How can I become more Christ-like?

To follow the teaching of the passage we may ask ourselves three questions: (1) What is the fruit of which the Lord speaks? (2) What are the means taken that the true disciples may be fruitful? (3) What is the great end in view in fruit-bearing? What then does the Lord mean when He speaks of fruit? May we not say that fruit is all that in our lives which is agreeable to God? It follows that only that which is of Christ in us can be for the Father's delight. We may therefore say, that fruit is the character of Christ reproduced in the lives of His disciples. We read in Galatians 5:22, that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control" (N. Tn.). These are the very qualities that marked Christ in His path down here, and that called forth the Father's expression of pleasure, for the voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I have found my delight." Fruit, then, is not simply preaching and teaching, or activity in different forms of service, or in this passage even souls won for Christ through the preaching, but rather the beautiful qualities of Christ seen in the souls that are won. Alas! it is possible to be very active in Christian service and yet exhibit very little of the character of Christ in the life, and, therefore, bring forth but little fruit for the delight of the Father. Moreover, let us remember that what goes up to God as fruit, goes out to man as testimony. These two thoughts are expressed by the Lord's words, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." The life that glorifies the Father and delights His heart becomes a testimony to the world that we are Christ's disciples. That we are truly His disciples will be far more manifest by a little meekness and gentleness, than by any amount of activity. Mary's quiet dependence upon the Lord, that led her to sit at His feet and hear His word, brought forth fruit that was far more pleasing to the heart of Christ than all Martha's sincere energy. We are not all called or gifted to take an active part in preaching or teaching, or many other forms of service; but it is open to all — the youngest as the oldest believer — to express in our life the beautiful traits of Christ, and thus bring forth fruit for the Father and testimony before men. Christ, personally, is no longer on earth; but God desires that Christ, morally, should still be seen in His people. In the measure in which this is true there will be fruit and testimony.

This glorious goal is made sure by the immutable purpose of God, who chose us in Christ for this before the foundation of the world. But are we to rest satisfied in that we shall be conformed to the image of God's Son? No, though we shall surely be filled with divine joy at this marvellous consummation of the purpose and grace of God, we shall use diligence, just in proportion as we enter into God's thoughts to grow daily in the likeness of Christ. It will be our delight to behold the unveiled face of our glorified Lord, and thereby to be changed into the same image, from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). We may see in the language of Paul what should be the present effect in our souls of the revelation to us of God's purposes. He says (we give another translation): "I follow after, if that I may get possession of that for which also I have been taken possession of by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12). That is, since Christ had taken possession of him that he might be conformed to His image, he himself, in full communion with this end, the end of the purpose of God, would diligently and steadfastly follow on to this goal. So should it be with every believer; we all alike should seek grace to keep our eye upon Christ the glorified Man, because He is, in that condition, the expression of God's purpose, the Model, so to speak, to whom we are to be conformed. And let it be remembered that the greater our diligence in the contemplation of the Model set before us, the larger our growth in moral conformity to Christ.

And it will sustain us in no little measure to have the eye fixed on Him to whom we are to be conformed. God, as we have seen, has Christ before Him; and if He is also before our souls, God's object is our object. This He desires for us, and in no way could He express more fully the riches of the grace which He has bestowed upon us in Christ. It is beyond our comprehension, though we know the fact, that God should thus associate us with Himself — that He should put us into the blessed position of feasting on the Object that delights His own heart. Moreover, having the eye on Christ is God's own means for our being changed into His likeness. We thus read, "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." God has predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son, but He works out the result by His own appointed means. Everything we encounter in our path is auxiliary to this end; but now, in this world, much is dependent on the attitude of our souls. It is quite true that every believer is brought into the place where he can behold the unveiled face of the Lord; it is the Christian position, in contrast with that of the Jew. This is ever to be insisted on; but it is nevertheless to be remembered, that in proportion as we consciously occupy the place shall we be transformed into the likeness of Christ. For example, if there are two children of God, one careless, indifferent, and worldly, the other zealous, devoted, and finding his joy in occupation with Christ, the latter will soon outstrip the former in growing conformity to Christ. The work is wholly of God, but He uses means; and where there is purpose of heart there will be growth in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Moses even bore the reflection of the partial glory he had seen. Could it be possible that we should look upon that unveiled glory that shines for ever on the face of Jesus, and not bring some of the reflection of it amongst those we come in contact with? This will be known in the moral traits of His glory, that lowly life of confidence, and dependence, purity, singleness of purpose, obedience, and devotedness, and all that was true in Him who is now become our life, being reproduced in us. As long as we are here it will only be in degree, and just that in which the growth of our souls consists "from glory to glory." There is no perfection of condition known to Scripture short of reaching Him; then we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is; meanwhile, having this hope in Him, we purify ourselves even as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3) The Lord Jesus has set Himself apart in heavenly glory that we may be set apart by the truth of all that He is there. Growth, then, in the Christian, in the blessed likeness of the Lord depends on His being before our souls continually. No effort of ours enters into it, or could produce any trait of His life in us. Nor can the eye be turned in upon self, nor diverted to any object in the world, without obstructing the transforming process. Not that it is meant that the soul should be ever conscious of the transformation. A shining face never sees itself. Moses wist not that his face shone, though Aaron and Israel were well aware of it.

