Romans 8:28-30 NASB
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Colossians 1:27 NASB
to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
We have an example, and that example is the standard by which everything we do is measured. We cannot change the standard to line up, or comply with our example. If we do, we are no longer going after Christ likeness.
The life that Jesus lived is still the life that Jesus lives. The only difference being, He has a different body through which to live that life. The life that Jesus lives, and we have a clear record of what that looks like in the pages of Scripture, is our example and the only standard by which we are measured. It does not say in Romans chapter 8 that our are calling is to be conformed to a partial image of Jesus, but sadly, many Christians have settled for that. Out of frustration, because of the life of failure in holiness, and one void of the supernatural, weary of feeling guilty, believers simply lower the standard by accepting their example of the Christian life as being normal. God does not want us to live a life of impurity and powerlessness, but the solution is not lowering the standard to fit our experience, it is to be liberated into participating in the very life and power of the risen and indwelling Christ. It is really clear from those verses in Romans 8 that the primary calling and purpose of every believer is to be conformed to the image of Jesus, and that calling was never meant to frustrate us, but instead, it is meant to fascinate us with the possibilities that are ours in Christ. Our destiny, that is our pre-density, is to be Christlike, and to go after any other destiny is to settle for a meandering small story. It says in verse 30 that those of us who have a pre-destiny to be Christlike have been called, and those of us who have been called and predestined to be Christlike have been made righteous, and share the righteous position of Jesus before the father, and those who have been made righteous in Christ have also been GLORIFIED!
We all know that there will be a glorification waiting for us one day when we receive our glorified body, but do you know that there has been a glorification that has already taken place? According to Colossians 1 because Christ is now living inside of you, there is a glory about you already. You see, your calling and your purpose to be Christlike is only frustrating if you haven’t come to realize that the ability to be Christlike has already been deposited in you. God would never call you to be something he hasn’t equipped you to be. To be Christlike isn’t the result of sincere self-determination, no matter how much you might love God. Christ likeness as a result of the glory of the life of Christ that has been deposited in you, being manifested through you. God called you to be like Jesus, and he placed the very life of Jesus by the Holy Spirit in you, so that Christ himself might manifest his very likeness in and through you. Jesus is both your example, and your source. His life isn’t just the standard by which we are measured, but is the source by which we measure up. His example is the object, and the origin of the life we are called to live before the Father.