The Glory of Christ

How much do you value the glory of Christ? I just finished reading The Glory of Christ, by John Owen, and it was a tremendous blessing to read (and tremendously humbling!). The book was written towards the end of Owen’s life and was a record of his personal devotions before his writings were made public. A man with Owen’s reputation of presenting profound truths from God’s Word was sure to bring some of his deepest thoughts in a work written so late in his life and career, and he did not disappoint! You can literally sense the depth of his love for Christ on every page and the strong desire he has of sharing this satisfaction he finds in Christ with everyone who hears his words.

When you think about the glory of Christ, it is easy to simply think about Christ’s glory which will be manifested in heaven. Perhaps the closest thing that anyone on earth would have witnessed of that glory of Christ came at the Transfiguration, where only the select few disciples were able to see Christ in His divine glory and the rest of us are given a description of it that does not do it justice (understandably so!). But Owen reminds us of John’s words from John 1:14, ”And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Here, the Apostle John is not speaking about Christ’s transfigured glory or His divine glory. He is speaking about the glory that was revealed in Christ on earth through His life and ministry. To a degree, we are capable of gaining a glimpse of Christ’s awesome glory in the gospels. Certainly, this view of glory will not be as complete as when we stand before Him face to face in heaven, but it is a true manifestation of glory nonetheless. Thus, Owen writes, “No man shall ever behold the glory of Christ by sight in heaven who does not, in some measure, behold it by faith in this world. Grace is a necessary preparation for glory and faith for sight.” Owen’s point is that the measure to which we behold Christ’s glory now by faith will prepare us for seeing Christ’s glory then by sight. If we fail to see it now, we should not expect to see it then, because if we do not desire it now, we will not desire it then.

The Apostle John explains that this glory of Christ was revealed in that He was full of grace and truth. In no greater way do we see the marriage of grace and truth than in Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross. Christ, in providing a way for God to be both just and the justifier, in redeeming man from the pit of hell and reconciling man to God, manifests the glory of God greater than in any other way. It is through Christ that walking corpses, spiritually speaking, could ever come to have life. It is through Christ alone that sinners in the direct path of divine judgment could experience forgiveness and enjoy mercy. This is the demonstration of God’s love for His glory and it is all seen in the face of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6).

The glory of Christ is always to be at the forefront of our thoughts and devotion. All believers should strive to say with Owen, “On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy.” It is something for me to concentrate on as I study through the Gospel accounts in the Bible. Not only do we see Christ in the flesh having come not to be served, but to serve, but also we can see His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father. Insomuch as Christ demonstrates divine grace and truth in His earthly life and ministry (culminating in the cross) He manifests to us the glory of God in all its splendor.