1 John 2:4-6. As in John 14:21 and 23, a distinction is made between the Lord's commandments and His word. His commandments are clearly defined requirements, such as "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you;" "Pray without ceasing;" "Quench not the Spirit;" but His word is the spirit and scope of Scripture, the expression of His whole mind and will. As we obey the word of God, the heart enters into the true knowledge of God, and His love is known in the way that Jesus revealed it. God's love has been told out fully on the cross; it is there we learn it; but to keep in the enjoyment of that love we must walk consciously under God's eye, in the path of His will. When the love of God is perfected in us, when it has its true place in our hearts, we learn what our true place is before the Father. It is one thing to believe that we are in Christ, and quite another to be living in the consciousness that the Father has brought us before His face in the Son. This is our present portion, loved as the Son is loved by the Father. How wonderful it is that we can go through this world with the knowledge of God's love filling the heart, and realising that we share in love the Son's place before the Father. In the blessedness of this we are to abide, and as we do so we shall bring glory to the Father, even as the Lord said to His disciples, "He that abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. … In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and ye shall become disciples of Mine" (John 15:5, 8). If we profess to abide in Him, we ought to walk as He walked; we should be disciples indeed. Abiding in the Son, we draw upon His divine resources in true dependence, and so derive the grace and strength to be like Him in this world. It is therefore not difficult to understand that the measure of our abiding in Him will determine the reality of our discipleship.

In the previous chapter we are told about the fruit of the Spirit, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance". What a lovely crop this is. I believe these things can be produced in our lives as we sow to the Spirit, that is, as we allow the Spirit in our lives to produce these things. There are none of the things we were reading about this afternoon, no birds who come and snatch away the seed, no rocky ground, the weeds or the shrubs, which prevent the seed from growing, all these things are the production of the flesh. However, if all these things are cleared away from our lives we allow the Spirit of God to produce in us those features of Christ, features that are so pleasurable to God. Let us be sure, dear young Christians, that early in our lives we apply ourselves to sowing to the Spirit and avoid like the plague sowing to the flesh. Sowing to the flesh will never produce anything in your life that will help you as a Christian and will never produce anything in your life for God, you will never be like Isaac reaping a hundred fold, you will never be one who in any way will stand for God. Sow to the Spirit, make sure that the things that you sow are pure and clean and wholesome and upright before God, and you will produce these features that we have been reading of, features of peace and love and uprightness and temperance against which there is no law.

We need, however, to be constantly drinking in the word, which ministers God’s gracious truth to us, so that the new nature may be well nourished, and thus our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the word speaks, will become better known to us, and we shall outdistance the ways of the world, and be known as those who find their true delight in the will of God. Thus pursuing the good we shall refuse the evil, and reflecting the virtues of our blessed Saviour we shall be well pleasing to God. It is thus, without thinking of self or of the pursuits of the world we grow in grace and are transformed to Christlikeness.

Pursuing, however, the special line of truth through the connection, we learn from the next incident, that, if the Lord meets the need of the sinner, He claims his service when his need is met. "After these things He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He said unto him, Follow me." (v. 27.) Levi was busily occupied with his daily occupations as Jesus was passing by. But he was not his own. The One who saw him claimed all that he was and had, and expressed this claim in the words, "Follow me." Having shown Himself as the Saviour in the two preceding incidents, He now declares His authority as Lord. And as Lord, His word is supreme, demanding the instant and complete obedience of the soul. This is illustrated in the action of Levi. As soon as the Lord had uttered His command, "he left all, rose up, and followed Him." (v. 28.) This proves that it was not so much the assertion of authority, though He who spake had the right to command, as the expression of the claims of His heart. Nay, it was more; it was the presentation of Himself to the heart of Levi; and by the attractive power of His person He thus drew Levi away from everything by which He was surrounded, and after Himself in the path of discipleship. This is how disciples are ever made. Try as we will, we cannot follow Christ until He has disclosed Himself to, and won, our hearts. Then, and only then, we receive power to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Him. But we may well challenge our souls — and this point may be especially pressed with all affection upon young believers — as to whether we have acknowledged, and whether we do habitually acknowledge, the claims of Christ over all that we are and have. There are so few disciples in this day of laxity and worldliness! What, then, let us ask, constitutes a disciple? It is not in the profession of Christianity, otherwise all around us were disciples. No; but it lies in the total setting aside of ourselves — our wills — and in the acceptance of the will of Christ, as Lord, for our daily walk and conversation. It is seen in the action of Levi. He refused himself, and everything around him, and with eyes fixed upon the One who had called him, he steadily followed in His steps. It is seen in the statement of the apostle, "I am crucified with Christ" (if so his will is gone): "nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2:20.) It is exemplified in a remarkable way in Phil. 3. Again, therefore, we ask, Are we owning the claims of the Saviour as Lord?

We know that the Spirit of God has come to take of the things of Christ and show them to us. Thus Christ is formed in us by being presented to us as our Life, our Pattern, our Object, and our Power. As we become followers of Christ, according to the example of the apostle, so shall we become true representatives of Christ, and enjoy true Christian experience.

First, we learn that abiding in Christ we shall bring forth fruit. The importance of this is pressed upon us by being stated both negatively and positively. We are told that unless we abide in Christ we cannot bring forth fruit. Then we are told that if we abide in Christ, and He in us, we shall bring forth much fruit. From another Scripture we learn that the fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23). What are these lovely qualities but a description of the beautiful character of Christ? So we may surely say that the fruit of which the Lord speaks is the reproduction of His own character in the lives of believers.