The Glory of Christ Book Summary
The Glory of Christ (also known as Meditations and Discourses on the Glory of Christ), written by the eminent 17th-century Puritan theologian John Owen, is a deep exploration of the supreme majesty and beauty of Jesus Christ. Published posthumously in 1684, this work reflects Owen’s lifelong devotion to Christ and serves as both a theological treatise and a devotional masterpiece. Written near the end of Owen’s life, it carries a deeply personal tone, as he penned it while facing physical decline, expressing his longing to behold Christ’s glory fully in eternity.
Context and Author
John Owen (1616–1683) was one of the most influential Puritan thinkers, known for his rigorous intellect and pastoral sensitivity. A towering figure in Reformed theology, Owen served as a preacher, writer, and advisor during England’s tumultuous Civil War era. The Glory of Christ emerged from his meditations on Scripture, particularly John 17:24, where Jesus prays that His followers may see His glory. Written in his final years, the book reveals Owen’s desire to prepare believers for eternity by fixing their gaze on Christ’s divine splendor.
Other works by John Owen we have updated into Modern English:
Main Theme: Beholding Christ’s Glory
The central theme of The Glory of Christ is the incomparable excellence and glory of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, the Mediator of the new covenant, and the Savior of humanity. Owen argues that beholding Christ’s glory—both through faith in this life and in its fullness in heaven—is the ultimate purpose and privilege of every believer. He presents Christ’s glory as multifaceted, encompassing His divine nature, His incarnation, His redemptive work, and His exaltation, urging Christians to meditate on these truths as the source of spiritual strength and joy.
Key Points
Owen structures the book as a series of meditations, blending doctrinal exposition with practical application:
- Christ’s Glory Defined: Owen describes Christ’s glory as the radiance of His divine attributes—His holiness, wisdom, love, and power—combined with His human nature, perfected through His obedience and sacrifice. This glory shines most brightly in His role as the Mediator who reconciles God and man.
- Beholding by Faith: He teaches that believers can perceive Christ’s glory now through the eyes of faith, by studying Scripture, engaging in prayer, and contemplating His person and work. This act transforms the soul, renewing it in holiness and preparing it for eternity.
- The Limits of Earthly Vision: Owen acknowledges that earthly sight is partial and imperfect, clouded by sin and human weakness, yet he encourages perseverance in seeking Christ’s glory as a foretaste of heaven.
- The Beatific Vision: The ultimate hope, Owen asserts, is the direct, unmediated vision of Christ’s glory in eternity—a sight that will bring perfect joy, satisfaction, and worship.
Owen emphasizes that meditating on Christ’s glory is not merely an intellectual exercise but a transformative experience that combats sin, sustains believers through trials, and deepens their love for their Savior. He also contrasts the fleeting pleasures of the world with the enduring splendor of Christ, calling readers to prioritize this spiritual pursuit.
The Glory of Christ by John Owen
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Chapter #1: Explanation of the text
"Father, I desire that those you have given me may be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me." - John 17:24
The High Priest under the Law, when he was to enter into the Holy Place on the solemn Day of Atonement, was to take both his hands full of sweet incense from the Golden Table of Incense to carry with him as he entered. He also had a censer filled with fire taken from the Altar of Burnt Offerings, where atonement was made for sin with blood. Upon his actual entrance through the veil, he put the incense on the fire in the censer until the cloud of its smoke covered the Ark and the Mercy Seat (Lev. 16:12-13). The purpose of this was to present to God, on behalf of the people, a sweet-smelling aroma from the sacrifice of propitiation. See the explanation of these things in our exposition of Hebrews 9.
In response to this mystical symbol, the great High Priest of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, as He was about to enter the Holy Place not made by human hands, offered the glorious prayer recorded in this chapter. Influenced by the blood of His sacrifice, He filled the heavens above, the glorious place of God's residence, with a cloud of incense, or the sweet perfume of His blessed intercession, symbolized by the incense offered by the high priest of old. By the same eternal fire with which He offered Himself as a bloody sacrifice to make atonement for sin, He ignited in His most holy soul those desires for the application of all its benefits to His Church, which are expressed here and in which His intercession consists.
There is just one part of the verse mentioned above that I intend to explore right now. This is the topic of what the Lord Christ desires for those given to Him by the Father; specifically, that they may see His glory.
It is clear that in this prayer, the Lord Christ is concerned with His own glory and its revelation, which He initially asked of the Father in verses 4 and 5. However, in this part, He is not focusing on His glory for His own sake, but rather for the advantage, benefit, satisfaction, and blessedness of His disciples in witnessing it. These aspects were the purpose of all the mediatory glory given to Him. Similarly, when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he instructed them to tell their father about all his glory in Egypt (Gen. 45:13). He did this not to boast about his own glory, but because he knew his father would find great satisfaction in knowing about it. In the same way, the Lord Christ desires to reveal His glory to His disciples, so they might be filled with blessed satisfaction forevermore.
This alone, which is prayed for here, will give them such satisfaction, and nothing else. The hearts of believers are like a needle touched by a magnet, which cannot rest until it reaches the point to which it is directed by the secret power of the magnet. For once touched by the love of Christ, receiving an impression of secret, indescribable power, they will always be in motion and restless until they come to him and behold his glory. A soul that can be satisfied without it, or cannot be eternally satisfied with it, is not a partaker of the effectiveness of his intercession.
I will establish the foundation of the following meditations with this one statement: One of the greatest privileges and advancements of believers, both in this world and for eternity, is in their BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF CHRIST. This is what he desires for them in this solemn intercession, as the culmination of all his other requests on their behalf: That they may behold my glory; that they may see, view, behold, or contemplate my glory. The reasons why I do not assign this glorious privilege only to the heavenly state, which is primarily referenced here, but also apply it to the state of believers in this world, along with their duties and privileges, will be explained shortly.
All unbelievers in their hearts call Christ Ichabod, meaning "Where is the glory?" They see neither beauty nor majesty in him that would make him desirable. They look at him as Michal, Saul's daughter, looked at David dancing before the Ark, despising him in her heart. Many of them do not openly call Jesus accursed, but they say, "Hail, Master," and then proceed to crucify him (1 Cor. 12:3; Matt. 27:29).
