2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) — 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Transformation is a powerful concept, one especially important to believing men. We live in a time where men are most needed (though we are told we are least needed).
I recently heard of a sex-trade survivor who now works to rescue women being traded throughout the world. She said men need to step up—that she would not have been set free without the help of men, and that men need to both deny their worst impulses and follow the leading of their better ones.
This is true. The world needs men who have been restored into the version of manhood God created—and this is precisely the transformation God has in mind for us. When God transforms his men, he is restoring them to a version of masculinity he made.
Our text tonight speaks plainly of the possibility of this restoration, something that, according to Paul, every Christian can experience. According to the passage, we can approach God with an unveiled face, unlike Moses, who veiled his face after spending time in God's presence and also unlike many moderns who have their spiritual sight veiled. When we come to God this way, we can experience the transformation this passage speaks of—steady and gradual change from one degree to another. And we don’t have to put the veil back on after we spend time with God. As opposed to the temporary change Moses experienced, this change is lasting and permanent in nature.
The two ingredients which lend to this kind of transformation are justification and time in God's presence. If a man is a believer, justified by faith in Christ alone, and also active in his personal relationship with God, he should expect the outcomes this passage offers.
So let's consider three questions. (1) Why do we need restoration? (2) To what are we being restored? (3) How does restoration happen?
1. Why Do We Need Restoration?
Restored Manhood
Our first question: why do we need restoration? Why not learn to self-accept and remain as we are? Why enter into a process whereby we become something different, renewed, and transformed from what we are today?
This is a serious question for modern men to wrestle with. Our society seems hell-bent on stripping every ounce of masculinity from you—this might make you either angry at yet another voice telling you to be different or, worse, agreeable to society's definition of manhood.
So when I say we need restoration, I want to be clear: God wants you to be a man. He isn't trying to destroy all that is manly from you. He is not interested in an androgynous humanity where one can barely discern any differences between men and women. So the reason we need God's transformation has nothing to do with his desire to bleach out all that is masculine from us. We do not need restoration because God hates men.
The reason we need restoration is because God loves men. He made us. He envisioned us. He placed the first man in the Garden Of Eden to work and tend it. He wanted that man to walk in fellowship with him. He created men to have dominion, exercising self-control as they learned to master their environment and develop the raw creation God gave them. He wants men to become purposeful beings who work hard, are a compliment the other sex, successfully confront temptation, accept responsibility beyond themselves, and lead like Jesus.
Sin Initiated Decay
But before I develop a vision for what God is restoring us to, I must point out how original sin initiated a terrible decay that hinders us in our pursuit of the manhood God designed. All was well in Genesis 1-2, but when the serpent showed up with lies and deception, and when Adam upended God's design and surrendered his leadership role to Eve, catastrophe ensued. They ate—he ate—the fruit, and, just as God said, the wages of their sin was death. Eventual, physical death, but also immediate, spiritual death.
And sin's impact on Adam and Eve would be slow and steady, decaying in nature. In God's way of accounting, Adam's sin impacted all his offspring. Because he sinned, we are all born in sin.
Romans 5:12 — 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.
Later on, we will consider how Jesus reverses all this and becomes the new head of a new people, but for now, we should meditate on the decaying effect of sin in every man. By birth in Adam, we are not what we were meant to be. Men are not naturally as God designed them but are instead a factory of counterfeits.
Responses
The good news is that Jesus can take the warped and broken counterfeit and restore him into the image God originally planned. The bad news is that we often don't get to that point based on how we respond to the concept of sin and its effects.
On the one hand, we often minimize sin's impact. We tell ourselves that we aren't that bad and dismiss, excuse, or justify our sins. As long as we aren't committing the universally abhorred sins—like adultery, abuse, or violence—we tell ourselves we are just fine. But such easy dismissal of sin keeps you from God's best. If your list of sins you think is bad is synonymous with sins you'd probably never commit, then what need do you have for restoration?
Don't settle! Christ has more for you if you are willing to go there with him. Don't minimize sin's impact. If you were restoring an old classic car, you would never buy it in its beat-up condition, slap a new bumper on it, and call it a day. You would know you're not finished!
