God transforms us with the life element of the firstborn Son of God, the first God-man, who passed through death and entered into resurrection, until we are transformed metabolically into His image from one degree of glory to a higher degree of glory and are raptured and transfigured to enter into His glory (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:21).
Since eternity past, God’s intention has been to transform us. But if God had remained merely the God in eternity, He would have no way to transform us. In order to transform us, God had to be processed. The Triune God passed through some processes. He is no longer merely the God in His divinity in eternity past. But, according to His heart’s desire and the counsel determined by the Divine Trinity in eternity, one day He sent the second of the Divine Trinity into humanity. He not only put on humanity to become a God-man but also passed through human living, death, and resurrection. Then in resurrection He became the firstborn Son of God. As such, He can transform us metabolically with His life element in resurrection.
This metabolic transformation is not something that can be carried out hurriedly. We are being transformed metabolically with the life element of God’s firstborn Son and thereby will have His divine image. Being transformed indicates that we are in the process of transformation, which is a process in life, an organic process. Today in this process of metabolic transformation we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another, higher degree of glory until we are transfigured in our body and raptured into glory. That will be the consummation of our transformation.
This is for the mass reproduction of the firstborn Son of God as the prototype of a God-man, that we may be shaped in the divine image to be just like the firstborn Son of God, Christ as the God-man.
When we are shaped in the divine image, we become the New Jerusalem. Hence, the New Jerusalem is the mass reproduction of the firstborn Son of God. This is the highest purpose of God in His economy. On the one hand, He passed through the processes to become the firstborn Son of God with a view to become the prototype. On the other hand, He has brought us into the process of transformation that we may become the mass reproduction of Him as the prototype to consummately become the New Jerusalem.
God transforms us not only that we may be shaped in the divine image but also that we may be shaped in God’s organic salvation.
In God’s organic salvation transformation is by the renewing of our mind. Romans 12:2a says, “Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Transformation begins with the renewing of our mind. Our mind is the leading part of our soul, and as it is renewed, our will and emotion, the other parts of our soul, automatically follow to be renewed also. To be renewed means that a new element is wrought into our being. This produces an inward, metabolic transformation.