This is why we encounter so many harmful opinions that undermine His glory, some of which are truly destructive to all that is genuinely glorious; indeed, they deny the only Lord who redeemed us and replace Him with a false Christ. There are also those who express their dismissive thoughts about Him and His glory through bold, irreverent questions about the role of His person in our religion, as if there were anything in our faith that has reality, substance, or truth apart from its connection to Him. Through their answers, they bring their own questions dangerously close to blasphemy.
There has never been a time since the name of Christians became known on Earth when there was such direct opposition to the Person and Glory of Christ as there is in the age we live in. Indeed, in the early days of the Church, there were many proud, delusional, and irrational individuals who spread foolish ideas about Him, which eventually led to Arianism, and they were ultimately defeated. The gates of Hell did not prevail against the Rock on which the Church is built (Matt. 16:18). But just as it was said of Caesar, "He alone went soberly about the destruction of the Commonwealth," we now have many who oppose the Person and Glory of Christ under the guise of rationality, as they vainly claim. The disbelief in the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation of the Son of God, the sole foundation of Christian religion, is so widespread in the world that it has almost consumed its power and essence. And there are not a few who, though they do not yet dare to openly express their views, give clear hints of their intentions and willingness to make those who desire to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) the object of their scorn and ridicule.
In His appointed time, God will effectively defend His honor and glory against the futile attempts of people with corrupt minds.
In the meantime, it is the duty of all those who love the Lord Jesus sincerely to bear witness in a special way to His divine person and glory, according to their various abilities, because of the opposition that is made against them.
I have felt compelled for many reasons to contribute my small part to this effort. I have chosen to do so not through debate (which I have previously engaged in), but in a way that, along with defending the truth, aims to strengthen the faith of true believers, enhance their understanding of it, and express the experience they have or may have of the power and reality of these things.
What I intend to demonstrate right now is that seeing the Glory of Christ is one of the greatest privileges and advancements that believers can experience in this world or the next. It is through this that they are first gradually conformed to it and then fixed in the eternal enjoyment of it. In this life, by beholding his Glory, they are changed or transformed into its likeness (2 Cor. 3:18), and afterward, they shall be forever like him because they shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). Our present comforts and future blessedness depend on this. This is the life and reward of our souls. He who has seen him has seen the Father also (John 14:9). For we perceive the light of the knowledge of God only in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).
There are, therefore, two ways or levels of beholding the glory of Christ, which are consistently distinguished in Scripture. One is by faith in this world, which is the evidence of things not seen. The other is by sight, or immediate vision in eternity (2 Cor. 5:7). "We walk by faith, not by sight." We do so while we are in this world, while we are present in the body and absent from the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6). But we shall live and walk by sight hereafter. And it is the Lord Christ and his glory that are the immediate objects of both this faith and sight. For here we behold him dimly as in a mirror (that is, by faith), but we shall see him face to face (by immediate vision). Now we know him in part, but then we shall know him as we are known (1 Cor. 13:12). The difference between these two ways of beholding the glory of Christ will be explained later.
The first way, which is by seeing in the light of glory, is primarily included in the prayer of our Blessed Savior, where he asks that his disciples may be where he is, to behold his glory. However, I will not limit my inquiry to just this; nor does our Lord Jesus exclude from his desire the sight of his glory that we have by faith in this world. Instead, he prays for its perfection in heaven. Therefore, it is this first way that I will focus on initially, and I will do so for the following reasons.
1. No one will ever see the glory of Christ by sight in the future if they do not, to some extent, see it by faith in this world. Grace is a necessary preparation for glory, and faith for sight. Where the soul is not previously seasoned with grace and faith, it is not capable of glory or vision. In fact, people not prepared in this way cannot even desire it, no matter what they claim; they only deceive themselves by thinking they do. Most people confidently say, both in life and in death, that they want to be with Christ and see His glory. But they have no reason for such a desire, except that they think it is better than being in the terrible condition they would otherwise be in forever when they can no longer be here. If someone claims to be in love with or greatly desire something they have never seen or had represented to them, they are merely infatuated with their own imaginations. The supposed desires of many to see the glory of Christ in heaven, who have no view of it by faith while they are here in this world, are nothing but self-deceiving imaginations.
This is how the Catholics deceive themselves. Their physical emotions are stirred by their senses to take pleasure in images of Christ, depicting his sufferings, resurrection, and glory above. They convince themselves that they are witnessing the true glory of Christ, and they do so with love and great delight. However, since there is not the slightest true representation of the Lord Christ or his glory in these images—because such representation is confined solely to the Gospel—and since this method of attempting it is strictly forbidden, they are merely entertaining themselves with their own illusions.
The Apostle tells us about himself and other believers, when the Lord Christ was present and interacted with them during his earthly life, that they saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). We may ask, what was this glory of Christ that they saw, and how did they come to see it? For (1.) It was not the glory of his outward condition, like the glory and grandeur of the kings and rulers of the earth; for he made himself of no reputation, but being in the form of a servant, he lived as a man of low status. The secular grandeur of his supposed representative does not reflect the glory that his disciples saw. He did not keep a court or a house of entertainment, nor (though he made all things) did he have a place of his own to lay his head. Nor (2.) was it in relation to the outward form of the flesh he took on, as we see the glory of a handsome or beautiful person; for he had no form or beauty that we should desire him, his appearance was so disfigured more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men (Isa. 52:14; 53:2-3). Everything about him was fitting for a man of sorrows. Nor (3.) was it absolutely the eternal essential glory of his divine nature that is meant. For no one can see this in this world. What we shall achieve in viewing it hereafter, we do not know. But (4.) it was his glory, as he was full of grace and truth. They saw the glory of his person and his office in the administration of grace and truth. And how, or by what means did they see this glory of Christ? It was by faith, and no other way. For this privilege was granted only to those who received him and believed in his name (John 1:12). This was the glory that the Baptist saw when, upon his coming to him, he said to all who were present, "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29-33).
Therefore, let no one deceive themselves: anyone who does not see the glory of Christ here will never experience it to their benefit in the hereafter. It is not constructive to discuss beholding the glory of Christ in heaven by vision until we first examine whether we see any of it in this world through faith or not.
2. Beholding Christ in glory is something that, in itself, is too high, illustrious, and marvelous for us in our current condition. It has a splendor and glory too great for our present spiritual vision, just as directly looking at the sun can darken our sight rather than help or strengthen it. Therefore, we have no way to truly understand the nature of directly seeing Christ's glory in heaven except through the view we have by faith in this life of that same glory. Anything else that comes to mind is merely conjecture and imagination, similar to the contemplations most people have about heavenly things.
