were sinners, actively immersed in the power of sin, the influence of sin and the nature of sin, Christ Died for us. Precious soul, have you ever wondered why you are worthy of such an offering? Such a gift as, Christ taking upon Himself the crude form of a servant, becoming obedient, even unto the death of the cross?

What an expensive price to pay, for individuals that vacillate between the vacuum of good and evil, darkness and light, a never ending cycle of wanting to be good, but, yet overwhelmed with the piercing effectiveness of evil. From the portals of glory the cry of eternity shouts, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: but I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Christ came to give us life, to take from us the garment that is spotted with the flesh of sickness, disease, debt, poverty, lack, frustration; the very stench of death, so that we might reign with Him in life, not in Heaven, but right here on Earth, sitting with HIM in heavenly places. How do you view yourself in the face of scripture? Do you see yourself as defeated? Do you have condemnation speaking in your ear about your spiritual identity?

Maybe you are content with accepting the earthly view of yourself as being only human, and in the sweet by and by, it will be all over. It may not seem significant to have answers to these and other pertinent questions, but it is very significant that we understand our identity in the face of God’s word, because to settle for anything less, will have us operating in defeat and unbelief. Remember, HE (The I Am That I Am) came to give us life and that moreover. Beloved, there is a challenge before us everyday of our lives when we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we can either believe that we are sons of God (children of the Day) or sons of men (children of the Night). We are ruled either by the “greater light” that rules the Day or the “lesser light” that rules the night; behold I show you a mystery. Just as Adam was the father of all mankind, Genesis introduces us to the concept of beginnings and there is something interesting of what we learn about Adam. The first Adam is of the earth earthy, while the last Adam (Christ) is from above, heavenly. The thing that I have come to understand, through my own experience, is that religion is still closely connected to the Adamic order of things, and settling for the promissory note, of one day some day, and relinquishing the transforming power of God to change us into the image of HIS dear Son.

In this writing I want to persuade you to understand the power of God at work in our lives to transform us from darkness (Adam) unto light (Christ). The man of righteousness that God intends for us to be is tied to the understanding that Adam represents everything existent within and without of man. The parable story contained in Genesis 1, 2 and 3; unveils the truth about who man is and what God’s plan for man is to be: for man, all men (male and female) are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The Bible is clear to teach us about two distinctive men: Adam and Christ!

Adam was the earthly rendition of God’s ideal man in the earth, a man presented with a choice in the Garden of Eden, representing every man (male and female) in the earth realm today, who must choose life or death.

When fully understanding the message of salvation and what it has to offer, we immediately realize that the solemn call of Christ is for you and I to come after Him, and in doing so, we become, through processing, AS HE IS, IN THIS PRESENT WORLD.

Beloved, we are called to change; even to make an exchange of the garment spotted with the flesh, turning it in for the robe of righteousness, but we must draw near unto the Lord. Jesus revealed the ultimate attraction of men toward God, when he said, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (NKJV Matt. 6:33).

We are to seek after God, however, remember, God is a spirit (John 4:24), and our pursuit is to be on that level. Through our finite minds, we have treated God as if HE were flesh, but the truth is this, God is the Word, and the WORD BECAME FLESH, so ask yourself, what was God before HE BECAME FLESH?

God is spirit, like unto the wind, ever moving, showing us Himself as The Sanctifying One, and then as The God of Provision, and on another occasion as The Shepherd, becoming whatever is needed for his sons and daughters. We must diligently seek after the nature of the God that is. In addition, become transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1-2).

The Mirror Image: Christ

To understand our call to bear the image of God, I want to turn your attention to the parabolic question that was presented by the religious antagonist that challenged Christ on paying tribute. In the biblical account, Christ was asked, about paying tribute for the under-minding purpose of entrapment, to set Him at odds with the political system of that day. However, Christ operated in wisdom and using the opportunity to teach, and asked the antagonist, “Whose inscription (image) is on the coin?” A question that had far reaching implications than just resolving should believers pay taxes to a non-believing government. The answer is about rendering to God His true image, found within us. It is about offering up the “image” and “likeness” of God in a state of being. It is through the death, burial, resurrection and ascension, which Christ came to unlock the mystery of godliness within us all that adhere to the true purpose of Christ coming on the scene as a man. Through the fall of Adam, man’s identity became turned on its head, to the point that through alienation from God, man lost the image that he was supposed to behold in the mirror, rather settling for the image of a fallen man.

Every since that eventful time in man’s history, humanity has been in search for the “true man” in the mirror. The apostle Paul speaks of the mystery of godliness as CHRIST IN YOU, the HOPE (expectation) of glory. Through much irresponsible teaching from many of the pulpits we find the church goers in pursuit of a place and not an image. In Genesis, God’s panel discussion in the board meeting of eternity, looked out upon the vast darkness of nothingness, and said, “Let there be light,” and light became, it showed up pushing back the curtain “void and without form” bringing illumination to the thought patterns of an eternal God.

Day one God said, and on Day two, three, four five and six, God continued to showcase His unveiling of creation, rolling out His order and then placing it under the care and rule of His “Earth King” – Adam! Beloved, Heaven came to Earth and it is still the plan of God today, to bring His order to the earth and place it under the ruler-ship of his newborn Adams, of which Christ is the governmental head of influence.

Yes, there are many one sided conversations that emanate from the pulpits world wide of the great escape from planet earth, but God has a plan, and that plan includes a people being TRANSFORMED through MIND RENEWAL (Romans 12:1-2, Phil. 2:5).

Just like the lattice panel in the story of the Bride and her Beloved, in the Song of Solomon 2:9, the Body of Christ beholds the image of the Bridegroom as fragmented.

And because she (the church) views her beloved through the lattice panel, the revelation of Christ is fragmented as well, some churches only focus on healing, others on prosperity, while others deal with spiritual warfare, deliverance, marriage success, when in truth, Christ is more than the sum of His parts.

Christ (the Beloved) calls unto to leave the winter (the season of death), and break through the wall of lattice and see the Christ in His fullness:

“The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;” (Song of Solomons 2:8-12 KJV).

The church must move from its one-dimensional perception of Christ and move beyond the message of death and condemnation and believe that the TWO (Christ and His Bride) CAN BECOME ONE! It is through the courting advances of Christ, with our soul that we, the believer, are wooed to move beyond being the tail (old man Adam) and not the head (new man Christ). Through the strength of the roe and young hart, our inner man hears the call of her beloved saying, “RISE UP, MY LOVE, MY FAIR ONE, AND COME AWAY.”

Move beyond the lifeless, breathless winter and behold the newness, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds IS COME, and THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE IS HEARD IN OUR LAND (our earthen vessels). It is when we move toward HIS VOICE that the transformation of the mirror image of Christ will become our own image.

Transformation is about leaving one form to take on another, and in the Kingdom of God no flesh can inherit what God has purposed for us. We must become hungry for truth and righteousness if we are to fulfill God’s purpose for our life. Be transformed by the renewing of our mind, and be not conformed to this world. Get God’s word in front of you and digest it, eat the whole loaf until Christ be formed in you.

Next Installment: The Mirror Doesn't Lie Pt3: Christ In You The Hope of Glory