Six Ways God Works to Transform You

Written by Ron Brown

Spiritual transformation begins and continues by the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the person who is saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). It is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15). It is accomplished through our relationship with God, in which we allow our inmost being to be transformed.

Use Teaching the Jesus Way to discover more details of the spiritual transformation process, including justification, sanctification and the evidence of spiritual transformation God expects in a believer's life.

Some of the major agents of transformation are:

Scripture
The word of God imparts His being to believers. His word establishes us in a unique relationship with God with our obedience to Him set as an expectation. Jesus prayed, "Make them holy - consecrated - with the truth; Your Word consecrating truth (John 17:17).

Family / Home
God uses parents and other family members as His instruments of spiritual growth. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV).

The People of God
Jesus provides gifts to His church so that "we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed with and without, fully alive like Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). Every believer being transformed by the Holy Spirit is to help other believers grow in likeness to Christ.

Circumstances
God works in the situations of our lives. He can take the details or circumstances of the lives of those who love Him and shape them into something good (Romans 8:28).

Spiritual Exercises for Godliness
Spiritual disciplines are the means by which we place ourselves before God for Him to work in us (examples: prayer, Bible study, fasting, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, learning.) Even so, the most iron-willed discipline will not make us more holy since growth in holiness is a gift from God (John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 2:11).

God's Discipline
God's disciplines His children to make us holy and to transform us into the likeness of Christ (Hebrews 12:10-11).

Ron Brown is managing director, Leadership and Adult Publishing, LifeWay Christian Resources, Nashville, Tennessee.

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