I have seen and read some of the writings of learned individuals concerning the state of future glory. Some of these writings are filled with excellent insights and elegant language, which can greatly impact the minds of those who thoughtfully consider them. However, I am unsure why it is that many people complain that reading such works is like a person looking at their natural face in a mirror and immediately forgetting what they looked like. This is similar to an ancient complaint about reading Plato's thoughts on the immortality of the soul. The ideas presented do not stay with us or become part of our minds. They please and refresh us for a short time, like a rain shower in a dry season that doesn't reach the roots; their power does not penetrate us. Isn't it because their ideas about future things are not drawn from the experiences we have of their beginnings in this world? Without this connection, they cannot remain in our minds or continue to influence our emotions. Indeed, the soul is unsettled, not built up, by contemplating future glory when it is presented with things it has no foretaste, sense, experience, or evidence of in this life. No one should expect anything in Heaven that they have not, in some way, experienced in this life. If people were fully convinced of this, they might engage more in faith and love concerning heavenly things than they typically do. Currently, they do not know what they enjoy, and they look forward to what they do not understand.
This is why people who have no personal experience of the beginning of glory within themselves, as an effect of faith, have filled their worship with images, pictures, and music to represent to themselves something of the glory they imagine to be above. They have no insight into what is truly glorious, nor can they, because they have no experience of its power within themselves, nor do they taste its goodness through any of its first-fruits in their own minds. Therefore, it is only through the view we have of the glory of Christ by faith here in this world that we can achieve such blessed understandings of beholding his glory above by direct vision, which will draw our hearts to admire it and desire its full enjoyment.
3. Herein, then, our present growth in faith is primarily concerned. For in this present beholding of the glory of Christ, the life and power of faith are most prominently activated. And from this exercise of faith, love for Christ primarily, if not solely, arises and springs forth. If, therefore, we desire to have faith in its vigor, or love in its power, providing rest, contentment, and satisfaction to our own souls, we must seek them in the diligent practice of this duty; they will not be found elsewhere. Herein would I live; herein would I die; herein would I dwell in my thoughts and affections, leading to the fading and consuming of all the superficial beauties of this world, to the crucifying of all things here below, until they become to me a dead and deformed thing, in no way suitable for affectionate embraces.
For these, and similar reasons, I will first explore our beholding of the glory of Christ in this world through faith. In doing so, I aim to guide the souls of believers into the more intimate paths of faith, love, and holy meditation, where the King is held in his galleries (Song of Solomon 7:5).
But because there is no benefit or advantage in contemplating this sacred truth unless it leads to an improvement in practicing the duty it declares, namely, the constant beholding of the glory of Christ by faith, I will, to promote this, outline a few advantages we may gain from it.
1. We will be made fit and ready for Heaven. Not everyone who desires and hopes for it is actually prepared for it. Some are not only unworthy of it and excluded because of sin, but they are also unfit for it and unable to benefit from it. Many people think they are ready for Glory (what could stop them?) if they could achieve it. But this is because they do not understand what it truly is. People will not be clothed with Glory against their will. It requires the active engagement of their soul's faculties, which some people are incapable of. Music holds no pleasure for those who cannot hear, nor do the most beautiful colors for those who cannot see. It would not benefit a fish to be taken from the cold, dark depths of the ocean and placed under the sun's rays, as it is not equipped to enjoy such an experience. Similarly, Heaven would not be advantageous for those who have not been renewed by the Spirit of Grace in this life.
Therefore, the Apostle gives thanks to the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Col. 1:12). Indeed, the beginning here and the fullness of glory hereafter are given to believers by the almighty act of God's will and grace. However, He has ordained ways and means by which they may be made suitable recipients of the glory that will be communicated to them. It will be fully explained in our progress that this way and means is by beholding the glory of Christ by faith. This should motivate us to this duty, for all our present glory consists in our preparation for future glory.
2. No one can truly view this glory through faith without experiencing a transformative power that changes them into the same image (2 Cor. 3:18). How this happens, and how we become like Christ by beholding His glory, will be fully explained as we continue.
3. Constantly contemplating the glory of Christ will bring rest, satisfaction, and contentment to the souls of those who engage in it. Our minds tend to be filled with a multitude of perplexing thoughts, fears, cares, dangers, distresses, passions, and desires, which make various impressions on people's minds, filling them with disorder, darkness, and confusion. But when the soul is fixed in its thoughts and contemplation on this glorious subject, it will be brought into and kept in a holy, serene, spiritual state. For to be spiritually minded is life and peace. This happens by taking our hearts away from undue regard for all things below, in comparison to the great worth, beauty, and glory of what we are engaged with. See Phil. 3:7-11. A lack of this makes many of us strangers to a heavenly life and causes us to live beneath the spiritual refreshment and satisfaction that the Gospel offers us.
4. Seeing the glory of Christ is the source and cause of our everlasting blessedness. We will be forever with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), or with Christ, which is the best of all (Phil. 1:23). There, we will behold his glory (John 17:24), and by seeing him as he is, we will be made like him (1 John 3:2), which is our everlasting blessedness.
The enjoyment of God by sight is commonly called the Beatific Vision, and it is the sole source of all the actions of our souls in the state of blessedness, which the old philosophers knew nothing about. We do not distinctly know what these actions are or what this sight of God entails. However, we do know that God, in His immense essence, is invisible to our physical eyes and will remain so for eternity; He is also incomprehensible to our minds. For nothing can perfectly comprehend what is infinite except what is itself infinite. Therefore, the blessed and blessing sight we shall have of God will always be in the face of Jesus Christ. In Him, the manifestation of the glory of God in His infinite perfections and all their blessed operations will so fill our souls that it will immediately bring us peace, rest, and glory.
We admire these things, but we cannot fully understand them. We don't really know what we're saying when we talk about them. Yet, true believers have a glimpse and a foretaste of this glorious state. Sometimes, through the Word and Spirit, a sense of the uncreated glory of God shines into their hearts through Christ, filling and satisfying their souls with indescribable joy. This is where the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, comes from, guarding our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:7). Christ in believers, the hope of glory, allows them to taste the first fruits of it; sometimes even to immerse their souls in the fountain of life and drink from the rivers of pleasure at His right hand. If anyone is completely unfamiliar with these things, they are worldly, even blind, and unable to see things far off. These experiences are indeed rare and usually short-lived. But it is due to our own laziness and darkness that we don't enjoy more visits of this grace, and that the dawnings of glory don't shine more on our souls. Such things should motivate us to be diligent in the duty proposed to us.
