What happened when Jesus was transfigured on the mount?
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus was changed right before Peter, James, and John, and He took on all the appearances of His glory. A voice from heaven recognized Him and declared, 'This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.'
Les explains that the Greek word behind 'conformed' in Romans 12 is the same word translated 'transfigured' when Christ was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration. He notes that Peter, James, and John went up with Jesus, and Jesus was changed right before their eyes, taking on all the appearances of His glory. The voice from heaven recognized Him as such and said, 'This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.' Les then connects this to the believer's transformation: we will not suddenly have that same glorious appearance, but another word from the same Greek root is metamorphosis. Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, we are to be transformed, transfigured, metamorphosed—totally changed from what we were before. He illustrates with a young lady who was glad to be a Christian, and applies it: even as Christians we can be ornery, but what would we be if we weren't?