Beholding His Glory

The term glory is a term rarely used or understood in our modern society. Its dictionary definition is that of effulgence (brightness or outshining of an object such as a star); the weightiness or value of an object, event or person; the measure of someone or something’s greatness, magnificence, beauty and splendor.

When we greatly admire the beauty, excellence, magnificence of a person, object or experience, it is their or its glory we are admiring.

We attend concerts, movies, plays and sporting events, because of the glory; the magnificent, extraordinary and awesome talents of the musicians, singers, actors and athletes, who in displaying their wondrous abilities for our enjoyment (and their enrichment) evoke in us a sense of awe and excitement, a sense of pleasure and delight as we behold their glory.

Their glory may elicit in us a desire, a longing to be identified, associated or involved with them more personally; to possess something that reminds us or identifies us with them (souvenirs). Many of us spend our time and money attending their performances, reading about them, even making efforts to become like them.

When we see or meet someone we find personally attractive, someone who creates in us a desire to pursue a close friendship or in the case of a man and women, marriage, it is because we are attracted to their glory; to attributes they possess that we find valuable/desirable; attributes we believe that if displayed within relationship with us will bring us great joy and delight, significance and security.

Thus, it is the glory of someone or something, that will motivate us to pursue them or it above all else; to give our time and attention, our treasure and affections to possess and be possessed by that which we find most desirable, most valuable, most essential to our overall happiness and fulfillment.

And as I have noted in previous posts, the Bible teaches that it is the Glory of God; the manifestation, communication and exultation of the infinite perfections of God’s being by God, that is essential to man’s happiness and fulfillment in God.  Our significance, our security, our ultimate joy, pleasure and satisfaction was and is to be found not only in being made image bearers of that glory, but in our eternal enjoyment of and delight in it (Genesis 1:26-28) (Psalm 37:4)

However, as I have presented in recent posts, the Bible and present reality clearly reveal that that image of God in man has been significantly marred and corrupted both in our bodies and souls. It is so because of sin, man’s rejection of God’s purpose for and rule over our lives, beginning with the first man, Adam, and continuing in all mankind, (Romans 3:23).

Thus, all mankind exists under the just judgement of God, cut off from the glorious life with God for which we were created, sentenced to be confirmed in our corruption as objects of God’s wrath forever (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

In my last two posts, I looked at how God the Son, Jesus Christ, came into this world as a man, to image the glory of God in the way Adam failed to (Romans 5:12-19). As a man, Jesus would vindicate God’s righteousness and repair the injury done to His glory by man’s treasonous sin (John 17:1-4). In Jesus’ perfect life, horrific death on the cross and miraculous resurrection, we see the glory of God’s perfect love and perfect justice coming together on the Cross to provide the means by which men, women and children could be forgiven or their sins, declared righteous by God, reconciled to God as Father, and restored to the glorious image of God as it is now revealed in the man, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).

When we are saved, Jesus sends God the Holy Spirit to give us spiritual life, that we may comprehend and delight in the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-12); wherein we can now see, by faith, the glory of God as it is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5-6), such that He becomes infinitely valuable to us, the one in whom our soul delights, who, above all else, we now long to please and become like.  From that point on, everything that occurs in our life will be used by God to achieve that glorious purpose (Romans 8:28-29).

We see in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 that most essential to our transformation will be a life dedicated to beholding the glory of the Lord. The term behold here means to fix our eyes upon, to give continuous attention to, to observe with care that which is especially remarkable or impressive for the purpose of comprehending His ways. Thus, our lives, our attention and affections are to be focused on growing in the knowledge of Christ’s glory as revealed in His word from Genesis to Revelation,and entrusting the Spirit of God to work in us throughout the course of our lives to change our nature and character to conform to that of our Lord (Galatians 5:22-25).

Thus, no matter what peril, tragedy or heartbreak comes into our lives while in this world, we can have peace of mind, ease of conscience, rest in our soul and hope in our heart in knowing that we are loved and kept by the most glorious, desirable magnificent, awesome and majestic being in all of the universe (Jude 24-25), and that one day we will be made like Him  in the perfection of His humanity (1 John 3:1-3) (Philippians 3:20-21).

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Grace and Truth ×