Making Your Calling and Election Sure Through Christformation In You.
2 Peter 1:3-11 (New International Version)
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Only the called, chosen and faithful of Christ and God our Father, will make every effort towards making their calling and election sure through Christformation in themselves. The ‘careless ones’ as in the Parable of the Ten Virgins would not even have a clue of what it is to have Christformation in themselves. By that time, when they would have discovered the need to, while they are still busy with the things of the world, it will be too late for them to return to Christformation in themselves.
What were the ‘wise virgins’ faithful with, you may ask? Faithful in making every effort to add to their faith full Christformation in themselves.
Full Christformation is the full formation of the divine natures of Christ in you. This is the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated in you, in spite of all the trials and tribulations of your faith which you had to endure patiently with His strength till the end.
This requires perseverance on your part to hold on to all of God’s unfailing promises given to you through Christ Jesus our Lord. You will have to make every continual effort to escape or overcome the corruption of this world caused by the evil desires of the sinful nature.
Overcoming of the sinful nature, one by one, will pave the way for the divine natures of Christ to be formed in you. The hunger and thirst for Christformation must be answered. Every effort is to be made to resist the sinful nature in order to be filled with the divine nature of Christ. This sinful nature is the nature of the Devil (Satan) that was sown into Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It’s the ‘fruit’ of the ‘Tree of Death’ that they disobediently chose to eat from. They spiritually died at that same moment they disobeyed God.
We, who are born of Christ, must put to death the misdeeds of the sinful nature of the Devil in us by the power of the Holy Spirit within to circumcise away that ‘foreskin’ of our hearts. The sinful nature is the ‘foreskin’ of our heart.
Following that circumcision, we must make every effort to be filled with the divine nature of Christ by actively adding these eternal qualities of Christ into our born again spirit through our personal obedience to the Holy Spirit here while on earth.
This divine nature of Christ formed in us will affect while
transforming our souls and finally our bodies with that incorruptible body, corresponding to the degree Christ has been formed in our born again spirit and soul through our active “asking, seeking and knocking”. These active asking, seeking and knocking is meant more for eternal things and this is what apostle Paul meant by urging us to “make every effort”. and “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”. In the book of James we are encouraged to work towards “the salvation of our souls”.
Make Every Effort
The Holy Spirit of God will remind us about all the promises in Christ our Lord, so that through these great promises, every fulfillment of full Christformation in us will happen without any hindrance, as we obey His leading and guidance and not be willfully rebellious against Him by breaking God’s commandments.
“Making every effort” is actively “putting to death the misdeeds of the sinful nature” while actively “adding” to our faith in Christ into our born again spirit with all the eternal divine natures of Christ.
This involves a lot of alertness on our part and active resistance to the sinful nature and the Evil One who goes around “prowling” on those who are caught off-guard, those ignorant of the evil schemes of the Devil and its demons on this earth to pollute and corrupt continually.
If your life is controlled by the sinful nature, the devil has a gripping hold on you and it seeks to take total control over you so that you are hindered from being filled with the divine nature of Christ.
The Devil seeks to take control of your thoughts and actions through the sinful nature in you, that is, if you keep yielding to it. The Holy Spirit in you who is greater than the evil power of the sinful nature in you will “help” you overcome the urge of pleasing the sinful nature only if you completely obey His voice and leading in you.
If you are half-hearted about obeying God’s commandments, then it is you who will suffer the consequences of the Evil One having its control over you. Allowing the Devil to have control over your life is a sure pathway to eternal destruction.
Mark 7:20-23 (New International Version)
He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "
The Lord Jesus Christ said that from within the hearts of men come all these sins that defile your spirit, soul and body. From within the heart meaning that; there is a part of that heart that needs circumcision, a” throwing away” of that which has been sowed by the Devil (Satan) - its ‘sinful nature’ through Adam and Eve.
The long list of evils that come from the sinful nature will make you unclean in God’s sight, if you willfully continue yielding to its temptation. This “unclean” state is referred to as “spiritual death” by the writer of the book of James as in:
James 1:13-15 (New International Version)
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
God does not tempt us to sin but the sinful nature which is the “fruit” of the Devil, does tempt us with all the evil desires embedded in that evil nature. This evil nature is also referred to as the “earthly nature” by the apostle Paul in the book of Philippians.
This evil “fruit” is only grown in this world because the Devil and its demons were thrown like “lightning” to this earth. This earth has become the temporary “home” for the Devil and its demons until their eternal damnation takes effect at the glorious “blessed hope” which is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth to defeat the Devil and its demons.
These evil desires found in the new “home”, the earthly nature, will entice and drag you to sin. We call this the ‘urge to sin’. When this urge to sin grows inside of us after we have yielded to its temptations, it gives birth to sin. This same sin will not leave us easily but will seek to “grow” from one sin to another inside of us.
For example, evil thoughts will grow into sexual immorality; sexual immorality will grow into all other kinds of sexual sins such as; adultery, lewdness and to cover up these sins you may commit deceit, malice, folly, lies and even murder. We have seen these happen before.
On the other hand, greed for money, position or social status may grow into covetousness and covetousness into idolatry, as something you have ‘treasured above God’. In these situations, you will not hesitate to kill or destroy the hopes of others to illicitly climb above others in status or position. That’s why this is called the “earthly nature”.
