FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Change Produced By This Spiritual Discernment

When people see the glory of the Lord they are definitely changed. Here is something wonderful indeed. Paul paints the portrait of the glorified Lord. As he and all New Testament believers watch this portrait painted, as they see it in the mirror, something happens. It is a lifelike portrait that they see. More than that, it is a lifegiving portrait that they see. They look at it again and again. They look at it constantly. Then suddenly they also look at themselves. They suddenly see there true selves by reflection. What a contrast between themselves and that picture. How ugly they are! How vile!

But they haven’t just seen a finished portrait, rather they have watched the actual painting of the portrait. They saw the Lord of glory in His suffering. They saw that what happened to Him and what happened also, in a sense, to them. They saw that He satisfied the demands of the law for them. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Thus, the ministration of condemnation turned into the ministration of the Spirit. The Old Testament saints weren’t able to clearly see this. They didn’t see clearly the end of that which was to be abolished; they didn’t see clearly that the blood of bulls and goats and a heifer calf pointed only to the blood of the promised one. At best they wasted a lot of effort in doubt as to whether their good works were even meant to satisfy the law as a condition of salvation.

Relieved of this exhausting doubt, the New Testament believers can make steady progress on the pathway of sanctification. They walk on solid ground. They have seen Christ portrayed to them as raised from the dead. They know they have been raised with Him to newness of life. What certainty, what assurance of faith is theirs. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). They know that they will proceed step by step with Christ into his glory.

• For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).
• For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness (Galatians 5:5).
• But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
• In Jesus . . . put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24).

Finally, they will be received into glory. By the Spirit they now understand “secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7).

The servants of the Lord are no longer afraid of affliction and/or evil. They recognize their legacy as heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ Jesus. They don’t even need to fear death for the last enemy conquered by Christ Jesus is death!

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Object of This Spiritual Discernment – Continued

Afterwards, then Jesus set His face steadfastly toward Jerusalem where He knew He would suffer. Yes, even while in His humiliation He was glorious. His disciples beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father full of grace and truth (John 1:14). But Paul thinks here of that glory which should follow, that glory which should follow upon his suffering. “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). He that said, “Yet I do not seek my own glory” (John 8:50) was raised up in glory by the Father whose glory was the only glory He sought. “Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Romans 6:4). To Him was given a name which is above every name. To Him were given all the kingdoms of the earth which Satan had promised Him if He refused to suffer.

“Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!” (Psalm 24:7-8). Who is the King of glory? He who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord!

It is Christ, now risen, now ascended, now seated at the right hand of the Father whom the Apostle saw. It was Him that he rejoiced to see, together with his fellow believers. Together they see Him; together they see Him constantly. Together they see Him clearly. However, doesn’t Paul speak of seeing in a mirror dimly? To be sure, he does. But in that passage of 1 Corinthians 13:12 he compares what we see now with what we shall see in the future. “We are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared” (1 John 3:2). In our text, however, Paul compares what we see now with what the Old Testament believers saw. The mirror is here used as a symbol of clarity.

That mirror is no doubt the gospel which Paul says he has spoken so plainly. That gospel now laid down in the Scriptures is the mirror in which we may see the glory of the Lord. In that mirror we all may see. In that mirror alone can we see the glory of the Lord. It is indispensable and absolutely necessary. In that mirror we see the original and only picture of the glory of the Lord; the Scripture is sufficient and authoritative. Yet it is the risen Christ in the Scriptures that we see.

How the apostle rejoices in the vision of the glory of the Lord. How he delights to show unto the congregation more and more of that glory of the Lord. That glory of the Lord is inexhaustible. He turns the mirror in a certain direction and they turn it another; he wishes them to see every aspect of that glory. When through the lust of the eyes they turn to look to the right or to the left he calls them back to look at the glory of the Lord. When through the weariness of the flesh they grow faint he stirs them up to look at the glory of the Lord. How he pleads with those who would mar the mirror and obscure the vision of the people of God. He pleads with them not to bring men back to the darkness of Plato’s cave. He pleads with them to let those Christ has set free to be free indeed, to be free that they may see, that they may see the glory of the Lord. But if they would obstruct or obscure the vision of the glory of the Lord he does not back down but rather stands for the truth. God’s people, Paul is determined, will see the glory of the Lord.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Object of This Spiritual Discernment

So, what is it that the servants of the Lord see? They see a glorious vision. Would Paul have rejoiced so greatly in the fact that all could see and that all could now see constantly, if there was nothing very great to see? What is the vision that they see? They see the glory of the Lord.