I will explore the following: 1. What is the glory of Christ that we can or do behold by faith? 2. How do we behold it? 3. How does our experience differ from the direct vision in heaven? In doing so, we will attempt to answer the question posed to the Bride by the Daughters of Jerusalem in Song of Solomon 5:9: "What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you so charge us?"
Chapter #2: The Glory of the Person of Christ, as the Sole Representative of God to the Church
The glory of Christ is the glory of the person of Christ. He refers to it as "the glory that is mine" (John 17:24). This glory belongs to me, to my Person.
The person of Christ can be considered in two ways: 1. Absolutely in itself. 2. In the acceptance and fulfillment of his office, along with what followed from it. His glory in these different aspects is distinct and different, but all equally his own. How we can behold it by faith in both respects is what we are exploring.
The first aspect in which we can behold the glory of the person of Christ, both God and man, given to him by his Father, is in the representation of the nature of God and the divine person of the Father to the Church through him. For we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). Otherwise, we do not know it, we do not see it, we see nothing of it. This is the way of seeing and knowing God, as declared in Scripture, which is our duty and blessedness. The glory of God includes both the holy properties of his nature and the counsels of his will; and the light of the knowledge of these things is available to us only in the face or person of Jesus Christ. Whatever obscure and imperfect notions we may have of them otherwise, we cannot have the light of the illuminating, radiating knowledge of the glory of God, which can enlighten and sanctify our hearts, except in the face or person of Jesus Christ; for he is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4), the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person (Heb. 1:3), the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). I only mention these things briefly here because I have discussed them in detail in my discourse on the mystery of godliness, or the person of Christ, to which I refer readers for a full explanation and defense. In this, he is glorious, as he is the great representative of the nature of God and his will to us, which without him would have been eternally hidden from us or invisible to us; we would never have seen God at any time, here or hereafter (John 1:18).
In his divine person, considered absolutely, he is the essential image of God, even the Father. He is in the Father, and the Father is in him, in the unity of the same Divine Essence (John 14:10). Now he is with the Father (John 1:1). In the distinction of his Person, he is his Essential Image (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). In his Incarnation, he becomes the Representative Image of God to the Church (2 Cor. 4:6). Without him, our understanding cannot approach the Divine Excellencies, and God remains to us what he is in himself—the Invisible God. In the face of Jesus Christ, we see his Glory.
This is the original glory of Christ given to him by his Father, and which we can behold by faith: he, and he alone, declares, represents, and makes known to angels and humans the essential glory of the invisible God, his attributes, and his will. Without this, a perpetual comparative darkness would have covered the whole creation, especially the part of it here below.
This is the foundation of our religion, the rock on which the Church is built, the basis of all our hopes for salvation, life, and immortality. Everything depends on this: the representation of the nature and will of God in the person and office of Christ. If this fails us, we are lost forever; if this rock stands firm, the Church is safe now and will be triumphant in the future.
In this, the Lord Christ is exceedingly glorious. Those who cannot see this glory of His by faith, specifically, as He is the great divine ordinance to represent God to us, do not truly know Him. In their worship of Him, they are merely worshiping an image of their own creation.
Indeed, ignorance and neglect of this truth form the essence of unbelief, which inevitably leads to the ruin of people's souls. Anyone who does not perceive the display of God's glory in the person of Christ is an unbeliever. This was the condition of the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles in the past; they did not, would not, and could not see the glory of God in Him or how He represented God. The Apostle explains that this was both the cause and the essential nature of their unbelief in (1 Cor. 1:21-25). Failing to see the wisdom and power of God, and consequently all the other holy attributes of His nature in Christ, is to be an unbeliever.
The essence of faith consists in properly attributing glory to God (Rom. 4:20). We cannot achieve this without the revelation of those divine excellencies to us, in which He is glorious. This is accomplished in Christ alone, allowing us to glorify God in a saving and acceptable manner. Anyone who does not perceive the glory of divine wisdom, power, goodness, love, and grace in the person and office of Christ, along with the way of salvation for sinners through Him, is an unbeliever.
From the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel, the Devil's main goal was to blind people's eyes and fill their minds with prejudices so they wouldn't see this glory. The Apostle explains the Devil's success in this plan in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4: "If our Gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost, in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Through various deceptive methods, to maintain his reputation as the god of this world with claims and appearances of supernatural power and wisdom, he worked to blind people with prejudices against the glorious light of the Gospel, which presented the Lord Christ as the only image of God. This blindness, this darkness, is cured in those who believe by the mighty power of God. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has illuminated our hearts with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6), which is where true, saving faith lies. Under this darkness, the unbelieving world of Jews and Gentiles perished; and this is the current state of all who deny the divine person of Christ, for no mere creature can ever perfectly represent God to us. But we must explore this mystery a little further.
1. Since humanity fell from God due to sin, a significant part of their misery and punishment is that they are enveloped in deep darkness and ignorance regarding the nature of God. They do not know Him, nor have they seen Him at any time. This is why there is a promise to the Church in Christ: "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you" (Isa. 60:2).
The ancient philosophers made extensive inquiries into, and developed many ideas about, the Divine Being and its existence. They expressed these ideas with great elegance to attract others to admire them. Because of this, they boasted about being the only wise men in the world (Rom. 1:22). They claimed to be the wise ones. However, we must adhere to the judgment of the Apostles regarding their inquiries. The Apostle assures us that the world, in its wisdom—meaning these wise men with their wisdom—did not know God (1 Cor. 1:21). He even refers to the authors of their best ideas as atheists, or people without God in the world (Eph. 2:12). For,
[1] They had no reliable guide, rule, or light that, if followed, could lead them infallibly to the knowledge of the Divine Nature. All they had in this regard were their own reasonings or imaginations, which made them the great debaters of the world; but in these, they became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Rom. 1:21). At best, they only attempted to feel after God, as people do in the dark for what they cannot clearly see (Acts 17:27). Among others, Cicero's book "De Natura Deorum" gives us an exact account of the Apostle's intention in that expression. Even today, it is not a lack of intelligence, but a hatred of the mysteries of our religion, that makes so many inclined to abandon all supernatural revelation and turn to a religion they believe is declared by reason and the light of nature; like bats and owls, who, unable to bear the light of the sun, retreat to the twilight, to the dawnings of light and darkness.
