Like many things, the Christian life begins with joy and excitement. We see the love of God revealed through Christ. We are born again by God’s Spirit and are given new hearts and new desires. But old patterns of the fallen nature still have hold over us. The Christian life is an adventure where the Holy Spirit changes us to be more like Jesus. Godly virtue is not a matter of trying harder to do good. It is letting the Holy Spirit build in us the new nature, the new character, the new habit of a life that is godly. This is Christ acting in you, the Spirit of Christ ruling in your heart. This is the process called sanctification, where we day by day die to sin and live to righteousness.

How does this happen? First, we are changed as we find out who Jesus is. The beginning of this passage tells us about Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (that is he has authority and rule). In all our discussion about Christian virtue our eyes are on Christ because there is the power of God revealed. Virtue comes from the Latin word virtus, which means power. We are looking at the power of God to transform our lives. That power comes from Christ. To have that power we must focus on Christ.

The next section starts in verse starts in verse 20 and tells us what Jesus did. He reconciled to himself all things. He changed us from being enemies of God to having peace with God. He did this by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead. This is the redemption accomplished part In John Murray’s excellent book Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. This is the gospel that we share and we continue to focus on. The penalty for my sin was paid on the cross of Jesus. On that resurrection morning the power of new life was secured. This must be central in our minds when we are thinking about Christian virtue in us.

The third theme of this passage has to do with us. The Devil believes that Jesus was the eternal Son of God who died and rose again and it does him no good. What good does it do us? How does it affect us? That is the question of our lives in Christ. That is what Murray talked about in the second part of his book: redemption applied.

Christ’s forgiveness is applied to our account through faith. The Holy Spirit applies the power of Christ to change our hearts that we might look and act more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit has an ongoing work in the lives of believers making them more like Jesus. This is called sanctification.

How does the Holy Spirit build the character and mind of Christ in us so we are changed to be like him? He builds it step by step, day by day. God builds the new nature in us through the things that we do. First there is a change of our heart, our desires. From that new heart, the Holy Spirit leads us to do what is right in God’s eyes. As we do what is right over and over, the new nature builds in us. That new nature begins to control us, giving us power to do what God would have us do. This is all the work of Christ’s Holy Spirit present in our hearts.

The primary means of grace, whereby we are built up in Christ is the preaching of Word. Preaching proclaims who Christ is, what he has done and how it affects us. You need to sit under the preaching of the Word, regularly and with your heart open. It is through the Word of God that the Holy Spirit renews our mind after the mind of Christ.

God will bring us to perfection when we reach glory in heaven. Until then, we have the hope of glory as the Spirit of Christ—Christ in us—leads us ever closer to be like Jesus. That is what the Christian life is about. Using the means of grace, the reading and especially preaching of the Word, is how God renews our mind and desires. The change in mind and desire works to change thought, word and action. The change in thought, word and action over and over will produce new character, new patterns, virtuous habit. The new character makes godliness flow out of us more easily, more smoothly. This is Christ in us.

Paul said he felt this working powerfully in him. As I read what Paul did and what God did in others because of him, I agree. Do you see the power of God growing in you? It is the hope of glory. Here is what that means. Our full glorification will only happen in heaven. But as we see that sanctifying power at work in us, the Spirit of Christ at work in us, we know we are heading on the path to glory. We get a taste. We know it is coming. That hope of the goal is more real in our hearts and drives us on to the finish line. That hope gives us a certainty of glory. Do you know that power at work within you?