The miracle of spiritual metamorphosis from a new-Christian caterpillar to a mature Christian butterfly does not happen through an unconscious chemical processes while inside a cocoon (church), but only through the conscious consideration and meditation of truth. Becoming is not automatic, it requires effort and determination. The Scripture is full of men and women, who are immature in their capacities for spiritual “flight” and yet are spoken to as responsible persons. The messengers of God speak to them with persuasions, evidences, exhortations, commands, warnings, promises and incentives—that they should be mature and flying! Becoming is simply the process of maturing in Christ – changing more and more into His image. This change is not an option but is commanded in scripture (Hebrews 6:1).
Christian maturity takes place when the people of God learn to treasure Jesus Christ above all things thus bringing God the greatest glory. Even the reality of our pain and losses in this life are always a test of how much we treasure the all-satisfying God in comparison to what we have just lost (See Dt 8:3 and Ps 66:10-12). This treasuring occurs as we “taste and see that the Lord is good”. The most important issue for our day is: how do these perfections and truths of God come to be known and loved by His people? The answer is that the perfections of God are to be known by the mind and relished by the heart. Therefore, if God is to receive all the glory, all becoming —all conversions and changes—must come about by addressing the mind and the will of new-Christians with the compelling truth and beauty of the person of Jesus Christ.
It is not enough to simply think right thoughts. Being a Christian does not mean merely believing with our head that Christ died for us. It means "being constrained" by the love shown in that act. The truth must press in on us; it grips and holds; it impels and controls. It surrounds us and won't let us run from it. A Christian is a person living under the constraint of Christ's love.
But that constraint comes from a "judgment" that we make about Christ's death: "When he died, I died." Since the sin of Adam was legally and effectively the sin of his race; so the death of Christ was legally and effectively the death of his people. And since our death has already happened, we do not bear the condemnation of our sin (Romans 8:1-3). That is the essence of the love of Christ for us. Through his own undeserved death, he died our well-deserved death, and opened his future as our future. That truth must move from the head to grip the heart. That can only happen through a personal encounter with the one who has done it. How shall we not live for the one who died our death that we might live by his life! Hodge puts it like this:
“A Christian is one who recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, as God manifested in the flesh, loving us and dying for our redemption; and who is so affected by a sense of the love of this incarnate God as to be constrained to make the will of Christ the rule of his obedience, and the glory of Christ the great end for which he lives.”
This change of heart and life is the essence of what it means to “become”. It means becoming all that Christ died to free us to be. It means finding our greatest satisfaction and joy in being what we were made to be. It is a new affection powered by a transformed mind. It means serving Him from delight and not from duty. Duty without delight is the essence of being a Pharisee.
1. The necessity of “becoming” does not nullify grace.“Becoming” is based squarely on the pardon of grace. “Becoming” demonstrates the power of grace. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul said, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain but I worked harder than any of them. Nevertheless it was not I but the grace of God which is with me." Grace is not only the pardon that passes over our sin; it is also the power that produces our becoming. Yes my effort is required but it is “He who works in me to will and to do for His pleasure.” Anything else is simply a work that will produce nothing.
2. The necessity of “becoming” does not contradict justification by faith alone.
Justification is on the basis of Christ's work alone. This is the foundation of sanctification--not the other way around. The only sin we can fight against successfully is a forgiven sin. Without a once-for-all justification through Christ, the only thing that our striving for change produces is despair or self-righteousness.
The work of God in justification does not make the work of God in sanctification optional. The Bible doesn't say that forgiveness makes holiness optional. It doesn't make it optional, it makes it possible. The God who justifies also sanctifies. The faith that justifies also satisfies--it satisfies the human heart and frees it from the deceptive satisfactions of sin. “Becoming” is fueled by the power of a new affection. That is why justification and the process of sanctification always go together. They both come from the same faith. “Becoming” finds satisfaction in Christ and so is weaned away from the satisfactions of sin.
3. The necessity of “becoming” does not destroy assurance.
The immature Christian might reason like this: if some measure of holy living is required and if it cannot be precisely quantified--if you can't tell me exactly how much is necessary--then that requirement will always leave me unsure if I have enough. So any requirement for holiness, change or obedience at all destroys my assurance.
This is not the reasoning of the Bible. The Bible states that there is a "holiness without which we will not see the Lord" and we are told in Hebrews 12:14 to "pursue" it. This does not imply that this pursuit/change destroys assurance. The reason it doesn't is God's commitment to sanctify us--to make us as holy as we need to be in this life--is as sure as His work in saving us. What gives us assurance in this matter is not primarily focusing on the measure of our holiness, but on the measure of God's faithfulness to do the sanctifying work he promises to do.
