BEING CONFORMED TO CHRIST

“FOR WHOM HE FOREKNEW, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

Every human being is predestined, already planned by God to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).
Albeit, every person has power to choose, accept or not, the plan of salvation that God has offered to mankind (2 Corinthians 6:1,2).
When Christ is lifted or preached and God draws; it is left for every individual to decide whether to respond to the drawing or not: “AND I, IF I AM LIFTED UP FROM THE EARTH, WILL DRAW ALL PEOPLES TO MYSELF" (John 12:32 NKJV).

It is believer's responsibility to lift Jesus’ name, and God draws the yielded ones.
Gospel is being preached all over the world, and the people who respond to the gospel would not be turned away (Romans 10:11-13; Luke 16:16).
Every man and woman is predestined for salvation, but not all who heard the gospel will respond to the call: “FOR MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN" (Matthew 22:14 NKJV).
READ: Matthew 20:16; 22:14
So as a believer, your coming to Christ is not accidental, neither is it coincidental, God knows about it.
You are therefore predestined, that is, potentially empowered to be conformed to the image of Christ.

The Justified
Those who responded to the call to salvation are the justified ones.
Justification, that is, being made right with God, happens through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9,10).
Many could not embrace the foolishness of the way of the cross, thus they could not come to God and be reconciled to Him (1 Corinthians 1:18,21).
Those who responded to the call of salvation, having faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, are justified—made right with God (Romans 3:20,28; Galatians 2:16).

“YET WE KNOW THAT A PERSON IS MADE RIGHT WITH GOD BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, NOT BY OBEYING THE LAW. AND WE HAVE BELIEVED IN CHRIST JESUS, SO THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH IN CHRIST, NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE OBEYED THE LAW. FOR NO ONE WILL EVER BE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD BY OBEYING THE LAW.”
Galatians 2:16 (NLT)

The Glorified
It is the justified ones who are glorified:
“MOREOVER WHOM HE PREDESTINED, THESE HE ALSO CALLED; WHOM HE CALLED, THESE HE ALSO JUSTIFIED; AND WHOM HE JUSTIFIED, THESE HE ALSO GLORIFIED.”
Romans 8:30 (NKJV)
Jesus’ glory is given to the justified—those who have right standing with God.
The glorified are the ones who resemble Him, they look like Him.
The disciple were first called Christian in Antioch, because they looked like Jesus (Acts 11:26).

Our goal, believers’ goal, is to be like Jesus Christ. If I may ask, Are you working towards that?
As we behold Him, we change to His image: “BUT WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR THE GLORY OF THE LORD, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY TO GLORY, JUST AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD" (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV).
It means we should bear His resemblance, because we are the 42nd generation of Him—Christ Jesus (Matthew 1:17).

Isaiah said: " . . . WHO WILL DECLARE HIS GENERATION?" (Isaiah 53:8 NKJV)
The elects, born-again, are the generation of Jesus Christ. We are to declare His generation!

Now, believers gaze at Him to be transformed, conformed to His image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
People do believe chameleon, a reptile, changes colour according to its surroundings. But, it was said: it does not just change colour according to its surroundings; it actually changes to the colour of whatever it gazes fixedly.
If a chameleon fixes Its eyes on a particular thing, the colour of its body changes to the colour of the thing it gazes fixedly.
If we as believers in Christ Jesus fix our eyes on Jesus, we become like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).
As we gaze at Him through His Word, we are transformed to His image from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are admonished in the Book of Hebrews 12 verse 2: “LOOKING UNTO JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH . . . .”
We should learn from Christ Jesus by fixing our eyes on Him, do what He did when He was here on earth (1 John 2:6).

The Psalmist said: “THEY LOOKED TO HIM AND WERE RADIANT, AND THEIR FACES WERE NOT ASHAMED" (Psalm 34:5 NKJV).

Do you resemble Christ Jesus in word and character?
• You can only look like Christ Jesus, resemble Him, by gazing at Him, and that is: by reading, studying and meditating in His Word, and by practicing it (Joshua 1:8; Romans 12:1,2; James 1:21-25),
• It is when you gaze at Him, and you become like Him, that you can be used for His purpose: “NEVERTHELESS THE SOLID FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDS, HAVING THIS SEAL: “THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS,” AND, “LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY” (2 Timothy 2:19 NKJV).

• You become radiant as you behold Christ Jesus through His Word.
• Every filthiness in your life is washed away as you behold Him in His Word.

You will not fail in Jesus’ name. Peace!