SUMMER 1998
   
 
SCRIPTURE STUDY
BY GREG SCHNEIDER
Solved Mysteries
‘And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’

— 2 Corinthians 3:18

hen my wife heard the loud pop, she came running. I was stunned, though not injured. I had forgotten to turn off the power before splicing the line to the porch lamp.
The arcing jolt made a hole clean through the steel tool in my hand. I was nearly a french-fried photographer. Thank God for rubber-soled tennies and vinyl-coated splicers.

Electricity is a mystery to me. I haven’t a clue to how it works, but I know how to make it work (usually). I flip a switch and dispel darkness. I push a button and hear jazz. I turn a knob and heat leftovers. Yet the mystery remains.

Likewise, the photographic process is a mystery to me. I vaguely remember hearing something about it working like silverware tarnishing. But since I grew up with stainless steel I’m not sure I’d recognize the real thing if it was handed to me on a silver platter.

I’m clueless about how film works but I know how to make it work. Open camera, insert film, point camera, open shutter. Voila! A miracle occurs. The film is magically transformed. What was a blank
‘If I want to capture a certain image I need to take care to point my camera in the right direction. In the same way I need to make sure my spiritual camera is pointed at Jesus if I want to come away with His image on my soul.’
slate now contains the image, the exact likeness of whatever was in front of the lens. Something to do with photons, I think. (Isn’t that what Lt. Warf makes torpedoes out of?)

I think there’s a parallel here with our lives in Christ. The apostle Paul says in Romans 8 that we are destined to be conformed to the likeness of God’s Son; that when folks look at us they should be able to see Jesus because He is the image of the invisible God. If I want to capture a certain image I need to take care to point my camera in the right direction. In the same way I need to make sure my spiritual camera is pointed at Jesus if I want to come away with His image on my soul.

In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul writes that this transformation into Jesus’ likeness takes place when we “with unveiled faces” (open shutters) fix our eyes on Jesus. And that this transformation happens with “ever-increasing glory,” that is, it’s a progressive process. Not everyone is loaded with the same speed film — my slow film requires a longer exposure than that of some other Christians in order to get the proper density or maturity.

The key thing here is to keep the camera pointed in the right direction with the shutter open. “But the man who looks intently (zooms?) into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25

Let’s keep ourselves focused on Christ and give Him the glory as the beautiful image of God is developed in our souls.

The Red Eye
Stretching the Envelope
Solved Mysteries