JESUS, THE RADIANCE OF GOD'S GLORY - PART 2
MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2021
Born in holy majesty from the womb of a virgin, the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among men. Guess what! We beheld His glory, a glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 NKJV). Although Christ came in the flesh, the mode of His existence on earth was glorious, because He is the embodiment and full manifestation of divine glory.
Reference: Hebrews 1:3 New International Version (NIV) "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
As the radiance of God's glory, Christ introduced the dispensation of grace which ushered the saints into the greater glory of the new covenant. 2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV) recorded that Christ has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. What is apostle Paul saying? He is comparing what we have received in Christ to the Mosaic law written on stone tablets and offered to the children of Israel. The radiance of the glory Aaron and all the Israelites could not stand in the face of Moses, is what we now behold in Christ Jesus in greater degrees and higher dimension.
In Exodus 34:33-35, it was recorded that after visiting Mount Sanai, when Moses spoke to the children of Israel, he had to put a veil over his face. Whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And whenever he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant and so, couldn't stand or look at him. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord. Otherwise, the Israelites would suffer death.
Significantly, Paul continued the comparison saying, "Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" (2 Corinthians 3:7-11 NIV).
Beloved, in the new covenant mediated by Christ, the Hebrew writer explained that we are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 (NIV) reads, "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." In other words, when anyone receives Christ as Lord, the veil disappears such that he can experience the radiance of God's glory without measure.
In affirmation, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NIV) reads, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Beloved, this is why it is vital to look at the mirror of God's Word, which is the Greek word, "Logos" - on a daily or regular basis and by constant practice. In such meditation is the "unfolding" of the concealed glory of God in the face of Christ. As we continue to perceive and apprehend His wondrous presence in the Word, His glory manifests in us in varying degrees, thereby transforming us into Christ's image, according to the purpose of God's will. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Isaiah 60:1; Habakkuk 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 1:12.
Exuberant Declaration: By faith in Christ, I have received the glorious gospel in the dispensation of grace according to the doctrine and ordinances of the Kingdom of glory. In Christ, I'm gladly chosen by preordination and divine election, having been predestined according to God's plan who works out everything by the counsel of His will. Hence, I have unlimited access to the glory of God and its radiance like a jasper and as clear as crystal, which lies in Christ's righteousness in me. Blessed be God!