But this is what many believers do. They minimize sin, believing that there is nothing more for God to do in their lives. Instead, we should confess that sin has impacted much more than we readily acknowledge. When we are decimated by a lack of career advancement, when we want others to think we are more intelligent than we are, when we want to appear strong and confident even if we aren't, we must see these as evidence of the sin of the pride of life. When we lustily gaze at beautiful women, when we slide into long hours of surfing the internet or watching Netflix, when we overeat, oversleep, or overdrink, we must see these as evidence of the lust of the flesh. When we crave a newer car or bigger truck, when we wish for a better wife, when we want more money, we must see these as evidence of the lust of the eyes.
Men, we mustn't minimize sin's impact on us. It has destroyed manhood, and Jesus came to save us from its eternal judgment but also to save us from its present impact. We must not understate its effect on us.
On the other hand, we often overstate sin's impact. We sometimes conclude that we are stuck, impossibly bound up in transgression, unable to climb out of the pit we are in. Once a dog, always a dog. This feeling is worsened when Christians don't understand the difference between temptation and sin. With sin, a desire conceives and turns into an act. With temptation, the battle is on, but it is not yet sin. In case you think I'm playing semantics, consider James' word on the matter:
James 1:14–15 — 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
So desires exist within. Sin happens when that desire conceives and gives birth. Full-grown sin is death. But what is the bait that the desire latches onto? Temptation.
The truth is that we are neither stuck in sin nor barely impacted by it. Like leaven, sin has permeated everything about us and our experience. But because of Christ, victory, transformation, and restoration can occur, making the words of the Apostle Paul possible:
Romans 12:2 — 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
So why do we need restoration? Because of sin's alarming effects. But with Jesus came a New Covenant where restoration is possible, and for this we rejoice because restoration is needed.
2. To What We Are Restored?
Our second question: To what are we being restored? Everyone experiences transformation of one kind or another. Everyone changes. So what is our destination?
Into The Same Image
The text gives us an answer: we are being transformed into the same image (18). What image do we become the same as? The beginning of the sentence reads: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image (18). So we become the same image as the glory of the Lord we behold.
The natural question then is, "what is the glory of the Lord?" In the passage leading up to this verse, "glory" is used to describe the pinnacle of God's revelation at various stages of redemptive history. So when Moses came, and the Law was given to him on Mount Sinai, it came with glory. But when the New Covenant came with Jesus, it came with surpassing glory. Its glory was so strong that the Old Covenant Law appeared to have no glory.
So the glory of the Lord is whatever God's brightest and clearest revelation is at the moment. During Moses' day, it was the law and the prophets. But during our day, it is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:2–3 — 2 In these last days (God) has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.
So our 2 Corinthians passage—along with the rest of the New Testament—tells us that the Spirit is working to reshape justified people into Christ's image.
What We Should Be
Let me pause for a moment. The idea that the Father is shaping his followers by the Spirit into the image of Christ is challenging to the modern mind.
First, we hear constant messages about acceptance without change. In this view, any talk of transformation or restoration is an offense to the inner self. But this view requires ignorance about original sin and its effects on mankind.
Second, we hear another message about being whoever we want to be. In this view, men are self-made and need little help. But this view requires an overestimation of what a man can do without God.
Third, we hear constant messages from the culture telling us what men should be. These messages compete for followers. Men should be rugged; men should be sensitive. Men should be strong; men should not use their strength. Men should be generous and selfless; men should be wealthy and successful. Men should be faithful; men should play the field. Men should help women and children; men are in the way of women and children. Men should be strong leaders; men need to listen and follow more. But these views treat the shifting sands of culture like they are the timeless words of Scripture.
But we are men who want to build our lives on the rock of Christ, so we must turn to him for his definition of what we need to be restored into.
Transcending Adam
But why would I call this a process of restoration? If God is trying to shape us into the image of his Son, why would we ever think of this as a restorative process? Because we were born in Adam's image, and God had better plans for Adam, plans that Christ fulfills as the Second Adam. Paul summarizes this idea this way:
Romans 5:17 (ESV) — 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
For our purposes, we can think of Christ as a new Adam. When you believe in him, he becomes your new family head. You are not destined to be like the Adam who failed but can be restored to what Christ who succeeded. You can live out God's original intention. And what did God intend?
A. Image God Like Jesus
God intended for Adam to represent his image here on earth, and renewed men will image God like Jesus did.
Genesis 1:26 — 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
Men are made in God's image in that they are like him. God is Spirit, and we have bodies, but that difference actually serves to highlight a way we are made in his image. He gave us bodies so we could imitate him. He sees, speaks, serves, and loves. He gave us human bodies so we could do the same, albeit in a more limited sense. So we are made in his image in that we're like him.
