The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"Mirror, Mirror"
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"
You may recall the question asked by Snow White's evil and jealous stepmother. The Bible also addresses the matter of a mirror, commanding believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to behold the reflection God calls us to see.
"Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Corinthians 3:18).
The "glass" mentioned by the Apostle Paul is translated from the word "katoptrizo" in the original Greek of the New Testament. Katoptrizo means "mirror," rather than the window we might expect. Indeed, considering our present imperfection and susceptibility to temptation and sin, we might think the only way we could behold God's glory would be to look out and away from ourselves. This is not the case.
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
Scripture commands that we behold in its mirror the presence of the indwelling Spirit of the Lord Jesus. We are to consider ourselves as "alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11). Of course, this often belies appearance, emotion, sensation, behavior, and thoughts that course through our brain. It does not change the truth, however, nor does it affect our calling to "behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord." Indeed, even the carnal Corinthian believers, wayward in so much, were called by the Apostle Paul to see themselves as "the temple of God" wherein dwelt the Spirit of God (I Corinthians 3:16).
Believers do not always act in accordance with who we are in the innermost person of our being. We can walk after the flesh despite being spirits united to the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:4; 9). Such response, however, does not change the fact of who and what we are in Christ. It does not alter the reflection in God's mirror. Indeed, our being - in Christ - is given to us as a free gift of grace in the moment of the new birth (II Corinthians 5:17). It cannot be affected by our doing, important as it is that we walk in faith and faithfulness. God forever sees His trusting sons and daughters in Christ as united to the Spirit of the Lord Jesus (I Corinthians 1:30). We must see ourselves accordingly, beholding in His mirror the presence of His Son in us.
Believers do not live as if we are merely ourselves. We rather realize and affirm that Christ lives in us so that we may live through Him (Galatians 2:20; I John 4:9). When we perceive ourselves as alone, we disobey God's clearly stated Biblical command to see ourselves as united to the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. We look into the wrong mirror, as it were, the mirror of the devil, the world, and the flesh. Certainly, God's mirror offers a reflection utterly astonishing in the image it casts, namely, "the glory of the Lord" as revealed in "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Our astonishment, however, must not minimize our trust in the Word of God, or our obedience thereunto. We are not merely ourselves, but rather ourselves as indwelt, motivated, led, and empowered by the Spirit of Christ. To the degree we believe the truth - to "behold as in a mirror" - will be the degree to which reflection in the mirror becomes realized reality in our thoughts, attitudes, words, and deeds…
"Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lists of the flesh… If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit"
(Galatians 5:16; 25)
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
(John 8:32)
Weekly Memory Verse
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."
(I Timothy 2:1-2).
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