[2] Whatever they achieved in terms of rational ideas about invisible and incomprehensible things, they could never free themselves from principles and practices of idolatry and all kinds of flagrant sins, to the extent that they could be of any benefit. This is so effectively demonstrated by the Apostle in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans that we need not dwell on it.
People may say whatever they like about having an inner light or the power of reason to guide them to the knowledge of God, enabling them to live for Him. However, if they had nothing else—if they did not pride themselves on that light, which is based solely on divine revelation—they would be no better than those who, despite their best reasoning, did not know God and became futile in their thinking.
With regard to this universal darkness, which is the ignorance of God, along with the terrible confusion that accompanies it in the minds of people, Christ is called, and truly is, the Light of Men, the Light of the World. This is because only through him is this darkness dispelled, as he is the Sun of Righteousness.
2. This darkness in the minds of people, this ignorance of God, His nature, and His will, was the origin of all evil in the world and continues to be so. For,
1. Through this, Satan established his kingdom and throne, succeeding in his plan until he presented himself as the god of this world, and was regarded as such by most people. He elevated himself through this darkness (as he is the prince of darkness) into the place and position of God, becoming the object of religious worship for people. "For the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God" (1 Cor. 10:20; Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37). This is the domain of Satan; indeed, it is the power and scepter of his kingdom in the minds of the children of disobedience. Through this, he maintains his dominion to this day in many great areas and with countless individuals.
2. This is the source of all wickedness and chaos among people. From this came the flood of abominations in the Old World, which God removed with a flood of destruction. This was the cause of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, which He punished with fire from heaven. In short, all the rage, bloodshed, confusion, desolations, cruelties, oppressions, and villainies that have filled the world, leading souls to eternal destruction, have all arisen from this corrupt source of ignorance of God.
3. We are the descendants and offspring of those described. Our ancestors in this nation were given over to a brutish service of the Devil, as much as any nation under the sun. It is therefore an act of infinite mercy that the day has dawned on us, poor Gentiles, and that the dawn from on high has visited us. See the glory of this grace expressed in (Eph. 3:5-10). God could have left us to perish in the blindness and ignorance of our ancestors; but of His own accord, and by His own powerful grace alone, He has translated us out of darkness into His marvelous light. But alas! The horrible ingratitude of people for the glorious light of the Gospel, and the abuse of it, will result in severe consequences.
God was known in the Old Testament through the revelation of His Word and the establishment of His worship. This was the glory and privilege of Israel, as the Psalmist declares, "He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel; He hath not dealt so with any nation" (Ps. 147:19-20). The Church knew Him then, but they also had the understanding that He dwelt in thick darkness, where they could not have any clear views of Him (Ex. 20:21; Deut. 5:22; 1 Kings 8:12; 2 Chron. 6:1). The reason God represented Himself in darkness to them was to teach them about their imperfect state, in which they could not comprehend the glory that would later be revealed. For now, as He is made known in Christ, we see that He is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all.
4. Up until this point, darkness generally covered the Earth, and deep darkness enveloped the people regarding the knowledge of God; only a dim light existed in the Church. The day had not yet dawned, the shadows had not disappeared, nor had the morning star shone in people's hearts. But when the Sun of Righteousness rose in his strength and beauty, when the Son of God appeared in the flesh and fulfilled his role, God himself, in terms of his Being and manner of Existence in three distinct persons, along with all the glorious attributes of the Divine Nature, was brilliantly revealed to those who believed. The light of this knowledge dispelled all the shadows in the Church and shone into the darkness of the world, so that no one remained ignorant of God except those who refused to see (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
Herein is the Lord Christ glorious. And this is what I will now discuss; namely, how we can behold the glory of Christ in the representation and revelation of God and His glory, in His person and office, to all who believe. For it is not so much about explaining the nature of these things, in which the glory of Christ consists, as it is about our way and duty in beholding them, which is the focus at present.
He calls to us, saying, "Behold me, look unto me, and be saved" (Isa. 45:22). What do we see in Christ? What do we behold in him? He asks this question concerning his Church, "What will ye see in the Shulamite?" To which he answers, "as it were the company of two armies" (Song of Sol. 6:13), or the two Churches of the Old and New Testament, in order and beauty. We may inquire, what shall we, what do we see in him? Do we see him as the image of the invisible God, representing his nature, properties, and will to us? Do we see him as the character, the express image of the person of the Father, so that we have no need of Philip's request, "Lord, show us the Father," because having seen him, we have seen the Father also (John 14:9)?
This is our first saving view of Christ, the first instance of seeing his glory by faith. To see him in such a way that we see God in him is to behold his glory, for this is where he is eternally glorious. This is the glory we should long for and strive to see. If we do not see it, we are still in darkness; indeed, even if we claim to see, we are blind like others. David longed and prayed for this, even when he could only see it in types and shadows (Ps. 63:1-2): "O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen them in the sanctuary." For in the sanctuary, there was an obscure representation of the glory of God in Christ. How much more should we value the view we can have with an unveiled face, though still as in a mirror (2 Cor. 3:18)?
When Moses had seen the great and marvelous works of God, he still found himself unsatisfied. Therefore, after all this, he prayed that God would show him His glory (Exod. 33:18). He understood that the ultimate rest, blessedness, and satisfaction of the soul is not in seeing the works of God, but in seeing the glory of God Himself. This is why he desired some immediate glimpses of it in this world. "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." If we have a correct understanding of the future state of blessedness, we too will desire to see more of His glory in this life. But the question is, how can we achieve this? If we are left to our own devices in this inquiry, if we have no other way but to focus our thoughts on the vastness of the Divine Nature, we might all come to the same conclusion as Agur did in a similar reflection: "Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man; I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?" (Prov. 30:2-4).
It is in Christ alone that we can have a clear and distinct view of the glory of God and His excellencies. For He, and He alone, has been appointed by God as the representative of Himself to us. We will consider this in one or two specific examples.
1. Infinite wisdom is one of the most glorious attributes of the divine nature. It directs all of God's external works, where the glory of all His other excellencies is revealed. Therefore, the revelation of God's entire glory originally comes from infinite wisdom. But as Job says, "Where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:12). "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" (Job 11:7). As an essential, eternal attribute of the divine nature, we cannot fully comprehend it. We can only adore it from the infinite distance at which we stand from God. However, we can discern it through its operations and effects, as they are intended by God to reveal it. Among these, the most excellent is the design of the great work of the Church's salvation. This is celebrated by the Apostle in (Eph. 3:9-11): "To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God."
