Jesus Christ saves us from our sins—but he doesn't leave us there. In many and varied ways, the Bible speaks* of our need, ability (through Christ), and mechanisms God uses, to transform our lives. In Changed into His Likeness, J. Gary Millar surveys the Scriptures and historical theology to develop a robust biblical theology of personal transformation. He argues that the Bible articulates the following theology in this area:
- Humans are created in the image of God as complex, relational beings. As a result of the fall, every part of us is damaged; and, as a result, failure and frustration are our universal experience.
- God's long-term, covenantal commitment to change and restore every part of our being is unwavering, but in the Old Testament this transformation remains a future prospect.
- With the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, change becomes a reality for those who are united to Christ by faith, as as the Spirit does his work. Through the gospel, the Spirit brings us to life through faith (making us 'positionally holy'), awakening a new desire for him and knowledge of him, and then continues his work of remaking us in the image of Christ throughout our lives.
- Through our personal meditation on the Bible (guided by our conscience, which is being restored), hearing the Word preached, seeing it illustrated in the sacraments and lived out in the context of the church, and being driven back to the gospel through the fullness of our lived experience (including suffering), God advances his work in us.
- This process is often painful, always gradual and is immeasurably rich, as we live a life of continuing repentance and faith (or mortification and vivification).
- This process of transformation continues in every Christian as we press on, until we go to be with Christ or he returns in glory. Then we will be like him.
We could perhaps summarize the summary: "we are created by God, are much-loved children of God and are being transformed to enjoy life with him for ever." And "the way to be transformed, then, is to meditate on the word, respond to it in repentance and faith, and to keep going to the end," recognizing that to do so, we need both God (Philippians 2:13, John 15:5) and each other (Ephesians 4:11-16): "the church is the context in which (and a means by which) God transforms us."
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This is a great book. Millar does a good job surveying and summarizing both the Scriptures and thinkers throughout the ages. As there are different facets to change, sometimes it felt (necessarily) repetitive or overlapping, but such is needed to fully flesh out the nuances. As with the only other book I've read in this series so far, this is a winner.
Rating: A
*see Romans 8:28-29, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:1-10, Philippians 2:12-13, and Philippians 1:6 among others
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