1Corinthians 15:51-57
- 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When you look at Lord Jesus Christ, you're seeing your true identity.
Chapter 1: The mirror of God
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Most people see their past, their flaws, their failures. They see someone who's trying to follow God, but still feels like they're falling short. But what if I told you that God has a mirror, too? And when you look into it, you don't see who you used to be. You see who you've become in Christ.
You don't see sin. You see righteousness.
You don't see weakness. You see power.
You don't see distance. You see union.
And more importantly according to scripture the moment you accepted Jesus Christ your identity changed and when you truly look at Jesus Christ not just as your saviour but as your reflection you'll stop striving to become someone and start living as who you already are.
We're going to unpack a powerful truth most believers never fully grasp. We'll talk about what it means to see yourself in God's mirror, how looking at Jesus Christ reveals your true identity, and how this simple revelation can completely transform how you think, pray, and live.
Chapter 2: Beholding to be transformed
Because until you see yourself the way heaven sees you, you'll live beneath your spiritual rights. But once you do, everything changes.
Let's start with a verse that's easy to miss, but impossible to ignore once it sinks in. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says this, "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." Did you catch that?
Apostle Paul says, "When you behold Jesus, you're actually looking into a mirror." Not a religious telescope, not a stained glass portrait, a mirror. That means what you're seeing in him, you're also seeing in you.
Not because of your performance, it is because of your position.
You are in Christ and he is in you. You reflect him. And the more you look at him, the more you become like him.
Now, this is not self-help. This is not ego.
This is not about looking within and finding some vague inner power.
This is about identity in Christ, rooted in the finished work of the cross. When you accepted Lord Jesus Christ, your old self died. Your spirit was recreated. You were joined to the Lord and became one spirit with him.
That is 1 Corinthians 6:17.
So when Father God sees you, He sees Jesus Christ. And when you look into the Word, you're supposed to see the same thing.
The Bible is not just a book of commandments. It's a mirror. And every time you read it, God is revealing truth to show you what you now look like in the spirit.
But here's the problem. Most Christians read the Bible through the lens of who they used to be, not who they are.
Chapter 3: Correcting spiritual vision
They read it and say, "That's beautiful, but it does not feel like me." And that disconnect creates confusion. They know what the Bible says, but they do not see it in their lives. So, they assume it's just poetic or symbolic or something reserved for the super spiritual.
But I taught that the New Testament is a revelation of the believer's rights. And when you read it correctly, you're not just reading about historical Jesus Christ. You're reading about you in Jesus Christ.
Let us take an example. When the Bible says, "As he is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17.
That is not exaggeration. That is not metaphor. That is reality. In your spirit right now, you are righteous, holy, loved, accepted, powerful, and filled with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. But if you do not look in the mirror long enough, you'll forget.
James 1:23-24 says that the person who hears the word but doesn't do it is like someone who looks at himself in a mirror then walks away and forgets what he looks like.
That means your spiritual memory is tied to your spiritual reflection. If you do not keep looking, you'll go back to acting like the old you, the one that died.
Note here, "The word is the mirror of the recreated spirit. When we look into it and see what we are in Christ, then we act accordingly. That is the secret.
Transformation does not come from trying harder. It comes from looking longer.
You become what you behold. And when your eyes are fixed on Lord Jesus Christ, not just as your saviour, but as your reflection, you start thinking like him, speaking like him, loving like him, walking in power like him. You start thinking with him, speaking with him, loving with him, walking in power with him. Not because you're copying him, but because you're connected to him.
So, how do you live this out?
How do you actually see yourself in Jesus Christ every day? I
Chapter 4: The Word as your reflection
It starts by looking in the right mirror. Most people look in the mirror of the world.
They see their job, their past, their struggles, their failures, or they look in the mirror of their feelings. How they feel that day becomes their identity. But the only mirror that tells the truth about who you really are is the Word.
The Word shows you what your spirit looks like now that Jesus Christ lives in you. And that is why reading the Bible is not about checking a box ✅.
It is about seeing your reflection.
When you read, "You are more than a conqueror." Do not just quote it.
See it, picture it, believe it. That is you.
When you read, "You are the righteousness of God in Christ," don't shrug it off. That is the mirror talking.
When you read, "The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you," let that hit you. That is not hype. That is your new normal. That is God's mirror reflecting back your new nature.
Chapter 5: Living as a new creation
Now, let's talk about Jesus Christ.
Because when we look at him, we're not just looking at God. We're looking at God's will for man. Jesus Christ is the prototype of the new creation. He is the blueprint. He shows us what life looks like when a man is filled with the Spirit and completely surrendered to the Father.
That is why the gospels are not just stories to admire. They're models to imitate. When Jesus Christ healed the sick, it was not just to prove he was divine.
It was to show what spirit-filled humans could do. When he walked in peace, when he forgave quickly, when he prayed boldly. That is the mirror. That is what you now have access to because he lives in you. The more you look at Lord Jesus Christ, not just as your example, but as your reflection, your life rises to match that image.
You stop saying, "I'm just a sinner," and start saying, "I'm a son of God." "I'm a daughter of God."
You stop saying, "I'm weak," and start saying, "His strength is made perfect in me."
You stop begging God to come near and you start enjoying the fact that he already lives inside you.
This is what it means to walk in Christ. Not trying to become but being who you already are through him.
And I want to warn you, religion hates this. Religion is comfortable with effort, with performance, with guilt. But grace introduces a mirror that says you are who Jesus Christ says you are, whether you feel like it or not.
And that kind of truth threatens systems built on shame. But once you've looked into God's mirror, you can't go back to spiritual amnesia.
You've seen yourself in Christ and nothing else will satisfy.
So here is what I want you to do today. Start your morning by looking in the right mirror.
Chapter 6: Practical application
Open the Word not to study, but to see.
Find verses that describe your identity in Christ and read them slowly. Speak them out loud. Let your mind catch up with your spirit. And every time you are tempted to look at your old reflection, remind yourself that person is dead.
I've been raised with Christ. And when I look at him, I'm looking at me because I'm in him and he's in me. If this truth opened your eyes to who you really are in Christ, then you're ready for the next revelation.
In the next message, we're going to talk about prayer, but not in the way you've probably heard it before. It's called How to Pray Like a Son, Not a Beggar. Because if you still think prayer is about begging God to show up, you're going to keep praying like a slave.
But once you understand sonship, your entire prayer life will be marked by boldness, love, and power.
Do not miss it. Until then, keep looking in the mirror and above all, stay in Him.
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