Is anyone
good?
“As it is
written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands,
there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have
become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
What does
the unsaved person think of the message of the cross?
“For the
word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God.”
(1 Corinthians 1:18)
Why do
the unsaved view the gospel as foolishness?
“And even
if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case
the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might
not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of
God.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
What
happens when the veil is removed?
“But
whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is
the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 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 from the
Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians
3:16-18)
The only way a mirror
is effective is when the lights are on.
What
(Who) is the source of the Light?
“For God,
who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
What
should our response be when we behold God in the light of His Word and reflect
on the truth?
“I am the
vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me,
and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart
from Me you can do nothing.” (John
15:5)
“For if
anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at
this natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away,
he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks
intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but
an effectual doer, this
man shall be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25)
When we reflect
on His truth and walk in obedience, we are promised three things. We will:
· Be transformed into His
image (2 Cor. 3:18)
· Bear much fruit (John 15:5)
· Be blessed (James 1:25)