Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– John MacArthur
Seeing Christ in You
If we are getting into the Word, then the Word is getting into us, and the Word has a way of changing us more and more into the image of Christ. Some people may never pick up and read a Bible. You might be the only Bible that they ever see, so it’s so important that your life reflects that of the Son of God and the Word of God. Here’s an example you can think of: The moon is beautiful, but it has no source of light. The only beauty in the moon comes from the sun, and people love seeing moonlight at night. In a similar fashion, we have no beauty in ourselves, but our only source of beauty is the image we reflect from the Son, the Son of God, that is. If people see Jesus being reflected off of us, they might seek to know more about this Christ, so it’s important that we be the image of Christ because that may be the only glimpse of Christ they will ever see.
Seeing the Word in You
If you are consistently in the Word of God, it will change you, and others will notice that change. I ask myself this question: Do people see more of me than they do Christ? If so, I need to be more like Christ so that they will see more of Him and less of me. I don’t want to show them me because they would be disappointed in that, but if they see Christ in me, then they will not be disappointed because they will see Him and not me. Do they see someone who lives out generosity, mercy, cheerfulness, brotherly love, and exhortation (Rom. 12:8-9)? If we love one another, then Jesus says that people will know for sure whether we truly are His disciples (John 13:35). We are commanded to walk worthy of Christ before others (1 Thess. 4:11-12).
Being the Word in Life
If we are really going to display attributes of God, then we will pray for our enemies, we will bless those who persecute us, and we will feed and clothe our enemies, even if they speak all kinds of evil things about us that are not true (Matt. 5:11). There is nothing that confounds our enemies more than to love them when they hate us. They don’t know how to respond to someone they’ve treated with contempt who prays for them, loves them, and asks for God’s blessing on them. If your enemies are hungry and thirsty, feed them and give them a drink, and perhaps their conscience will be stirred within them (Rom. 12:20). Remember that Jesus died for us while we were still His enemies, living a wicked, sinful life (Rom. 5:8, 10). Should we do any less?
Conclusion
God is so good to us that we need to be good to those who don’t yet know Christ because only by the grace of God, there would we still be, right? Strive to live holy, blameless lives so that others will see Christ in you, they will see God’s Word being in you, and they will see the Word of God lived out in you. You might be the only way that they’ll be exposed to the Word of God, to the Son of God, and to the ways of God, all in the hopes that they too might be saved.
