How to Become Like Christ

by Marcus Dods

I suppose there is almost no one who would deny, if it were put to him, that the greatest possible attainment a man can make in this world is likeness to The Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly no one would deny that there is nothing but character that we can carry out of life with us, and that our prospect of good in any future life will certainly vary with the resemblance of our character to that of Jesus Christ, which is to rule the whole future. We all admit that; but almost every one of us offers to himself some apology for not being like Christ, and has scarcely any clear reality of aim of becoming like Him. Why, we say to ourselves, or we say in our practice, it is really impossible in a world such as ours is to become perfectly holy. One or two men in a century may become great saints; given a certain natural disposition and given exceptionally favouring circumstances, men may become saintly; but surely the ordinary run of men, men such as we know ourselves to be, with secular disposition and with many strong, vigorous passions—surely we can really not be expected to become like Christ, or, if it is expected of us, we know that it is impossible. On the contrary, Paul says, "We all," "we all." Every Christian has that for a to be changed into the image of his Lord. And he not only says so, but in this one verse he reveals to us the mode of becoming like Christ, and a mode, as we shall find, so simple and so infallible in its working that a man cannot understand it without renewing his hope that even he may one day become like Christ. If you become a mirror to Christ your friends will detect it in a very few days; they will see appearing in you, the mirror, an image which they know has not been originated in you, and they will turn to look straight at the Person that you are reflecting. It is in that way that Christianity passes from man to man.

Genres: Faith

45 pages, Paperback

Published January 19, 2019

About the author

Marcus Dods (11 April 1834 – 26 April 1909) was a Scottish divine and controversial biblical scholar. He was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He served as Principal of New College, Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Andy Febrico Bintoro]

A quick read about holistic growth. The content more like devotionals.

[Mark Schlechty]

Good read, quick to complete .

Dods reveals those occasional pearls of truth in this short book that make it with reading. I do believe that Dods seems to put a heavy emphasis on the will of the person to the neglect of the power of the Holy Spirit . But, if someone keeps in mind that becoming holy is ultimately the work of God's grace through the power of the Holy Spirit working in a heart submitted to God there are lots of good lessons to be gleaned from this book. Dods also relies heavily on a metaphorical application of biblical narratives. Although, this is not a bad thing , it is often misunderstood . One should always look first to the primary intent of the passage and what it says before making a metaphorical application.

[Erin Carter]

Thought Provoking!

This book was very detailed and had a deeply profound affect on me. I realized that being a true Christian really relies more on my faith in Christ then in my actions.

[Terry]

This is an interesting book with a great objective: becoming transformed into Christ's image. The author shares some interesting Biblical stokes to make his case.

[Malcy]

A little tedious to read but gives some good clues.

[Cort]

Very inspiring

I wanted to another source for one of my many papers that I've had to write a paper. Average read.

[Randall Cecrle]

Good

Good book except "will the will ". Really? Also don't tell me to do the third level and you can't.