I Corinthians 10:31 NKJV Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
In the last post, we looked at Exodus 33 and the impacts of Moses’ request to see the glory of God. Moses wanted to know God more than anyone ever had and God partially granted this request allowing him to see the remnant of His glory. God hid him in the cleft of a rock, covering Moses with his hand as he passed by. We learned that due to our sinfulness no one is capable of seeing all of God’s glory. However, scripture tells us we are able to see God’s glory manifested in everything He has created. Isaiah 6:3 We also looked at verses that said when God sent His Son Jesus to be flesh, God was glorified through Christ. John 1:14 For those of us who have accepted Christ as Savior, we have Him in our hearts and therefore God’s glory is within us, Colossians 1:27 “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Keeping this in mind, we learned that just as Moses had to spend time with God to retain His glory on his face, we too must spend time with God in order to see His glory. We came to the conclusion that we must seek God’s glory if we want to see God’s glory. Finally, as we begin to seek God more earnestly with our whole hearts (Jeremiah 29:13) we become more Christ-like allowing God’s glory to be complete in us so that we can see His full glory when we are united with Him in heaven.
So what we begin to see is that God’s glory is so infinite that it’s easy to understand how death would be the outcome of looking directly upon it all at once. This is why in the Old Testament, descriptions of the Meeting Tent, and subsequent Tabernacles/Temples, contained veils to shield the high priests from God’s glory in the Holy of Holies. During Moses’ time we have the presence of two veils; to avoid confusion we’ll refer to them as the Big Veil, the one separating the Holy of Holies and the Little Veil, the one that we mentioned Moses wore over his face to hide God’s glory as it faded from his face. It’s on these points that we’ll examine Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth.
The Apostle Paul explains in II Corinthians 3:7 that if the Law (engraved on stones) that Moses received was glorious, so much so that the Israelites were unable to look at him because his face shone the glory of God, then how MUCH more glorious is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. What Paul is saying in this verse is that disobedience of the Law brought death, yet it had the glory of God. But now, with Christ, through the ministry of righteousness, we have the Holy Spirit, which is so much more glorious than the tablets of Law. The scripture goes on to say, “Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech- 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.” II Corinthians 3:12-14 The veil that Paul speaks of is the one that Moses wore and he refers to it as a veil of disbelief because, like we mentioned earlier, Moses wore it so that the Israelites would not see the glory of God fading from his face and would therefore believe that God was with them. Those people who today do not believe in Jesus, that He is Lord nor have yet to accept Him as Savior, continue with that same veil over their hearts. Just as Paul says in verse 16, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is lifted. Paul’s last verse of chapter 3 sums up some of the things we pointed out in the last post. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” II Corinthians 3:18 Paul is concluding this passage by saying that those of us believers in Christ are able to reflect the glory of God, though it is imperfect due to our sinfulness (John MacArthur points out that in Paul’s day the mirrors were made of metal, thus presenting a reflection albeit slightly distorted). With Christ who lives within us we are transformed in Him through the process of progressive sanctification or what Paul points out as “the same image from glory to glory.”
The glory of God is so immeasurable, so immense that we simply cannot process it. It is everything that God is and therefore it is something to be loved and beheld, yet also feared. As the prophet Isaiah points out in his recorded vision of God’s glory in Isaiah 6:5, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” He knew his own unworthiness to look upon God. All throughout the Bible all God has ever wanted is for the world to glorify Him. He revealed His glory throughout the Old Testament and the people rejected it each time. He revealed His glory once more with His Son Jesus and again the people rejected it. This rejection of Jesus continues to this day as summarized in Romans 1:21, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their hearts were darkened.” As Christians all veils have been removed, both the veil of unbelief that Paul spoke of and the veil that separates God in the Holy of Holies. Mark 15:38 As such, we have the outstanding opportunity to share God’s glory with all those who will believe. This is the last chance for it to be known to men until Jesus comes again, in full glory, but at that time He’ll bring judgment to all those that rejected God’s glory.
Prayer: Are you living for the glory of God? The Bible directs us in *numerous areas in which to live for the glory of God. It tells us to confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11), to confess our sins for His glory (Joshua 7:19), declare His glory among nations (I Chronicles 16:24), and even the most routine activities such as eating and drinking should be done to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31). Everything that we do should end with the glory of God. Colossians 1:10 “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Pray that God opens your heart to His glory, to recognize it in everything that you do, and to have the chief end of all things be for His glory.
Additional Study: John 15:7-8 Philippians 3:21 John 17:24 Jeremiah 9:24
*For additional study on the living for the glory of God, see the sermon by John MacArthur at http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/80-337
