The Ministry of the SpiritGordon, A. J. (Adoniram Judson)
Religion
The Ministry of the Spirit
Gordon, A. J. (Adoniram Judson)
Holy Spirit
And what is true of the love of Christ is true of the likeness of
Christ. How is the likeness acquired? Through contemplation and
imitation? So some have taught. And it is true, if only the
indwelling Spirit is behind all, beneath all, and effectually operative
in all. As it is written: "But we all with unveiled face, reflecting
as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3: 18,
R. V.). It is only the Spirit of the Lord dwelling within us that can
fashion us to the image of the Lord set before us. Who is sufficient
by external imitation of Christ to become {114} conformed to the
likeness of Christ? Imagine one without genius and devoid of the
artist's training sitting down before Raphael's famous picture of the
Transfiguration and attempting to reproduce it. How crude and
mechanical and lifeless his work would be! But if such a thing were
possible that the spirit of Raphael should enter into the man and
obtain the mastery of his mind and eye and hand, it would be entirely
possible that he should paint this masterpiece; for it would simply be
Raphael reproducing Raphael. And this in a mystery is what is true of
the disciple filled with the Holy Ghost. Christ, who is "the image of
the invisible God," is set before him as his divine pattern, and Christ
by the Spirit dwells within him as a divine life, and Christ is able to
image forth Christ from the interior life to the outward example.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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