Holy Spirit - Part 18: Conforming us to the Image of Christ

There is a wonderfully deep and carefully constructed thought of Paul written to us in the letter to the Ephesians:

Eph 3:16-19

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and  depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God”.

Here the power of the Spirit is manifested not just in giving us victory over sin and death but in other things as well.

CHRIST DWELLING IN OUR HEARTS

The word translated “dwell” here is a particularly strong word in the original language. It means literally “to dwell down”, “to settle”, “to dwell deep”. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to form the living Christ within us, dwelling deeply down to the innermost parts of our being. In doing so, this work, a lifelong effort, conforms us to the image of the Son.

In Christ's work on the cross at Calvary, He made an atoning sacrifice for sin, and in that work we see that Christ was FOR US. But by the power of the Holy Spirit bestowed on us by the risen Christ, we have Christ IN US. Here lies the secret of the Christlike life we seek to live.

God does not demand of us the impossible. He does not demand of us that we imitate Christ in our own strength. He offers to us something infinitely better. He offers to form Christ in us by the power of His Holy Spirit. We therefore become more and more like Jesus after we are saved not by struggle of our limited human strength. No human effort can accomplish this need. By our weakness is His strength shown, for the work is done in spite of our human weakness, by one with no limit on power.

WE ARE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE

Paul tells us that that by the strengthening by the Spirit in the inward man, we send the roots of our life down deep into the soil of love. The foundations of our character during the time of our being conformed are built on the rock of love. Love is the sum of holiness, the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:10

“... therefore love is the fulfilling of the law”.

There is the most intimate relation that starts when Christ begins to be formed within us by the Holy Spirit for Jesus Christ Himself is the absolute perfect form of divine love.

OUR BEING MADE STRONG WHEN WE KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST

The love of Christ is a love which passes all knowledge of man. It should be the object of our meditations, our wonder and our joy. It is only in the work of the Holy Spirit that we come to apprehend it. Only then does strength flow forward into us, overcoming our human weaknesses and limitations.

OUR BEING IS FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD

Paul wrote in this clear passage that our being is filled “WITH” the fullness of God. This passage was considered so strong in its meaning that when the KJV was later revised, the translator revisers changed the wording to our being filled “UNTO” the fullness of God. 

The Holy Spirit undertakes His work to dip His holy hand again and again into that never ending portion of God's fullness and pours it continually into our being, day by day, month by month, year by year, seeking to fill us with that goodness that none deserve but all who are saved are granted by His grace.