Here, too, we deal with a contrast. So here, too, we deal with a twofold contrast. In contrast with what the New Testament believers see, Paul thinks of those who see nothing at all and of those who saw something but not as much as he.

He thinks of those who see nothing at all. He thinks of those who have the spirit of the world and of what they see. What did they and what do they to this day, see? They see only what the wisdom of the world can see. The world by its wisdom didn’t know God. They “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:23). That is why they crucified the Lord of glory. They didn’t understood His sufferings and the glory that should follow. They didn’t know the “secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7). Those were the very things Paul was called to impart.

What did many of the Corinthians do when Paul told them that Christ Jesus was the firstfruits of those who slept? What did they do when Paul told them that Christ, whom they had crucified, must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet, even the last enemy which is death? (see 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23-26). They sneered and scoffed. They saw no empirical evidence for the resurrection of the body. They did not wish to be so dogmatic about things that are beyond human experience.

How different then the case of Moses and the prophets. Moses knew God as the Creator. He knew God as the One who dos all things according to His will. He knew that man had sinned against God and was driven from the place of glory, even paradise. He knew the holy God as He who spoke the commandments requiring absolute obedience of man. He saw the awful majesty of God, Jehovah on Mount Sinai. He knew the promises of God to His chosen people, a promise of a glorious future. He saw afar off the vision of Him, that Prophet like himself who would come through whom the promises would be fulfilled.

In comparison with the wise men of the Greeks, Moses saw a glorious vision. The Greeks and all sinful men could see nothing but darkness. They could see no glorious future. They knew no God who controls all things; they knew no prophet who could tell us of all things; they knew no priest to sacrifice for sin; they saw no king who will be victorious over all evil.

So then, Paul stands with Moses against those of the “world.” Yet he and all New Testament believers with him see far more than Moses saw. How the true Old Testament saints longed to see that future day. Yes, they went to glory at their death. But it was glory by anticipation. It was glory in the hope of God’s promises. Moses, who saw what he saw on the mount of Sinai, came back on another mount, at a future time, this time the mount of transfiguration. He and Elijah spoke with Christ of His upcoming death at Jerusalem. It was almost as if they were saying, “We are in glory because You are going to suffer for us. Walk then, we beseech You, walk the via dolorosa to the cross.”

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Nature of This Spiritual Discernment – Continued

C. “We All . . . ‘With Unveiled Face’ ” – Continued

From last lesson: Again you might ask, doesn’t Paul fear that his office and his influence will be jeopardized? Wouldn’t he rather be the lonely mountain climber that has seen something no one else has seen in order to boast of visions and revelations? That’s not the Paul of the Bible, so no, he would not.

He would take them all to see what he has seen. There remains enough for him to do. As the minister of Christ to them he will point out the beauties of the scene. “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end” (2 Corinthians 3:12-13). Moses had put a veil on his face because there was a veil on the faces or hearts of those to whom he was speaking. As a minister of the old covenant he could not speak plainly. He could not proclaim the whole counsel of God to them. They would have been further confused by it. The brilliance of the objective redemption had to be dimmed because of the poor eyesight, the spiritual obtuseness, of those to whom it came. But Paul speaks plainly and fully and doesn’t need to worry that such speaking is in vain. He has fed them with milk but he will also feed them with solid meat.

It also means that he doesn’t have to worry about people understanding once and then fall into not understanding in the next moment. He is not speaking of moments of high spiritual attainment to be followed by descent into the valley of the mists below. The veil, he intimates in his form of expression, is not lifted so that it may at any time drop again. The veil has been entirely and permanently removed. If you approach a distant mountain peak gradually your vision may from time to time be obscured. There are foothills and smaller mountains that obstruct the view of the highest mountain toward which you climb. But Paul thinks of the whole party as having arrived at the top of the mountain, and each of the party has a spiritual telescope (as it were) of their own. They see and they see constantly and continuously.

Yes, we may speak of ups and downs in our Christian life. Paul is not trying to teach perfectionism. Yet as we are holy in Christ, as we are without sin in Christ so also we see constantly in Christ. The Church of Christ Jesus is an object of faith. But it’s an object of faith that is gradually being realized. Therefore, Paul’s labors are not in vain in the Lord. They are most abundantly fruitful! He can speak to them as spiritual men as opposed to speaking to them as carnal men.

Such is the nature of the spiritual discernment of the New Testament believers. Through the power of the Spirit the congregation of Jesus Christ, old and young, equipped with the spiritual telescopes of faith, are led by the servant of the Lord to see, and to see without interruption, the glory of the Lord.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.