In conclusion: I will “become” all that He wants me to be as I yield my life and abide in Him (John 15). I will become as I take His yoke and learn from Him and am transformed by the renewing of my mind. I become as I encounter God in such a way as I find Him irresistible and He becomes the reason I live. All change must occur in the affections or it will not last nor glorify God. Anything else falls short of His design.
Christian maturity takes place when the people of God learn to treasure Jesus Christ above all things thus bringing God the greatest glory. Even the reality of our pain and losses in this life are always a test of how much we treasure the all-satisfying God in comparison to what we have just lost (See Dt 8:3 and Ps 66:10-12). This treasuring occurs as we “taste and see that the Lord is good”. The most important issue for our day is: how do these perfections and truths of God come to be known and loved by His people? The answer is that the perfections of God are to be known by the mind and relished by the heart. Therefore, if God is to receive all the glory, all becoming —all conversions and changes—must come about by addressing the mind and the will of new-Christians with the compelling truth and beauty of the person of Jesus Christ.
It is not enough to simply think right thoughts. Being a Christian does not mean merely believing with our head that Christ died for us. It means "being constrained" by the love shown in that act. The truth must press in on us; it grips and holds; it impels and controls. It surrounds us and won't let us run from it. A Christian is a person living under the constraint of Christ's love.
But that constraint comes from a "judgment" that we make about Christ's death: "When he died, I died." Since the sin of Adam was legally and effectively the sin of his race; so the death of Christ was legally and effectively the death of his people. And since our death has already happened, we do not bear the condemnation of our sin (Romans 8:1-3). That is the essence of the love of Christ for us. Through his own undeserved death, he died our well-deserved death, and opened his future as our future. That truth must move from the head to grip the heart. That can only happen through a personal encounter with the one who has done it. How shall we not live for the one who died our death that we might live by his life! Hodge puts it like this:
“A Christian is one who recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, as God manifested in the flesh, loving us and dying for our redemption; and who is so affected by a sense of the love of this incarnate God as to be constrained to make the will of Christ the rule of his obedience, and the glory of Christ the great end for which he lives.”
This change of heart and life is the essence of what it means to “become”. It means becoming all that Christ died to free us to be. It means finding our greatest satisfaction and joy in being what we were made to be. It is a new affection powered by a transformed mind. It means serving Him from delight and not from duty. Duty without delight is the essence of being a Pharisee.
1. The necessity of “becoming” does not nullify grace.“Becoming” is based squarely on the pardon of grace. “Becoming” demonstrates the power of grace. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul said, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain but I worked harder than any of them. Nevertheless it was not I but the grace of God which is with me." Grace is not only the pardon that passes over our sin; it is also the power that produces our becoming. Yes my effort is required but it is “He who works in me to will and to do for His pleasure.” Anything else is simply a work that will produce nothing.
2. The necessity of “becoming” does not contradict justification by faith alone.
Justification is on the basis of Christ's work alone. This is the foundation of sanctification--not the other way around. The only sin we can fight against successfully is a forgiven sin. Without a once-for-all justification through Christ, the only thing that our striving for change produces is despair or self-righteousness.
The work of God in justification does not make the work of God in sanctification optional. The Bible doesn't say that forgiveness makes holiness optional. It doesn't make it optional, it makes it possible. The God who justifies also sanctifies. The faith that justifies also satisfies--it satisfies the human heart and frees it from the deceptive satisfactions of sin. “Becoming” is fueled by the power of a new affection. That is why justification and the process of sanctification always go together. They both come from the same faith. “Becoming” finds satisfaction in Christ and so is weaned away from the satisfactions of sin.
3. The necessity of “becoming” does not destroy assurance.
The immature Christian might reason like this: if some measure of holy living is required and if it cannot be precisely quantified--if you can't tell me exactly how much is necessary--then that requirement will always leave me unsure if I have enough. So any requirement for holiness, change or obedience at all destroys my assurance.
This is not the reasoning of the Bible. The Bible states that there is a "holiness without which we will not see the Lord" and we are told in Hebrews 12:14 to "pursue" it. This does not imply that this pursuit/change destroys assurance. The reason it doesn't is God's commitment to sanctify us--to make us as holy as we need to be in this life--is as sure as His work in saving us. What gives us assurance in this matter is not primarily focusing on the measure of our holiness, but on the measure of God's faithfulness to do the sanctifying work he promises to do.
In conclusion: I will “become” all that He wants me to be as I yield my life and abide in Him (John 15). I will become as I take His yoke and learn from Him and am transformed by the renewing of my mind. I become as I encounter God in such a way as I find Him irresistible and He becomes the reason I live. All change must occur in the affections or it will not last nor glorify God. Anything else falls short of His design.
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