The Ultimate Goal
of the Christian Journey
Lesson 3
Most of us appreciate the value of setting goals.
Successful corporations give credit to setting high
goals and motivating their employers to focus on
achieving them.
People who are successful in their vocations are
driven to acquire the fullest knowledge possible
about their occupation and continually pursue all
new information to stay at the peak of their
qualifications.
Those who desire to have good relations with family,
friends, co-workers, social acquaintances and yes,
fellow Christians are wise to make it a goal to learn
conversation and behavior that nourishes good
relationships.
Likewise, those who have embarked on the Christian
journey by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior are
wise to identify the ultimate goal of the journey and
focus on learning and pursuing the attitudes and
actions that help them reach that goal.
The Ultimate Goal
of the Christian Journey is to be
Shaped into the Likeness of Jesus Christ.
Biblical Confirmation
The apostle Paul gives strong confirmation in
Romans, chapter 8, of God’s ultimate goal:
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He
might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Romans 8:29.
Christians who have been studying the Bible are
probably much more familiar with the previous
verse,
“And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
We are likely to quote this verse when. . .
We get fired from our job
We are diagnosed with serious illnesses
Our house burns down
We experience a campaign of lies and slander
We would experience far more comfort and
encouragement if we would also claim verse 29.
The reason God allows bad experiences to come
into our lives is the same as why He allows great
blessings of joy and happiness.
Everything He allows shapes us to be more like
Jesus.
To truly believe that makes all hurts to be worth it
all.
Biblical Illustration
In 2nd Corinthians 3:4-18, the apostle Paul
compared the
New Covenant of Christ Jesus with the
Mosaic Covenant
to show how the New Covenant has far greater
glory.
At the close he reveals how keeping our eyes on
Jesus transforms us into His likeness.
The Mosaic Covenant:
“But if the ministry of death, written and engraved
on stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel
could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of
the glory of his countenance, which glory was
passing away. . .”
 The New Covenant:
“. . .How will the ministry of the Spirit not be
more glorious?” 3:7, 8.


The Mosaic Covenant: “For if the
ministry of condemnation had glory. . .”

The New Covenant: “The ministry of
righteousness exceeds much more in
glory. 3:9.

The Mosaic Covenant:
“For even what was made glorious had
no glory in this respect…”

The New Covenant:
”. . .Because of the glory that excels.”
3:10.

The Mosaic Covenant: “For if what was
passing away was glorious. . .”

The New Covenant: “. . .What remains
is much more glorious.” “Therefore, since
we have such hope, we use great
boldness of speech---“ 3:11, 12.


The Mosaic Covenant: “. . .Unlike Moses,
who put a veil over his face so that the
children of Israel could not look steadily at the
end of what was passing away. But their
minds were blinded. For until this day the
same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the
Old Testament.
The New Covenant: “. . .Because the veil is
taken away in Christ.” Verses 13, 14.


The Mosaic Covenant: “But even unto
this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies
on their heart.” Verse 15.
The New Covenant: “Nevertheless
when one turns to the LORD, the veil is
taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit;
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty.” Vss 16, 17.
Let us summarize:
1. The Mosaic Covenant was glorious. The Ten
Commandments revealed the holiness,
righteousness, and justice of God. The
sacrifices pictured that God provided a means
for the sins of the people to be covered over
until the sacrifice of Jesus took away the sins of
the world. The Great Commandments reveal
the love all of us are to have towards God and
our fellow man.
2.
Israel was blinded to the true purpose of
God’s law. Why? Because they mistook
the purpose of the law. They believed that
God gave the law so they could save
themselves by keeping the law by works of
righteousness and religious practice. They
entered into a covenant relationship with
God in great confidence.
“All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”.
Exodus 19:8: 24:3.
It is significant that even before Moses
brought the final aspects of the law the
people were worshipping the golden calf
provided by their High Priest, Aaron
(See Exodus 32:1-5)
This was a clear violation of the first two
commandments.
The true purpose of God’s law made clear.
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:19,
20:
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it
says to those who are under the law, that
every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before
God. Therefore by the deeds of the law
no flesh will be justified in His sight for
by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
In the verses that follow we are informed
that we receive the righteousness of God
“through faith in Jesus Christ” and we are
”justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Verses
21-24).
This is what Paul meant when he wrote in
2nd Corinthians 3:16,
“Nevertheless,
when one turns to the Lord
(Jesus), the veil is taken away.”
God’s Supreme Provision To Shape Us
Into The Likeness of Jesus.
“But we all (true believers) with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD,
are being transformed into the same image from
glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.’”
3:18
This verse gives us some great keys for God’s
children to be shaped into the likeness of Jesus.
“But we all. . . “
All true believers are encouraged to unite in The
New Covenant purchased by the sacrifice of
Jesus and sealed by His own blood to pursue
God’s purpose of shaping them into the likeness
of Jesus.
We are inclined to think that pastors, teachers,
evangelists and deacons are to strive to be like
Jesus and the rest of us are exempted from
doing so. The apostle Paul informs us here that
we are all included.
“. . .With unveiled faces. . .”
We should reject the great spiritual blunder of
multitudes in the family of Israel to cover our eyes
so that we cannot see God’s grand purpose for us.
“. . .Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the
LORD. . .”
We are told here to continually gaze into the mirror
God has provided us. Instead of seeing a
reflection of ourselves we see a likeness of the
Lord Jesus in His glory. We are promised that as
we do so we are being transformed into the same
image from (one level of) glory to (a higher level) of
glory by the Spirit of the Lord.
We note that when the apostle Paul wrote this,
mirrors were made of highly polished metal.
They were much less clear than the mirrors we
have today. Verse 14 indicates that the “mirror”
represents the Holy Scriptures.
“But their minds were blinded. For until this day
the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of
the Old Testament, because the veil is not
taken away in Christ.”
When we read the Scriptures we should be
looking for Jesus.
Jesus challenged the Jewish religious
leaders, “You search the Scriptures (Old
Testament) ,for in them you think you have
eternal life; and these are they which
testify of Me.” John 5:39.
Whether we are reading the Old Testament
or the New Testament we should be
looking for Jesus. The Holy Spirit will
help us to see Him in His glory.
As we continue to gaze upon Him the Spirit of God
will transform us from our present level of glory
to a higher level of glory . . .shaping us into the
likeness of Christ.
We are all encouraged to read the
Scriptures and look for Jesus…,
the kind of person He is,
the truths He taught, and
the examples He set.
Then let the Holy Spirit transform us.