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Jesus Christ: The Mirror That Changes Us
2 Corinthians 3:6-18 KJV Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (7) But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: (8) How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? (9) For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. (10) For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. (11) For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. (12) Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: (13) And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: (14) But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. (15) But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. (16) Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. (17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 KJV For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:17 KJV That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
GLASS is to be understood as MIRROR in 2 Cor 3:18. Paul EXPOSED people to the LIFE of Jesus Christ the Lord.
There is a very important reason for us to see the LIFE of Jesus Christ.
Old Testament rituals prepared for the time of Jesus Christ by way of SYMBOLIZING facts about Jesus we need to know. Leviticus 1:1-4 KJV And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. (3) If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. (4) And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. The ATONEMENT sacrifice was the sacrifice of a life that was to be considered the same thing as the sacrifice of the person who offered it.
Lev 1:4 says this quite plainly.
This was the ATONEMENT.
Romans 5:11 KJV And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. He is our sacrifice for our sins. Hebrews 9:7 KJV But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: A man called a HIGH PRIEST offered the blood of a sacrifice in the ATONEMENT ritual in the Old Testament times.
Hebrews 9:11 KJV But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Jesus Christ is the TRUE AND ACTUAL high priest that this man simply represented in that ritual. Hebrews 9:12 KJV Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. He offered his OWN BLOOD as a sacrifice. Therefore, it is no wonder that we read: Romans 6:3 KJV Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Jesus’ sacrificial DEATH is considered OUR DEATHS when we are baptized into it.
So we experience a UNION to Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament saints became one with the sacrifice’s death because they laid their hands on the head of the animal before it was slain.
But Jesus did not remain dead as the sacrifices of old did.
And there are a lot more facts about Jesus Christ that we are in UNION with all because we are in UNION with Him.
1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: More than just his death is now considered ours.
Only when something true of Jesus is revealed to you can you REALIZE (make real) it in your own life.
Paul said we look in a mirror when we look at the glory of God. 2 Cor 3:(18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Jesus Christ is called a MIRROR.
Paul taught in 2 Cor 3 Moses represented the law from Mount Sinai, engraved on tablets of stones called the ten commandments.
The new covenant is far more glorious than the old, because it never is to be done away with, and yet at the same time Christ’s face was not veiled!
And Paul said that something happens when you look at this mirror.
But THIS MIRROR is a different sort of mirror, although it certainly does show you your characteristics.
Paul said WE ARE CHANGED into the same image of Jesus we see when we look at Jesus as our mirror. Many people look at Jesus, but not as their mirror.
Our eyes cannot find the things in our selves we need to see.
And Paul says He is like a MIRROR for a very good reason.
When you look into this MIRROR of Christ, YOU START TO SEE THINGS that were already true of you since you were first saved!
How does it CHANGE you into His image if they’re already true of you and you see them in a mirror?
And there are many, many more facts about our lives as Christians besides ability for healing.
This is not a physical mirror made from mercury.
ALL DUE TO YOUR UNION TO HIM. 2 Cor 4:6 says that the KNOWLEDGE OF the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ SHINES INTO OUR HEARTS, like light shining in darkness in Genesis 1:2-3.
You can KNOW these truths,. But if you do not love and believe them, you are not looking in the mirror, and nothing is shining into your heart. This MIRROR shows you TRUTHS.
Jesus is our ATONEMENT. Since all of this is due to our ATONEMENT, being considered to have died with Jesus when He died as our sacrifice, we need to see some more elements of ATONEMENT in order to experience MORE revelation from God. |