Full Christformation in You
(Christformation in you Ministries)
Introduction
Colossians 1:15-20 (New International Version)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Full-Christformation is the fullness of God formed in us.
God the Father was pleased to have all the fullness of God to dwell in Christ our Lord and to reconcile all things to Himself through Christ. God is going to reconcile to Himself all those who are chosen, called and faithful through Christformation in them.
In order to reconcile all things lost in the Garden of Eden to God the Father, Christ became that ‘peace offering’. He redeemed us with this ‘peace offering’ through the atonement on the cross at Calvary. He had no sin in Him but took upon Himself our sins. He redeems us to reconcile us back to God.
As we have read in the verses above, why then did God the Father make the fullness of God dwell in Christ, His only begotten Son? Why was it necessary that the fullness of God dwell in Christ?
The answer to that is “He is the Image of the Invisible God, The Firstborn over all creation so that, all creation will be reconciled to The Heavenly Father through Christ. He is the exact representation of the Heavenly Father to whom we will be reconciled to”.
Hebrews 1:3 (New International Version)
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
In Christ‘s teachings He had said many times that “the Father is in me, and I am in my Father” He also said that “if you have seen me, you have seen my Father in Heaven” Fullness of God dwells in Christ our Lord.
Fullness of God in Christ
Ephesians 3:16-19 (New International Version)
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
The fullness of God is in Christ our Lord. When we are filled with Christ we are filled with God in all His fullness. The “love that surpasses knowledge” is the same love shared between the Father and His only begotten Son. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed for us in John chapter 17 that we may know the Father’s and Christ’s love for each other and be filled with the full width, length, height, and depth of that love. By this way, we will be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Why do we need power to be filled with this love of God?
We need the power of the Holy Spirit in us for full Christformation in us. This is how we know if we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Christformation in us will show if we are filled with that power of God.
John 17:13 (New International Version)
"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit in us to bring about the full measure of the divine nature of Christ. True joy is His nature in us.
John 17:26 (New International Version)
I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
It’s the love of God that brings the fullness of God into us. It does not come any other way. It’s a love relationship of union and communion.
This relationship is born out of the love of God and His Christ’s in us and will grow till this love is fully formed in us. I am not talking about the worldly kind of love which is a counterfeit of the love of God and His Christ’s.
John 14:23 (New International Version)
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
This love for God with all our hearts, minds, soul and physical strength will form Christ in us fully because Christ said that if you love me that much, you will keep my commandments fully.
The Holy Spirit will lead us to full-Christformation in us if we obey God’s commandments out of that love shared abroad in our hearts.
Ephesians 2:18-22 (New International Version)
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
We have access to the Father in heaven by the Holy Spirit through Christ our Lord. With full Christformation in us we become the dwelling of God by His spirit. We see the complete Christformation in us in these verses above. From the Chief Cornerstone, through the joining together and the rising to become the holy temple in the Lord is the pre-vision of full-Christformation in us jointly.
Fullness of His Spirit in us
Fullness of His Spirit in us will lead to full-Christformation in us if we continue obeying the Holy Spirit in us.
When we are full of the Spirit of God we will be led by the Holy Spirit and not our sinful nature. There is a constant war between the divine nature of Christ and the sinful nature in us if you do not put to death the evil nature of Satan. Fullness of the Holy Spirit will cause you to put to death all the misdeeds of the sinful nature in you.
Ephesians 5:17-21 (New International Version)
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We will be sowing into Christformation when we obey the Holy Spirit in us. When we carelessly fill our sinful nature with the pleasures of wine we will be led into debauchery and other sins that will defile us more.
But, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit in you, you will be led by the Spirit into a life of pleasing God the Father and His Christ. Fullness of the Spirit will lead to fullness of Christ in us. When you are filled with Christ you are filled with the Heavenly Father in you too.
If you live half pleasing the Spirit of God and the other half pleasing the sinful nature in you, then how will Christ be formed in you fully?
Imagine yourselves half-exposed or half-dressed, how will your appearance be? You will be ashamed, right?
