Today, join Dr. Greg Gifford as he goes to Scripture to give a few examples of what it looks like to behold God in such a way that it spurs on change.
The Framework
Throughout the Bible, a clear pattern of giving imperatives emerges. Many of the commands of Scripture are preceded by a statement about the very nature of God. Focusing on God’s character rather than just the imperative itself gives the “why” behind carrying out the commands the LORD has given us. We are to live out these commands as a way to spiritually imitate God the Father. However, that necessitates that we must know who He is and behold His glory. As we continue to behold Him, we will be able to reflect Him better and better.
Forgive One Another
Ephesians 4 concludes with the command to forgive one another “just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you” (LSB). Why do we forgive one another? It is not just because God has told us to forgive, but because He Himself forgave us. When we are tempted to be unforgiving toward one another, we must dwell on the work that God in Christ has done for us. The struggle to forgive others necessitates the need to behold the glory of God and His forgiveness toward His people.
Love One Another
1 John 4:7 lays out another command of Scripture: to love one another. Once again, we should feel compelled to love one another not just because God commands it of us, but because we have also seen Him carry out His own commandment. God first loved us by sending His one and only Son to be the propitiation for our sins, despite us not deserving it. Similarly, Luke 6:35 commands us to love our enemies. How can we even begin to love our enemies? By understanding how God loves His enemies. As believers, we were once enemies of God, and He loved us first.
The Principle
Many of us live simply in the imperatives of Scripture, but have never once paused to evaluate the character of God as it pertains to those imperatives. His character informs the imperatives, giving them meaning. Someone can sit and memorize every command every hour of the day, and yet, there is no transformation without beholding the God behind the command. Here’s the key: Behold. Be Like.
In the final episode, Dr. Gifford will bring everything together and wrap up the answer to the question, “How do we change?”. This blog post captures the essence of Dr. Greg Gifford’s series on the question “How Do We Change?”. You may click on the video above to hear more insightful details about how the pursuit of Christ brings about true change. Dr. Gifford is the Chair of the Undergraduate School of Biblical Counseling as well as a Biblical Counseling Professor for The Master’s University traditional on-campus program.
