The Centrality of Christlikeness

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
(29) For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; (30) and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
(Romans 8:28-30 NASB)

After my first blog entry, I recognized that this idea of ‘that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:12) and the supremacy of Christ being the ‘bottom line measure of all things’ requires some further explanation. As I thought of this further, I recognized that this idea will likely be reinforced in many ways and in many dimensions throughout the life of this blog, Lord willing. So today, let me give a little more explanation regarding what I believe God is telling us in His word, and how I see that guiding future postings.

Philippians 3 has much to tell us on this, so let me begin there:

• ‘I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:14)
• ‘so that I may gain Christ’ (from Philippians 3:8)
• ‘that I may know Him…being conformed to His death’ (from Philippians 3:10)

The prize, the goal, is Christ Himself, namely that we would be like Christ. In a word: Christlikeness.

Which leads to the verses that I opened with today, Romans 8:29-30, around which we notice the phrase, ‘to become conformed to the image of His Son’.

Occasionally I ask my children the following question: ‘What is God’s primary goal for you?’ (By the way, I find this a great question for myself and people of any age!). Reinforced throughout the counsel of Scripture, it is most succinctly put here: ‘to become conformed to the image of His Son’, in a word: Christlikeness.

What is God up to in any given situation? Not to be simplistic, but in all the confusion and pain of life, we can have the rock solid assurance that, more than any thing else, this is what He is up to. Please allow me to explain:

• Can we not doubt that the ‘good’ and the ‘purpose’ that He is speaking about in v.28 is Christlikeness? Can we not doubt that He causes ‘all things’ in our lives for this purpose?
• Look at Isaiah 5:1-4. In speaking of His people Israel, He says in v.4, “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?” In other words, if the purpose of the vineyard is to produce grapes, God is orchestrating everything to maximize that purpose. We recognize from the counsel of Scripture (most notably Galatians 5:22-23) that the fruit God is seeking to produce in our lives is the fruit of the Spirit, in a word: Christlikeness. We have to come to grips with the fact that God would never put anything in our lives that would slow down this process, but in fact would maximize it!
• Look at Romans 8:32. “How will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Having not withheld His own Son on the cross, do we not see that the ‘all things’ that God gives are for our ultimate good, for our Christlikeness? We have to come to grips with the unfathomable generosity of God!

Such is God’s great love for us as His children. Yet, it doesn’t stop there – His love extends to us, in us, and through us to others. Notice what Paul says in Colossians 1:27-29:
‘to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (28) We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. (29) For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.’

Is it your goal to ‘present every man complete in Christ’? This is what God is after, to make Himself known, to conform others into His image. It is the purpose for which we live our lives, the bottom line of all that we do; in a word: Christlikeness.

So, where you work or play this week, know that God is at work in the world around you drawing people to Himself and conforming them into the image of Christ. He calls us to participate fully with Him in this purpose, both that we would become more like Him, and to seek that in others out of ultimate love for them.


May you relate everything you do this week to this wondrous purpose: Christlikeness.