Second Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Verse 16 says that the heart needs to turn to the Lord, and then verse 17 says that the Lord is the Spirit. This means that the heart needs to turn to the Spirit. Moreover, the phrase where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom means that the Spirit of the Lord Himself is freedom. Because the Spirit of the Lord is freedom, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Then verse 18 continues, “But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” An unveiled face is a face without any veils, and a veiled face is one that is covered by a veil. According to this verse, when the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Moreover, when the face is unveiled, it can behold the glory of the Lord. When we behold the glory of the Lord, we become like a reflecting mirror, and we are transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory. Our being transformed into the Lord’s image is from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit. The Lord is the Spirit, the glory is the Spirit, and the Spirit is the Lord. Hence, to be transformed into the Lord’s image “from glory” is the same as to be transformed into the Lord’s image from the Lord and also the same as to be transformed into the Lord’s image from the Spirit.
We all know that the purpose of God’s salvation is to work in us so that we may have His image (Rom. 8:29). How does this relate to being mature? To be mature is to have the Lord fully formed in us. It also means that we, those who have been saved, have been fully transformed into the Lord’s image. Originally, we are men who are merely natural—not having the life of the Lord, the nature of the Lord, or the image of the Lord within us. However, through the salvation of the Lord, the Lord has added Himself into us. Since the time of our regeneration and salvation, the Lord has been adding Himself into us, causing us to have His life and nature. In other words, from the time of our salvation, the Lord has been working in us that we may have His image. When the Lord has fully worked His image into us and is fully expressed out from within us, then we will be mature in life.
What is the way to become mature? We all know that when we were regenerated, God put His Spirit and His life into our spirit. His purpose in doing this is to make us the same as He is, having His life and nature. When He makes us completely the same as He is, we are mature in life. How does the Lord do this? The first step that the Lord takes is to put His Spirit and His life into the deepest and most central part of our being—our spirit—at the time of our salvation. Thus, we have the Lord’s Spirit, the Lord’s life, and the Lord’s element in our spirit. This is the difference between a person who is saved and a person who is not saved. A person who is saved has God’s Spirit and God’s life in his spirit. The difference between a saved person and an unsaved person is not related to outward appearance but to whether they have an extra element in the depths of their being. This element is God, the Spirit of God, and the life of God.
For example, suppose that there is a person who has not been saved, yet who was born with a very good nature and is a very proper person. This person does not have God’s Spirit or God’s life within him; he is merely a good person. Suppose, however, that there is another person who was not born with a good nature, who has a bad temper, and who is not a nice person. Suppose also that this person repented and received the Lord Jesus as his Savior and that the Spirit of God and the life of God entered into him. If you look at the outward appearance of these two people, you might be amazed. Although one is good and the other is bad, the good one is not saved but the bad one is. The difference between the two of them is not outward but is something within. The one who is good yet is unsaved does not have the life of God or the Spirit of God, whereas the one who is outwardly bad yet is saved has God’s Spirit and God’s life within him.