Whose Image are You Reflecting?

Galatians 2:11-15

Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹²for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.¹⁴But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? ¹⁵We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles...

Here we see Peter withdrawing himself from the company of the Gentiles since he was afraid to be seen by the Jews. Before the Jews came, he was comfortable eating with the Gentiles, but the arrival of the Jews made him change his behaviour.

This brings me to draw the kind of images we have in this life:

1. Projected Image - This is the image we desire other people to see us through. Peter wanted the Jews to see that he was having no association with the Gentiles, since he feared the law. At the same time, while with the Gentiles before the Jews came, he wanted the gentiles to see that he was one of them, hence eating with them. We also have this image many a times, where we put up faces in order to merge with people. Some people have walked in the projected image for so long that they have started seeing themselves as the image they created, and wanted people to see them through. Projected images are not real images, they are just but shows that people put on when around others, and put off when they are alone.

2. Perceived image - This is how other people see us. Paul and the gentiles saw Peter as hypocrite. The Jews themselves saw Peter as a betrayer, since he was not acting according to the law. No matter how much we may want people to see us in a certain way, there is always the way they see us. We may influence people's perceived images of us through the projected image, but at the end this also isn't the real image. Many people have also accepted the perceived image to be their real image, where they see themselves as their parents, teachers, friends etc. have always seen them, obviously based on their characteristics and behaviours. This is also not your real image.

3. Actual Image - This is who we really are. This is who Peter really was, in Christ. For us believers, our actual/real image is in the Word of God. The Word of God is our mirror, and tells us who we really are. The more time we spend with the mirror, which reflects back to us our real image, the more we will see ourselves as God sees us. Paul got to this level, and said:

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

We were also crucified with Christ and bear His identity, such that now as He is, so are we, in this world (1 Jn. 4:17). The more we renew our minds to our real identity, the more we will not have to depend on either projected or perceived images, for our identity. We do not have to project any image or try get people to change how they see us, in fear of hiding who we really are. Our real and actual image is beautiful, as it is Christ Himself.

Other lessons we learn

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Do not fear, as fear tarnishes our actual image, hindering us from walking in our true identity.

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..."

This is how Jesus saw Himself. Since just as He is so are we in this world, we ought to see ourselves as ones on whom the Spirit of the Lord is upon, anointed to preach the gospel to the poor, sent to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty the oppressed. We are here on earth to continue the work of Christ, and He's sent us as He was sent by the Father (Jn. 17:18). Jesus, while on earth, loved all of God's creation, and so should we. Since we have the Holy Spirit in us as He did, we should associate ourselves with the poor, oppressed, brokenhearted, prisoners and the blind, taking the good tidings to them, as Jesus did. When we see ourselves in our actual image, we will start walking in it, and living the life that God purposed for us to live.

Romans 3:28-31

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. ²⁹Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, ³⁰since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

We are justified by faith. This is our actual image. We see Peter not losing sight of his actual image, and later writing the letters in the Bible, as he knew that his justification was by faith, not by his deeds.We should also keep our actual image in mind even after we err, and always walk in boldness:

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.