It may sound harmless to you, but it is deadly. This earthly nature is deadly, because sin, when it is “fully grown” gives birth to death.
Romans 8:13 (New International Version)
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
For the wages of continual sinning is death. If you continue to live according the sinful nature and not put its misdeeds to death by your obedience to the leading, guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit in you, than you will “surely die”. God’s rule in the Garden of Eden still holds for you, if you eat the “fruit” from that tree of death, you will die.
You will not die if you eat from the Tree of Life that the Heavenly Father has sent to us. We will live an everlasting life in Christ if we continually “eat and drink” Him. But first, the sinful nature must be circumcised by the Spirit of God in us.
There is constant battle in us if we continue to yield to the temptations of the sinful nature. We must put it to death. “Throw away “these evil desires and start “eating” from the Tree of Life, who is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, Himself. We must choose to “eat” His divine nature instead which is, His eternal “fruit”. The word”eat” here means, filling our lives with Christ’s divine nature in increasing measure.
These eternal qualities in 2 Peter chapters 1 are the divine nature of Christ that is to be “added” or formed in us fully. Only then shall we become effective and productive testimony of Christ in God the Father’s eyes.
These qualities which are the divine nature of Christ are formed in us with increasing measure as we obey the Holy Spirit bringing about full Christformation in us.
As You “ADD”, SUBTRACT too.
As you add these qualities of Christ’s divine nature in you, through the power of the Holy Spirit by way of obeying Him fully, you would need to subtract away ‘one by one’ everything of the sinful nature of the Devil which was sowed through Adam and Eve in that Garden of Eden. We have to actively subtract away this evil nature with all its misdeeds and only then will we become overcomers in Christ or else we will remain defiled forever.
God allows sufferings into our lives as a means of subtracting away the sinful nature of the Devil, only if we are humble enough to accept and learn obedience to God through those sufferings.
Peter 4:1-6 (New International Version)
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
The Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered in His body and learnt obedience to God the Father in that human body, is being formed in us and that same attitude and humility, will surely be found in those in whom Christformation is happening. They will be ‘armed’ with that same mind and be ready to go through all kinds of trials and testings of their faith.
We are obligated to live according to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit; if Christ is to be formed in us fully. This is living for the will of God.
We do not live according to the human or earthly desires when we have willfully chosen Christformation in us.
We will suffer much in this world when we choose Christformation in us. Others who wallow in their earthly desires around you
will think it strange that you have chosen that path and will ridicule and discourage you. A word of caution tough, these attacks may come from your close family members too. Do not be disheartened but continue with your complete obedience to the Holy Spirit in you.
Trust all of God’s promises through Christ for you and you will inherit Christ fully.
Romans 8:12-17 (New International Version)
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Remember, you will “die” and not be heirs of eternal life in Christ if you continue to be obligated to the sinful nature of the Devil and willfully refuse the sufferings that come the way of Christformation in you.
We will become “more than conquerors” when we turn others from sin and lead others to the path of Christformation in them too.
Christformation in “Increasing Measure”
We often think what will be the eternal use of all the trials and testings we go through while on earth. All these sufferings produces perseverance and perseverance leads to hope and hope leads to obedience to God our Lord.
We have to learn obedience through our sufferings. Each one of His called, chosen and faithful ones will have to learn obedience to God. This obedience to God will be necessary in the new heavens and the new earth. This earth is where we will learn obedience to God through Christ.
Christ our Lord is the Firstborn of God and the perfect example for obedience. We must be like Him in our obedience to God. In order for us to be fully like Him in our obedience to God the Father, full Christformation must take place in us. The Holy Spirit fully helps us with this.
In increasing measure, Christ’s obedience will be formed in us fully if we obey the leading of the Holy Spirit fully. If obedience to God was only thirty percent, then you will be ‘clothed’ only with thirty percent of Christformation in you.
Hebrews 3:1-6 (New International Version)
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Possessing all these qualities of Christ is Christformation in you. It is not that easy possessing them. It requires obedience on our part, yes full obedience to God. To possess is to guard. You will have to guard Christformation in you like you guard a valuable possession. You will not trade it for anything else in this world.
With Christformation in you, you will be productive and profitable to God’s eternal Kingdom.
All the eternal natures of Christ formed in you through obedience to the Holy Spirit will be of great use in God’s Kingdom, that is if, with the same obedience you have learnt from Christ our Lord. There is no short-cuts. Remember what the Lord Jesus Christ said in
John 10:1-10 (New International Version)
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Conclusion
Full Christformation is what God desires in His chosen, called and faithful children. We have to make our calling and election sure with full Christformation in us with our complete obedience to the Holy Spirit who leads us to all Truth- that is, Christ himself. Christ is Truth. The Spirit who leads us to Him is the Spirit of Truth. God is Truth.
In order to participate in the divine nature of Christ we must escape from the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Let’s subtract the sinful old self from us and “add” on our new self in Christ by allowing full Christformation in us with goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love which is the eternal nature of Christ in us.
Obedience to God the Holy Spirit forms the most important part of Christformation in us.
Without obedience to God, there is no Christformation in you.
Written by Ronald K.Pillai: for Christformation in you Ministries.
