What do you see when you look in the mirror? Who is that person staring back at you? What is going on in his or her mind will and heart?
For the believer, who we are is dependent on how much of the Word of God we have living inside of us. When we look into the natural mirror we see the human being, the person we’ve always been as far as the shell of our being is concerned. The outer person is indicative of what is taking place on the inside.
But there’s another side to us that isn’t necessarily reflected in the natural, glass mirror, but can be seen when we look into the spiritual mirror. In this reflection we can see the image of Christ in our lives. We are looking into the perfect law of liberty.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
1 Corinthians 13:12
The Word reflected
Paul is talking about the mirror reflection of the Word of God. When we look into it we see who we are in Christ. When we look away we see the natural world. How much of the reflection of Christ do we retain when we look away?
Paul, speaking of the veil that was over Israel through their inability to face the Mosaic Law, the Old Testament, spoke of the New Testament as a mirror where the veil was removed so that we can see more clearly who we are and what we can achieve through the Spirit of Christ.
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. But we all, 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.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18
Our face is no longer veiled to the presence of God, but we have been welcomed into the secret place of the Most High, beyond the veil, where we can see who He is, and His glory can be reflected in our faces.
Hidden
Moses had been in the presence God for so long when receiving the tablets of stone from the Almighty that his face shun with God’s glory when he returned to Israel with the Ten Commandments.
He glowed so brightly with holiness that they requested that he place a veil over his face because that glory was so strong that they were being convicted of every sin they had ever committed just by looking at his face (2Cor.3:13). Such is the power and grace of the reflection. That same glory is contained in the Word of God (2Cor.3:11).
We, on the other hand, have that same reflection every time we gaze into the Word and allow it to reflect onto us. It leads us to have ‘great boldness of speech (2Cor.3:12).’ We no longer have to place a veil over our faces, or to hide in shame from God.
Our minds are no longer blinded. We are redeemed, set free from captivity to sin, which blinded us to the truth, and caused us to want to hide from His presence.
We can boldly go from the Word of God with its glory reflected into the world of the lost and be the very image of Christ to them in bringing them closer to Him through the gospel.
Word and Spirit
We need the Word and the Spirit, though. The Word is good, but if the Spirit is not present it can become legalised and harshly presented (2Cor.3:6). When we have the Word and the Spirit we will reflect Christ everywhere we go.
But, as Paul reminds us, we need to be continually looking into the mirror of the Word so that the reflection is constant in our lives. It is too easy to look into the Word, turn away, and forget what we have just seen of who we are in Him.
The world is an eraser that will rub off that image if we allow it to, so we have to add layer after layer of the grace and glory of God to our visage so that nothing can wear us down and we always shine the glory of God to a world living in darkness.
Now we know in part, but then we shall know just as also we are known. We are known by God. We have access to His presence through His Word and Spirit. When we learn to know Him, we will begin to know ourselves, and we will see Him in our lives.
Reflecting the image of Jesus to a fallen world is an integral part of our witness. To know Him and be known by Him is the starting point for effective ministry. It’s when we begin to see who we are – in Him.