Galatians 6:7-8 (New International Version)
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
So let’s repent and turn away from a lifestyle of pleasing the sinful nature of Satan in us, instead, let’s please the Holy Spirit in us always. Remember, by sowing to the Spirit, we are sowing into full-Christformation in us. We will reap eternal life, for what we sow we will reap. If we say one thing and sow another thing then we will only reap what we have sown in the end.
John 14:15-21 (New International Version)
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them; he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
“On that day” meaning when Christformation is taking place in us.
Because of that love relationship that leads to full obedience to His word in us we will experience that same love the Father has for His only Son. Our obedience to the Holy Spirit in us will lead to Christ showing himself to us. Full revelation of Himself to us through the Holy Spirit will result in full-Christformation in us.
John 16:12-16 (New International Version)
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
All these things above the Holy Spirit will do in order for full-Christformation in us to take place. While Christformation is happening in us, we will see Christ as He is. He will become clearer and much clearer as He is being formed in us.
So, let us sow into this full-Christformation with the indispensible help of the Holy Spirit in us. Let us not waste any more time while it is still called ‘today’. Let’s fully obey the Holy Spirit for Christ to be formed in us fully.
Fullness of Christ in us
When we are full of the Spirit, the fullness of Christ will grow in us. This Christformation will lead us to full-Christformation, which will bring the fullness of God into us.
Colossians 3:8-15 (New International Version)
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
All those who belong to Christ have to actively get rid of the misdeeds of the sinful nature in us. We have to put them to death voluntarily, only then can we put on the new self, which is Christformation in us which will lead us to full renewal in us meaning , full-Christformation.
The new self which is Christformation in you will fill you with these characteristics of the divine nature of Christ in you, such as, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. All these make up the divine nature of Christ in you and me. Forbearance, forgiveness and the love of Christ will bring the perfect unity that will bind all those who have Christformation in them.
Christformation in them will make the difference with that perfect unity of Christ’s obedient love. Once this love of Christ has filled us, we will be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading in us for full Christformation.
Colossians 2:2-3 (New International Version)
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
The peace of Christ will not rule our hearts until we obey the Holy Spirit fully. In Christ is hidden all the treasures of God and these treasures will fill you through Christformation in you. All wisdom and knowledge is hidden in Christ. The love of Christ that unites all those in whom Christ is being formed will understand the truth that all riches of God are hidden in Christ alone.
For all these riches and treasures in Christ to fill our born again spirit, we will go through ‘painful’ experiences, as in child-birth pains. Apostle Paul said this to the Galatians describing Christformation in us. Only a woman who had delivered a child through normal birth before can describe the actual pains of childbirth, no husband or male gynecologist can.
Galatians 4:19 (New International Version)
My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.
Paul is writing about the full inheritance of Christ in us.
The fullness of Christ inherited in us should be our goal. It will be a painful and difficult process but this is our eternal reward.
But like a woman pregnant with child, the child could be aborted or even face death prematurely. We have to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit in us with our careful walk with the Lord. The promise of the Lord is that if we obey Him and persevere on we will gain Christ fully formed in us. We should throw away everything that hinders full Christformation in us, especially the sinful nature in us that leads us to sin. Do not sow to the sinful nature in you but rather put it to death.
We have to exercise obeying the Holy Spirit in us instead of the sinful nature. We have to train ourselves to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit in us.
Hebrews 5:13-14 (New International Version)
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
God’s word is truth. God’s word is also food to us. God’s word when obeyed forms Christ in us because He is God’s word to us. He is that Word and that Word became flesh and now all flesh that is trained by it will become His Word- that means Christ in you. This is the mystery that the incorruptible Word became flesh and now all flesh that are trained by it, be clothed with the incorruptible Word through Christformation in them. This will please the Heavenly Father when all flesh that obey Him become like Him in all things.
Colossians 3:16 (New International Version)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
The word of God will not only train us but will also train others around us with the testimony of that word in you. The testimony of the word is the testimony of Christ in you.
Conclusion
Full-Christformation will only happen in those you find the fullness of God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. They will make their home in us only when we fully obey His word in us.
The Holy Spirit has been sent from the Heavenly Father through Christ our Lord for the purpose of full Christformation in us. We must obey Him fully on earth. He leads us to full Christformation in us for the glory of the Father in Heaven.
Written by Ronald K.Pillai
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