Adam didn't succeed in that initial attempt at imaging God, but Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. When he stepped into the region of Galilee so many years ago, everything he did was a perfect representation of God's heart. Read the gospels and discover Jesus—his healing, his compassion, his leadership, his sacrifice—you are witnessing a man imaging God.
B. Exercise Dominion Like Jesus
God intended for Adam to exercise dominion, and renewed men will exercise dominion like Jesus did.
Men are also made in God's Spirit in that they are an extension of him. In ancient times, kings would set up images of themselves in places they reigned, but from afar. Even the image of idols is thought to be representative of the true power behind it. Humans were to be the image of God on earth.
By his sovereign will, God created. He spoke things into existence. His Word divided water and land, the atmosphere and outer space, and the species. On the first six days of creation, God expressed his dominion and will. And God's intention for humankind was that they'd express his likeness by practicing dominion.
Genesis 1:28 — 28 And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
With love, self-control, and faithfulness, they were to steward all God had created. They were to be in, not out, of control. This dominion puts us in a position above the created world. We are part of it but made special over it by the God who put his image in us.
Adam didn't succeed in exercising dominion, but Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. He came to earth and expressed dominion over the demonic realm, over physical infirmities, and over nature itself. And he had dominion over himself as he always did whatever pleased the Father. As God's men, we must operate by the Spirit of Christ with the dominion of Christ.
C. Work With Purpose Like Jesus
God intended for Adam to work with purpose, and renewed men will work with purpose like Jesus did.
Genesis 2:15 (ESV) — 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Because the ground was cursed at the fall, mankind's work became considerably more difficult after sin entered the world (Genesis 3:17-19). But Adam was originally called to cultivate the gift God had given him. The earth was his to enjoy. He was called to work, and so are we.
And Adam's work likely had a spiritual component to it. His work was a way for him to worship God. In fact, some scholars believe work would be better translated to worship and obey. Like the later priests in God's tabernacle, Adam was the man on God's ground, serving and loving His LORD.
So Adam's work was actually his worship, a way for him to serve God in His holy tabernacle called earth. The workplace is a worship-place, and God's men will go to work with the understanding that our work is our worship.
Notice Paul's exhortation to the working class in the Colossian church:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24, ESV)
Believers are to consider their work as being done for Jesus, not for their manager or employer or customer. Our work—the quality and goodness of it—is a form of worship. To see the boss as a symbolic stand-in for Christ should fill the Christian with deep inspiration for the work at hand.
Adam didn't succeed in working with purpose, but Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. He came to accomplish a work for God and spent every day of his life devoted to that mission.
D. Confronts Temptation And Leads Like Jesus
God intended for Adam to successfully confront temptation and lead, and renewed men will confront temptation and lead like Jesus.
In the Genesis account, it is Eve who falls prey to Satan's temptations while Adam watches.
Genesis 3:6 (ESV) — 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
The serpent had helped awaken something within her. John said:
"For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16, ESV).
And Eve seems to have fallen prey to all three. She fell to the desires of the flesh when she saw that the tree was good for food. She fell to the desires of the eyes when she considered the tree a delight to the eyes. And she fell to the pride of life when she thought the tree was to be desired to make one wise (6).
Having given herself to the temptation, everything happened in rapid succession. The time for debate passed, and one action spilled over to the next. She took the fruit. She ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate (6). The first domino had been pushed, and, quickly, all the others fell—in a flash, sin.
And one detail comes as a shock to the reader. Her husband was with her (6). All the while, Adam was there. All the verbs in the previous conversation are plural. He listened in. But he was far from an innocent bystander.
Paul's commentary on this event:
"Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived...” (1 Timothy 2:14, ESV).
Adam wasn't deceived. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he went right along with the temptation. He gave in.
Adam acted with his eyes wide open. Rather than stand up and defend his bride, he acquiesced to rebellion against God. Adam did not lead his wife but instead followed her into error, and God's order was overturned.
Jesus, of course, is the better husband, greater than Adam. Adam's sin led to unrighteousness for all of humanity, his bride, and beyond. But Jesus' act of righteousness on the cross leads to perfection for all who believe in him. He is better than Adam.
"Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” (Romans 5:18, ESV).
