Portrayals of Christ formed in believers

The Galatian believers

Paul says he travails in birth again for his disciples in Galatia until Christ be formed in them. He was concerned about the Galatian believers who started in the spirit but ended up in the flesh. They were born again by the Spirit and the Word of God but were influenced by the legalistic Judaizers to get circumcised and to keep the law again. Paul asked: ‘who has bewitched you?’ They also stopped following Paul and his teaching and clung to the false teachers who told them Paul was a false apostle. Paul’s tone in this epistle is one of deep affection and strong emotion. He gave birth to spiritual children who now rejects him and he experiences anguish about them.

Paul immediately started praying seriously for them hoping that Christ in them would be manifested outwardly in their daily lives. This is a work of transformation that only the Spirit of God can do by the Word of God that abides in them. It is not a matter of self-effort.

The meaning of ‘form’

The word ‘form’ is ‘morphoo’ in Greek and that speaks of giving outward expression of an inward nature. (Wuest) We use the English word ‘form’ when we say, ‘I went to watch tennis yesterday. The winning player was in excellent form.’ The outward expression of his inward ability helped him to win the match.

When Jesus Christ was transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration the same basic word, ‘metamorfeo’ was used to describe his supernatural change. His inward reality of being one with God beamed out to make his clothes shine like armor and his face shine like the sun. A cloud of glory enveloped him and his 3 disciples, Peter, James & John.

Jesus’ transformation

Two men appeared in this glorious moment to speak to him about his decease that He still had to accomplish in Jerusalem for the sake of those who would later on believe in Him. Those two men were Elijah and Moses, both who were supernaturally transported from earth to heaven instead of dying normal deaths. They were taken up by God and could therefore descend again to fulfill the will of God.

Jesus lived His earthly life to perfection by obeying His heavenly Father in everything and perfectly pleasing Him so that His inner reality became greater than his flesh or his body. He could have gone to heaven at that point, just like Moses & Elijah, but if He did, He would have gone alone without us. He still had to accomplish something extremely important on earth: giving His life as a ransom for many. He still had to be crucified and shed His blood as remission for all our sins. Then God would resurrect Him and give Him an eternal body that would never be destroyed.

That new body could eat fish and honey, but it could move through walls and travel great distances at a moment’s notice. It is His glorified body – the kind we will receive when Christ returns and we are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when our co