If we have any interest in God, if we have any hopes of blessedness in beholding His glory for eternity, we cannot help but desire a view (such as is attainable) of this infinite manifold wisdom of God in this life. But it is in Christ alone that we can discern anything of it; for the Father has chosen and sealed Him to represent it to us. All the treasures of this wisdom are hidden, stored, and revealed in Him. Herein lies the essence and form of faith. Believers, through faith, see the wisdom of God in Christ, in His person and office: Christ, the wisdom of God. Unbelievers do not see it, as the Apostle argues (1 Cor. 1:22-24).
In observing the glory of this infinite wisdom of God in Christ, we also observe his own glory; the glory given to him by his Father. This is his glory: that in and through him, and him alone, the wisdom of God is revealed and shown to us. When God appointed him as the great and only means for this purpose, he gave him honor and glory above all of creation. The divine wisdom displayed in creation is small compared to what is revealed in Christ Jesus. We do not deny or diminish the revelation of God's wisdom in the works of creation and providence. It is enough to expose the foolishness of atheism and idolatry, and God intended it for that purpose. However, its insufficiency compared to the revelation in Christ, regarding knowing God correctly and living for him, is abundantly supported by Scripture. The misuse of it was widespread, as the Apostle declares (Rom. 1:20). To see this wisdom clearly is our wisdom; and a proper understanding of it fills the souls of believers with indescribable joy and full of glory.
2. We can also look at the love of God. The Apostle tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Divine love should not be considered only in its effects, but in its nature and essence; and in this way, it is God himself, for God is love. This is a blessed revelation of the divine nature: it removes envy, hatred, malice, revenge, and all their fruits, such as rage, fierceness, implacability, persecution, and murder, into the realm of Satan. These do not belong to God in his nature or actions, for God is love. The same Apostle tells us that the one who killed his brother was of the wicked one (1 John 3:12). He was of the devil, his father, and did his works.
But the question remains as before: How can we view this love of God as love? By what way or means can we behold its glory? It is hidden from all living beings, in God himself. The wise philosophers, who talked so much about the love of God, knew nothing of this, that God is love. Most natural notions people have about it are corrupt, and even the best of them are weak and imperfect. Generally, people think of God as having an easygoing nature, someone they can take liberties with in all their situations, as the Psalmist declares (Ps. 50:21). And since it must be learned through its effects, operations, and divine ways of manifestation, those who do not know Christ know nothing of them; and many things in Providence interfere to hinder our view of this love. For although indeed God is love, his wrath is revealed from heaven against the ungodliness of men, as all things today are filled with evidence of his anger and displeasure. How then shall we know, where shall we behold the glory of God in this, that he is love? The Apostle declares it in the next words (1 John 4:9): "Herein was manifest the love of God towards us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." This is the only evidence given to us that God is love. Only through this is the divine nature as such made known to us; namely in the mission, person, and office of the Son of God. Without this, all is in darkness regarding the true nature and supreme operation of this divine love.
In this, we behold the glory of Christ himself, even in this life. This glory was given to him by the Father: specifically, that he should now declare and demonstrate that God is love; and he did so, so that in all things he might have the preeminence. Here, we can see how excellent, how beautiful, how glorious, and desirable he is, since in him alone we have a true representation of God as he is love, which is the most joyful sight of God that any creature can obtain. Anyone who does not see the glory of Christ in this is completely ignorant of those heavenly mysteries; they know neither God nor Christ; they have neither the Father nor the Son. They do not know God because they do not understand the holy properties of his nature in the principal way designed by infinite wisdom for their manifestation; they do not know Christ because they do not see the glory of God in him. Therefore, whatever ideas people may have from the light of nature, or from the works of providence, that there is love in God, no matter how they may embellish them in elegant, affecting expressions: yet from them, no one can know that God is love. In the revelation of this, Christ has the preeminence; nor can anyone comprehend anything of it correctly except through him. It is something that the entire light of creation cannot reveal; for it is the source and center of the mystery of godliness.
These things are among the deep mysteries of God, belonging to the wisdom of God in a mystery, which those who are worldly cannot accept, as the Apostle testifies (1 Cor. 2:14). However, even the simplest believer who lives by faith can understand them as much as is necessary for their love and obedience. The essence of it all is this: if you want to see the glory of Christ as the great means of your sanctification and comfort, as the only preparation for witnessing his glory in eternal blessedness, consider what of God is revealed and represented to you in him, in which God intended to glorify himself through him. This includes everything that can be known of God in a saving way, especially his wisdom, love, goodness, grace, and mercy, upon which the life of our souls depends. And since the Lord Christ is appointed as the only way and means of this, how exceedingly glorious must he be in the eyes of those who believe!
With these things established, I will conclude this first consideration of the glory of Christ, which we behold by faith in this world, with some observations that may encourage us to engage in this important duty and make the most of this great privilege—the greatest we can partake in on this side of heaven.
There are some who do not care about these things at all and even despise them. They never seriously consider obtaining a view of the glory of God in Christ, which characterizes unbelievers. They see him as a teacher who came from God to reveal His will and teach us His worship—and indeed, he was. But they claim this was the sole purpose of his presence in religion, which aligns with Islam. The manifestation of all the holy attributes of the divine nature, along with their representation to angels above and the Church in this world, as he is the image of the invisible God, in the constitution of his person and the fulfillment of his office, are things they do not regard; in fact, they despise and scorn what is professed about them. Pride and contempt for others have always been the safest cover for ignorance; otherwise, it would seem strange that people would openly boast of their own blindness. But these ideas in people's minds are influenced by their unbelief in his divine person, which is causing significant damage to Christianity in the world today.
I am speaking to those whose minds are more inclined towards heavenly things; and to them, I ask, why do you love Jesus Christ? For you claim to do so. Why do you trust in him? Why do you honor him? Why do you desire to be in Heaven with him? Can you provide a reason for the hope that is within you? Can you explain why you do all or any of these things? If you cannot, then all your claims about him are merely fantasy and imagination; you are like someone fighting aimlessly, as if beating the air. Or is one of your reasons for this that, through faith, you see in him the glory of God, with the holy attributes of his nature and their main operations, aimed at your own salvation and blessedness, which would otherwise have been eternally hidden from you? Because of this, he is precious to those who believe.
