Transformation, metamorphosis: The gospel mystery now being revealed: Part 2

In the previous post, (I will place a link to it at the bottom of this one,) I began explaining the transformation process. By that, I mean the supernatural way that the Holy Spirit transforms the saint through the gospel of grace. I want to emphasize once again for the sake of clarity that the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of God, the gospel of Christ is the gospel of grace as explained by the Apostle Paul. There is no other gospel. This is to combat those who insist that the gospel is more than the forgiveness of sin by the death, burial and most importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Rom 12:1-2 NRSV  "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  (2)  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect."

"A mystery now being revealed" is part of the title of this post. The mystery that is now being revealed, illuminated... is best explained by the difference between conforming and being transformed. Conforming is something that one does themselves, and transforming is something that happens without the effort of the person. When you look at the word meaning for the original intended audience in the New Testament passage above, the difference becomes distinct and clear. Conform is the Greek word, is συσχηματίζω, suschēmatizō it means to fashion oneself. Transform is μεταμορφόω, metamorphoō it means change, transfigure, transform and is an action that is from a force outside of the person being transformed.

The illumination of the mystery previously not known stems from not properly understanding the transformation process. The question that needs answering is how is the saint transformed? What is the transforming agent? Well the obvious answer is the Holy Spirit is that agent, but how does the Holy Spirit bring about the change, the transformation? This is the mystery that is now being revealed/illuminated. Current evangelical/orthodox doctrine and dogma does not give and answer to the how. It is heretofore a mystery. Oh, there have been explanations but they are not satisfactory because they really do not explain the how. The conventional evangelical/orthodox explanation is that the Holy Spirit, spiritually enables the transformation. This explanation still leaves a mystery. The mystery is exactly how does the Holy Spirit do this?

Here is the illuminated explanation of the transformation process. The Holy Spirit uses the message of the gospel of grace to transform the individual. The Holy Spirit enables one to believe the gospel. Believing the gospel message brings peace with the Father. The way it brings peace with the Father is by explaining that one is justified before God by the faith of Jesus Christ. Rom 5:1 NRSV  "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," This is one of the most important concepts that Paul gets across to the saint.

The fact is that people are justified by the faith/faithfulness of Christ. Gal 2:16 NET  Gal 2:16  yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. I had to use the NET version of the bible for this scripture passage because only the NET, KJV, and the YLT render it faith of Christ. I can assure you, with my limited understanding of Greek that it is faith of and not faith in Christ. The other versions render it faith in Christ for theological and not grammatical reasons as in the Greek text it is most definitely the faith of Christ and not faith in Christ. You can draw your own conclusions as to why they changed it to faith in Christ. In any case, it has added to the perpetuation of the mystery. Once one realizes that they are justified before God by the faith OF Christ or Christ's faith, rather than ones faith in Christ, the dynamic changes drastically. Understanding this fact is truly a catalyst for having peace with God. The peace comes from the realization that justification is something that God did in Christ separate from other human effort.

Peace with God is the first step the Holy Spirit uses in the transformation process. The second is love for God. By this I mean genuine love for God absent fear. The apostle John explained it this way. 1Jn 4:10 NRSV  "in this is the love, not that we loved God, but that He did love us, and did send His Son a propitiation for our sins." It is peace with God based on justification because of the faith of Jesus that causes real love for God. It does so by being perfect love, God's love agape. It is God's perfect love that works in the transformation process. 1Jn 4:18 NRSV  "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." Being justified by the faith of Christ reduces fear of punishment. The gospel of grace sets the mind of the saint at ease with regard to being acceptable and pleasing to God. Unconditional forgiveness is the second thing that the Holy Spirit uses to bring about transformation. 

For the transformation to properly take place it is necessary for the saint to hear the gospel message over and over. The gospel is what the Holy Spirit uses to supernaturally transform the saint from fear of God to love for God. This is the source of real transformation. Unfortunately, because it has been a mystery, the saint has been left to conform to the Christian life by trying to do it on their own with a read and do mentality, and an explanation that if they read and do, the Holy Spirit will enable them in their doing. That is not the function of the Holy Spirit. The read and do mentality makes the saint a victim of having their spirit killed by the letter, and unfortunately, there are not many congregations and denominations that bring the spirit back to life with the gospel message.

So what is the answer to this dilemma? The answer is for those who are the responsible leadership in congregations, denominations and assemblies, to make sure that the gospel of grace is proclaimed every-time the believers meet. I have preached the gospel to many different assemblies in my life, and I have never met a seasoned saint who told me that they did not need to hear the gospel. Rather, they rejoice and are re-invigorated spiritually every time they hear it. For what it is worth, in 20 some years of preaching, I have never stood before a congregation without making the gospel of Christ my main focus. The result has always been the same. There is spiritual rejoicing and spiritual rejuvenation that takes place every time. One can include the blessings of Abraham, prosperity, healing along with the gospel as they are natural outflows from believing the gospel. I have done that often, but always, the main focus was the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel that explains that God was IN Jesus Christ, reconciling the WORLD to Himself. He imputed the sin of the world to Jesus in the cross event, and He imputed the righteousness of Jesus perfect faith to all who believe the gospel.

How much clearer can I make it?

Link to part one
https://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/2019/10/transformation-metamorphosis-gospel_20.html