Transformation

In June of last year I wrote an article on "Tradition and Transformation." God accepts us just as we are, but He does not want us to remain just as we were: His goal is to transform us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. As Christians we have received a great treasure of spiritual truths: doctrines and rules for living that can transform our minds and our lives.

In his letter to the church at Rome, St. Paul wrote - "Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).

Whenever you see the word "Therefore" in the Bible, ask yourself - "What is it there for?" In this case it refers to the previous chapter, where Paul writes about God's eternal plan for mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, concluding with "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Origen commented on this verse - "Paul declares that God is the beginning of the substance of all things by the words 'of Him' and the bond of their subsistence by the expression “through Him” and their final end by the term 'to Him.'"

What is transformation all about? First of all, St. Paul contrasts it to being "conformed to this world." The opposite of transformation is being conformed to this world. The world - our family, schools, churches and our neighborhood - exert tremendous pressure on us to conform. Today I heard of a young man who had a 4.0 GPA in high school, but yielded to neighborhood pressure and began a life of crime.

This isn't the only kind of conformity, though. Modern forms of sub-par Christianity have inculcated in us the notion that the norm for Christians is to just go to church on Sundays, take communion, maybe say some prayers and/or read a snippet from the Bible (or maybe not) during the week, and leave the rest to the professionals - the clergy. After all, they're paid to be good, and we lay-people are good for nothing, right? Wrong!

This false notion is what St. Paul is writing against: the fear of breaking social conventions. Transformation is "breaking out of the box" that society puts us in by its pressures and expectations. The Greek word for "be transformed" is "metamorphoo". It's the same word used when Christ was transfigured - "After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was transfigured in front of them" (Mark 9:2). It means "changed into another form", as when a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly.

St. Paul again wrote about our being changed into Christ's image - "As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let us also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can't inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed" (1 Cor. 15:49-51). The Greek word for "image" here is "eikon" - we are to be changed into an icon of Christ, reflecting His glory!

St. Paul uses the word "metamorphoo" again when writing about having the Holy Spirit in us - "Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:17-18). In the previous verses, Paul was writing about how Moses had to put a veil on his face after seeing the glory of the Lord God on Mt. Sinai. When he came down from the mountain, his face shone so much that the people couldn't stand to look at him, so he put a veil over his face.

Isn't this the kind of pressure we often experience? People in the world might say - "Don't be a holy Joe!" or "What are you, some kind of Jesus freak? These demeaning expressions make us want to conform to this world. But St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote - "Therefore, let no one be grieved if he sees in his nature a penchant for change. Changing in everything for the better, let him exchange 'glory for glory,' becoming greater through daily increase, ever perfecting himself and never arriving too quickly at the limit of perfection. For this is truly perfection: never to stop growing toward what is better and never placing any limit on perfection." Just as Christ was transfigured on Mt. Tabor and His divine glory shone forth, so we can also be transformed or transfigured into His image and likeness, shining forth His glory. We can change for the better!

Rather than being conformed to this world, let's be conformed to the image and glory of Christ - "For whom He [God] foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Whom He predestined, those He also called. Whom He called, those he also justified. Whom He justified, those He also glorified" (Rom. 8:29-30). We may experience ridicule, social shaming or even persecution, but as St. Paul wrote - "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). Let's go for the glory!

Our being transformed or transfigured into Christ's image is what St. Peter wrote about - "Seeing that His [Christ's] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue; by which He has granted to us His precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust" (2 Pet. 1:3-4). The Greek word for "partakers" is "koinonos", also used in 1 Cor. 10:18, the passage about communion, the Lord's Supper. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote: "When Christ’s body and blood become the tissue of our members, we become Christ-bearers and 'partakers of the divine nature,' as the blessed Peter said." How does this happen?

St. Peter continues - "Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness; and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love" (2 Pet. 1:5-7). These are the virtues, the godly habits, the lifestyle of the Christian who is being transformed, glorified and partaking of the divine nature!

So let's review the formula: diligence + faith + moral excellence + knowledge + self-control + perseverance + godliness + brotherly affection + love = glory, virtue and partaking of the divine nature. That's not so hard, is it?

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 24 Feb. 2016.)