Let us, therefore, all who are spiritual, have this mindset. Let us embrace this privilege with joy and be diligent in fulfilling this duty. To behold the glory of Christ is both our privilege and our duty. The duties of the law were a burden and a yoke, but those of the gospel are privileges and advantages.
It is a promise concerning the days of the New Testament that our eyes will see the King in His beauty (Isa. 33:17). We will behold the glory of Christ in its brilliance and excellence. What is this beauty of the King of Saints? Is it not that God is in Him, and He is the great representative of God's glory to us? Therefore, the contemplation of this glory is the principal exercise of faith. And who can describe the glory of this privilege, that we, who are born in darkness and deserve to be cast out into utter darkness, should be translated into this marvelous light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ?
What are all the tarnished glories and fading beauties of this world? Of all that the Devil showed our Savior from the mountain? What are they compared to one glimpse of the glory of God represented in Christ, and the glory of Christ as His great representative?
The most harmful effect of unbelief under the preaching of the Gospel is that, along with an influence of power from Satan, it blinds the eyes of people's minds so that they do not see this glory of Christ, leading to their eternal destruction (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
But most of those who today are called Christians are unfamiliar with this duty. Our Lord Jesus Christ told the Pharisees that despite all their boasting about knowing God, they had neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form, as Moses did. They had no real acquaintance with Him and no spiritual view of His glory. The same is true among us. Despite the widespread profession of knowing Christ, there are few who truly behold His glory, and therefore, few who are transformed into His image and likeness.
Some people talk a lot about imitating Christ and following His example; and it would be great if we could actually see more of this in practice. However, no one will ever become like Him just by simply imitating His actions, without that vision or insight into His glory, which alone has the transformative power to change them into the same image.
The truth is, even the best among us are sadly lacking in this duty, and many are discouraged from it because some have turned it into superstition. However, we are often reluctant to seriously engage in it and approach the exercise of our minds with a hesitant willingness.
Thoughts of this glory of Christ are too high or too difficult for us, and we can't delight in them for long; we turn away from them with a kind of weariness. Yet, they are of the same nature as our beholding of the glory of Christ in heaven, where there will be no weariness or boredom for eternity. Isn't the reason for this that we are unspiritual or worldly, with our thoughts and affections accustomed to focusing on other things? This is the main reason for our unreadiness and inability to engage our minds with the great mysteries of the Gospel (1 Cor. 3:1-3). Moreover, it is because we do not motivate ourselves with watchfulness and diligence in continually exercising faith in this blessed object. This is what keeps many of us at such a low level concerning the powers of a heavenly life and spiritual joys.
If we excelled in this duty, in this exercise of faith, our life in walking before God would be more sweet and pleasant to us; our spiritual light and strength would increase daily; we would better represent the glory of Christ in our ways and conduct than we usually do; and death itself would be most welcome to us.
Even the angels themselves desire to look into the matters of the glory of Christ (1 Pet. 1:10, 12). These matters provide subjects of inquiry and instruction for the highest and holiest spirits in heaven. The manifold wisdom of God is revealed to the principalities and powers in heavenly places through the church (Eph. 3:10). So, should we neglect what is the focus of angelic diligence to investigate, especially considering that we are more involved in it than they are?
Is Christ then truly glorious in our eyes? Do we see the Father in Him, or by seeing Him? Do we diligently, daily reflect on the wisdom, love, grace, goodness, holiness, and righteousness of God, as they reveal and manifest themselves in Him? Do we adequately consider that the direct vision of this glory in heaven will be our everlasting blessedness? Does the imperfect view we have of it here increase our desires for the perfect sight of it above? In regard to these questions, I will briefly address various groups of people.
Some will say they do not understand these things, nor see any relevance to their own lives. Even if they are true, they consider them concepts they can safely ignore, as far as they can tell, they have no impact on Christian practice or moral duties. They believe that preaching about these matters only distracts people from more essential duties. However, "if the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 4:3). In response to this objection, I say:
1. Nothing is more fully and clearly revealed in the Gospel than that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God to us; he is the exact representation of the Father's being, so that in seeing him, we also see the Father. We have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in his face alone, as has been proven. This is the principal fundamental mystery and truth of the Gospel; if it is not received, believed, and acknowledged, all other truths are useless to our souls. To attribute all the testimonies given to this truth solely to the doctrine he taught, as opposed to his person acting in the fulfillment of his office, is anti-evangelical and antichristian, turning the whole Gospel into a fable.
2. It is true that the light of faith is given to us primarily to enable us to see the glory of God in Christ and to reflect on it concerning all the purposes of its revelation. This is explicitly stated in (2 Cor. 4:6). If we do not have this light, as it is given by the power of God to those who believe (Eph. 1:17-19), we will be strangers to the entire mystery of the Gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
3. That in beholding the glory of God in Christ, we also behold his glory. For he is infinitely more glorious than the entire creation because, in and through him alone, the glory of the invisible God is revealed to us. Our souls find life in this. It is through this that the image of God is renewed in us, and we are made like the firstborn.
4. This is far from being unnecessary for Christian practice and the sanctified duties of morality. Anyone who thinks these duties can be performed acceptably without it does not know Christ, the Gospel, or the faith of the universal Church. In fact, this is the root from which all other Christian duties arise and on which they grow, distinguishing them from the works of non-believers. A person is not a Christian if they do not believe that faith in the person of Christ is the source of all evangelical obedience, or if they do not understand that this faith is connected to the revelation of the glory of God in Him.
If these things are true, as they are the most important truths of the Gospel, and denying them undermines the foundation of faith and is destructive to the Christian religion, then it is certainly our duty to live in the constant exercise of faith concerning this glory of Christ. We have ample experience of the kind of morality that ignorance of it has produced.
There are others who may be somewhat unfamiliar but are not at all opposed to this mystery and the practical exercise of faith in it. To such individuals, I offer the following guidance.
1. Consider in your minds that seeing the glory of Christ by witnessing the glory of God and all His holy attributes in Him is the greatest privilege we can experience in this life. It is the beginning of heaven and the first fruits of glory; for "this is eternal life, to know the Father, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent" (John 17:3). Unless you value it and esteem it as such a privilege, you will not enjoy it; and anything not valued according to its worth is despised. It is not enough to think of it as a privilege or an advantage; it must be valued above other things according to its greatness and excellence. "Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard the fame of it with our ears'" (Job 28:22). And if we do no more, we shall die as strangers to it. We must cry out for this knowledge and raise our voices for this understanding if we intend to attain it.
