A Transformation of Character
By Harry Armstrong
THE good news of the power of God unto salvation presents to every one the glorious possibility of a complete transformation from a life of sinfulness to a life of sinlessness. The standard is a high one, reaching even unto perfection, and can be gained, not by looking at self and circumstances, but by looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. “Ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh with no other purpose before him than to do the will of his Father in taking away sin from sinful flesh. “And thou shalt call his name Jesus,” said the angel; “for he shall save his people from their sins.” Observe that this salvation does not save a man to sin, that he may keep on sinning, but from sin, and therefore from sinning. That is to say, the power of God through Jesus Christ can separate man from his sin, destroying the sin, but saving the man, restoring unto him his sonship. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. . . . Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” “For we shall see him as he is,” says the apostle. But that which alone can make it possible for us to see him as he is, will be a complete transformation from what we are, to what he is,—a transformation of character, which means a removing of sin, of every sin, so that the glory of his presence may be seen in us and upon us, as the royal, priestly garment of a sinless life. The pure, white lily of the field, that knows no spot or stain, is a perfect pattern of heavenly glory. “Consider the lilies of the field,” says the Great Teacher, “how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Observe the contrast: the glory of the lily is the garment of its purity of life unfolding10from within, while that of King Solomon consisted merely of an outward show of power, which possibly, oftentimes, barely sufficed to cover and hide his inward weakness. “Seek ye my face,” says Christ. And the heart that responds, saying, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek,” will be led out of the busy street,—from man,—into the quiet field where God reveals the power of transformation in tree, bush, and flower. And there “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” By beholding him we become changed from what we are to what he is. “We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is,” and “our God is a consuming fire.” After Moses had given a manifestation of his own way of delivering Israel from Egypt, by smiting the Egyptian, the Lord desired to make his way known unto Moses. And that he might do this, he led Moses into the quietude of the wilderness, that he might there receive an education that would qualify him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Ex. 3: 1–5. The bush, being passive in the hand of its Creator, allowed the glory of his presence to be seen in it, and it burned with fire. It not only burned with fire,—that would have been a common thing,—but it was not consumed. Moses saw it, and was attracted to it, saying, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush.” Now just as the Lord revealed himself in that bush in the wilderness, even so will he reveal himself in every member of the human family, that is passive in the hands of his Creator. For God will have a people in whom he can dwell in all his glorious fullness, and through whom he can flash forth the rays of his divine presence; and when God can thus manifest himself through his people, those who are wandering in the wilderness of sin will be attracted, like Moses, by the fire of his presence, and will “turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt;” and when they turn aside to see, God will speak to them out of the midst of his people, just as he did out of the midst of the bush, saying, “The place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Then shall sinners turn and reverence the Lord, and magnify his holy name, when they shall see him dwelling in his people in the perfection of his own character—even as he is.