Adam didn't succeed in confronting temptation and leading, but Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. When Jesus was brought into the wilderness for forty days of fasting and testing, he passed the test when Adam could not. Starving, rather than satiated. In the wild, rather than the garden. Bombarded with the full force of Satan's temptations, rather than a silly snake. And Jesus succeeded where man could not. He leads his bride into victory.
3. How Does Restoration Happen?
Our third question: what is the process of restoration? How are we restored? What does the journey look like?
Again, the text gives us our answer. (1) Restoration happens when we behold the glory of the Lord (18). (2) When we do, we are transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (18). (3) And the one doing the transforming is the Spirit (who is known as The Lord, 18). Let's consider each step.
Beholding The Glory Of The Lord
First, we must behold the glory of the Lord. This is Jesus. Jesus is the “glory of the Lord” Paul is referring to in this phrase. To behold him is to have an intimate and personal relationship with him. This is studying him in his word, crying out to Him in prayer, and worshipping him from our hearts. This is a fascination with who he is and his glory.
All this means change comes by interacting with Jesus. Every time you take off that mask and get before Jesus by opening your heart to His word and hearing His voice minister to you, you are beholding the glory of the Lord.
And Paul presents this beholding of the Lord's glory as the key to transformation. Jesus presented this concept with the imagery of a vine and branches. He said:
John 15:5 — 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
So we are to "behold" him or "abide" in him—this means we are to embrace a strong personal connection to Christ. The second we drift from enjoying Jesus on a personal level in his word and prayer, we lose out on the opportunity to be transformed.
Are Being Transformed From One Degree Of Glory To Another
Second, we are transformed into the same image when we behold Jesus. God’s desire for us is to transform us to become more and more like Jesus.
The word “transformed” is not an oft-used biblical word. It is used to describe Jesus’s transfiguration in places like Matthew 17, and it is used to describe the process we are able to go through with his help. To understand this transformation process, another helpful English word is helpful—the word metamorphosis. As we behold Christ with an unveiled face, we morph into His image. We become like Jesus.
Contrast this with many of the messages delivered to Christians today. “You must change. You better grow. You’ve got to get this right.” Certainly, every believer has a part to play in this process, and we’ll get to that in a moment, but the transformational nature of our relationship with Christ should not be neglected or overlooked.
And this transformation is a process, which is why it occurs from one degree of glory to another. Our daily relationship with Jesus will produce gradual growth in our lives. Slowly but surely, we become more and more like Jesus.
I can look back upon my own life and see certain periods of transformation. It is a myth that by simply aging we become sweeter and kinder. Our respective childhoods, educations, and natural demeanors will give each one of us a different starting point, but we all have immense room to grow. I’m sure the people in our lives would appreciate us behaving a little more like Jesus and a little less like our natural man.
For This Comes From The Lord Who Is The Spirit
Third, it is the Spirit of God is the one who actually produces the change within us. In another place, Paul writes, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8). Sowing to the Spirit through an ongoing relationship with God will produce results.
One place this is exemplified is in the life of David. Called and anointed by God, David was different from the rest. When the soldiers in Israel’s army trembled at Goliath’s taunts, David stepped to the forefront, believing and trusting God for the victory. This win propelled him into the public spotlight and fame, which awakened the insecurity and jealousy within King Saul’s heart. As a result, David eventually fled for his life. One of his first hiding places was the cave of Adullam. While there, a large band of men gathered to him. These were men who were distressed, discontented, and indebted under Saul’s regime. We can also assume that many of them were present for the taunts of Goliath, too afraid to move a muscle. They weren’t natural warriors who trusted in God.
Near the end of David’s life, however, an accounting is given of the mighty men who surrounded David. These men carried out great exploits, killing giants, predatory animals, and large bands of warriors. They were brave, seemingly invincible. Clearly, the God of David had made himself available to these men as well.
What happened to these men? How did they transform from a weak and scared collection of men into an elite fighting force? I believe the major change was the time they had spent in David’s presence. Simply put, a relationship with David had left them altered. Just as knowing a giant killer like David is bound to change you, a relationship with Jesus Christ is bound to transform a man. The character and nature of Nate isn’t going to change Jesus, but the character and nature of Jesus is bound to transform Nate.
Jesus desires to change and transform your life through a relationship with him. He is longing to flood your heart with His word, hear your cries ascend to him, and interact with you daily. As you do, he will transform your life. This is the walk of faith—trusting and enjoying a God we cannot see with our eyes and believing this relationship will change each one of us for God’s glory.