2. As it is a great privilege that requires proper appreciation, it is also a great mystery that requires much spiritual wisdom for a correct understanding and guidance in its practice (1 Cor. 2:4-5). Flesh and blood will not reveal it to us; we must be taught by God to grasp it (John 1:12-13; Matt. 16:16-17). Mere unsanctified reason will never enable us to discover or guide us in this duty. People are not so foolish as to expect skill and understanding in the mystery of a secular art or trade without diligently using the means to attain it. So, should we assume that we can be equipped with spiritual skill and wisdom in this sacred mystery without diligence in using the means God has appointed for attaining it? The principal means is fervent prayer. Pray then with Moses, that God would show you His glory; pray with the Apostle, that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened to behold it. Pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Fill your minds with spiritual thoughts and plans about them. Slothful and lazy souls never obtain even one view of this glory; the lion in the way deters them from attempting it. Being carnal, they abhor all diligence in using spiritual means, such as prayer and meditation, which are uneasy, unpleasing, and difficult for them. For others, the way shares the nature of the end; the means of obtaining a view of the glory of Christ are of the same kind and pleasantness, in their proportion, as that view itself.
3. Learn the lesson from the actions of opposing sinful habits. When people's minds are intensely focused on pursuing their desires, they will constantly think about the objects of those desires and come up with countless schemes about them, until their eyes become full of an adulteress and they cannot stop sinning, as the Apostle says (2 Pet. 2:14). The objects of their desires have created and raised an image of themselves in their minds, transforming them into their own likeness. Is this the way of those who go down to the chambers of death? Do they shape their souls like this, making them fit for destruction, until their words, gestures, and actions reveal the state of their minds to everyone who sees them? And shall we be lazy and careless in contemplating that Glory which transforms our minds into its own likeness, so that the eyes of our understanding are continually filled with it, until we see him and behold him continually, never ceasing from the holy acts of delight in him and love for him?
4. If we want to see the glory of God as He reveals it through the holy attributes of His nature, along with their blessed operations and effects—without which we have no true power of religion within us, no matter what we claim—this is the only way to do it. Look at the entire creation and everything in it; they can only say that they have heard of these things and share what they have heard, but they are only familiar with a small portion of them. The heavens indeed declare the glory of God, and the sky shows His handiwork. The invisible qualities of God are understood through what has been made, including His eternal power and divine nature (Rom. 1:20). But in comparison, we can learn very little from these things about what we may behold in Christ Jesus. Even the best philosopher was blind in this regard compared to the least of the apostles, or even the least in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 11:11).
However, it is important that we do not just settle for understanding this truth as a concept or merely agreeing with the doctrine. We should aim for its power to affect our hearts. What does the blessedness of the saints in heaven consist of? Isn't it that they behold and see the glory of God in Christ? And what effect does this have on those blessed souls? Doesn't it transform them into the same image, making them like Christ? Doesn't it fill and satisfy them with joy, rest, delight, contentment, and indescribable satisfaction? Do we hope for and desire the same state of blessedness? Our present view of the glory of Christ is our initiation into this state, if we engage with it until we experience its transforming power in our souls.
These things may be of little use to some. Those who are immature in spiritual knowledge and understanding, either because they are worldly (1 Cor. 3:1-2) or lazy in listening (Heb. 5:12-14), are not capable of grasping these divine mysteries. Therefore, the Apostle specifically revealed this wisdom of God in a mystery to those who were mature (1 Cor. 2:6-7). These are the ones who have grown in spiritual knowledge and have trained their senses to discern good and evil. It is to those who are engaged in contemplating invisible things and who delight in walking the more secluded paths of faith and love that these things are precious.
A few inferences from everything that has been discussed will bring this part of our discourse to a close:
1. The holy attributes of the Divine Nature are not only presented to our faith in Christ in terms of their own essential glory, but also as they are exercised for the salvation of the Church. In him, we see the wisdom, goodness, love, grace, mercy, and power of God actively working in the planning, establishment, and effective completion of the great work of our redemption and salvation. This adds an indescribable brilliance to the inherent beauty of the Divine excellencies for us. The wisdom and love of God are, in themselves, infinitely glorious and infinitely lovable; nothing can be added to them, and their essential glory cannot be increased. However, as they eternally reside in the Divine Nature and are absolutely the same with it, we cannot fully comprehend them to have a deeply satisfying view of their glory. But as they are exerted in the work of the redemption and salvation of the Church, as they are expressed by communicating their blessed effects to the souls of those who believe, which is done only in Christ, the rays of their glory shine upon us with indescribable refreshment and joy (2 Cor. 4:6). Hence, the Apostle, considering the actions of the holy attributes of God in this blessed work, exclaims: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who has first given to him, and it shall be repaid to him again? For from him, and through him, and to him are all things; to whom be glory forever, Amen" (Rom. 11:33-36).
2. Through Christ, we believe in God (1 Pet. 1:21). This is the life of our souls. God himself, in the infinite perfections of his divine nature, is the ultimate object of our faith. However, he is not the immediate object of it here; instead, the divine way and means of his manifestation to us are. Through Christ, we believe in God. By believing in him, we ultimately place our faith in God himself; and we can only do this by beholding the glory of God in him, as has been explained.
3. This is the only way we can achieve the saving, sanctifying knowledge of God. Without this, every ray of divine light that shines on us, or glimmers from outside (as the light shines into darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it, John 1:5), and every spark that arises from the remnants of natural light within us, tend to confuse rather than lead us to the saving knowledge of God. It's like a flash of light in a dark night that gives a brief view of various objects and then disappears, leaving a traveler more confused and prone to wandering than before. Such were all those ideas about the divine being and its excellencies that those who considered themselves wise among the heathens embraced and developed. They merely wavered in their minds and did not transform them into the image and likeness of God, as the saving knowledge of Him does (Col. 3:10).
This is how the Apostle expresses this truth: "Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:20-24).
After it became clear to everyone that the world—specifically the wise, the studious, and the contemplative people—were, by God's wisdom, placed in a condition where they were left to their own wisdom, natural light, and reason, they did not and could not come to the saving knowledge of God. Instead, they became arrogant, dismissing the only way God revealed Himself as weakness and foolishness. It pleased God to show that all their wisdom was actually folly and to establish the only means of knowing Himself through Christ Jesus.
