In the last meditation we saw that the Holy Spirit not only causes our rebirth, but also directs our transformation process into Christ-, or God-likeness during our walk on earth. We also discovered that this transformation process finds its completion when we will be with Christ forever.
Today we want to ask ourselves: does God’s transformation process only deal with his reborn children individually, or does God also aim at transforming his entire church into the likeness of Christ?
In meditation 29 we read that with our rebirth by the Spirit of God, he incorporates us into the messianic community, the Body of Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds the reborn children of God in Corinth of the start of their Christian life and of their incorporation into the messianic community: “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's Body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
In his letter to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey), Paul explains that Christ-likeness is the distinctive character of the messianic community: “God placed all things under his [Jesus’] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his Body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1: 22-23)
From the book of Acts we know that the Body of Christ was born of the (Christlike) Spirit of God. Luke writes about that sensational beginning of the messianic community in Acts 2.
Yet, God’s major project did not stop with the birth of the Body of Christ on that day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago. That was only the minute start of a miraculous and universal ‘divine enterprise’.
However crucial it is, this divine, multi-century project is not only about increasing the numbers of people saved by Christ’s sacrifice; God equally aims at growing the Body of Christ into his likeness!
In the last book of the Bible, the apostle John paints in colourful pictures what God’s final objective is for the universal church, the Body of the Messiah. He describes her as ‘a holy city’, as ‘the new Jerusalem’, as ‘a beautiful bride’ and as ‘God's people’:
“I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” (Revelation 21:2-3)
John continues to portray the church as ‘the wife of the Lamb’ [Jesus the Messiah], filled with the glory of God:
"Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, 'Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.'
So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper." (Revelation 21:9-11)
In his second letter to the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul uses the expressions ‘the glory of Christ’, ‘the glory of God’ and ‘the likeness of Christ’ as synonyms:
"Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. ... For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:4.6)
Furthermore, the apostle John adds image to image when he speaks about the God- or Christ-likeness of the finished Body of Christ at the end of the ages:
“No temple could be seen in the city [the new Jerusalem], for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light...
Nothing evil will be allowed to enter-- no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty-- but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.” (Revelation 21: 22.23.27)
In Revelation 19:7-8 John speaks about the process of Christ-like transformation when he points out that the universal Body of Christ has prepared itself over the centuries as a bride for the messianic wedding feast. Then she will be with Jesus Messiah for ever:
"Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him [God]. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest white linen. (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)" (Revelation 19:7-8)
In his letter to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey) the apostle Paul compares the consummation of love between bride groom and bride with Jesus Messiah and his people, the Body of Christ:
"After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24). This is a profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:29-32)
In a final picture the apostle John depicts the bride of God’s Son as ‘priests’, ransomed by his blood from their rebellious and God-less way of life:
“... you [Jesus] were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
(Revelation 5: 9-10)
In this meditation we saw that God aims at preparing the universal Body of Christ for being with Jesus forever. That will be the eagerly anticipated ‘celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb’ at the end of the ages!
Yet, how does the church’s preparation for that glorious, divine wedding celebration take place in everyday life?
That will be the theme of the next meditation.
The Bible verses Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 5:29-32 and Revelation 5:9-10 are quotes of the New International Version. The other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
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