Notice the way The Message translates Hebrews 12:2: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed…”
Someone may ask, “How can I keep my eyes on Jesus when I can’t see Him with my eyes?” That’s a good question. The Bible teaches that Jesus and the Word of God are one. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (NLT).
Jesus and the Word are one. Jesus cannot be separated from the Word of God, nor can the Word be separated from Jesus. Therefore, when we look to the Word, we are looking to Jesus.
Notice what James 1:23-25 tells us: “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
As we look into the Word of God, we not only see Jesus, we also see ourselves in the light of the New Creation. The New Creation is the “natural face” that is seen in the glass. God’s Word illustrates what we are to look like as a believer.
Paul also tells us what we are to look like. Second Corinthians 3:16 says, “But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him” (TLB). The more we meditate on what God has said about us, the more we begin to reflect His image.
The Bible also paints a picture of what our lives should look like as an overcomer. As we look into the Word of God, we begin to recognize that it is God’s nature in us that draws us into an overcoming lifestyle. As we continue in the “perfect law” of the New Covenant, His “liberty” becomes more and more of a reality.
It is the person who looks into the mirror of God’s Word but does not allow it to adjust his thinking who will fail. He looks, but he does not continue to see himself as God sees him. We may look into the Word of God every day, but if we never act on what we see, in reality, we are still going our own way. James said this man “forgets what kind of man he was.”
When we don’t see ourselves completely forgiven as God sees us, we cannot have the confidence that our prayers will be answered. When we don’t see ourselves empowered with His nature and ability, we will not walk confidently into an overcoming Christian life. But when we look to Jesus, the Living Word, we will begin to see who we are in Christ.
