The more we look into it, the more we see that there are so many facets to Jesus – so many aspects to His glory. In chapter 2 John Owen unpacks another aspect of Christ’s glory:
Christ’s Glory is God’s Representative.
We began to look at this in the last post – “Bonus Reading (after 8th March)” let us delve deeper into the chapter now.
“It is as the representative of God that the Lord Christ is exceedingly glorious. Those who cannot see his glory by faith do not know him. When they worship him, they worship an image of their own devising. Not to see that Christ is the true representative of the glory of God to the souls of man is to be an unbeliever.”p12
“The essence of faith lies in glorifying God (Romans 4:20). But we cannot do this without the revelation of the glorious qualities of his divine nature. These qualities and glories of divine nature are revealed to us by Christ alone.” P13
Why can only Christ alone reveal to us God’s divine nature? Because he is not only man, but God – he is God made man.
“… If Christ were only a man he could never have truly represented God to us for no mere creature can ever truly represent the divine nature. Since men fell from God by sin a great part of their misery and punishment is that their minds are covered with thick darkness and so they are ignorant of the true nature of God. They do not know him and they have never seen him. So this promise was given to the church: ‘for behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and his glory will be seen upon you’ (Isaiah 60:2). p13
This is the principle – Only God can reveal God to us. This is why Christ is unique.
“It is as the representative of such a God that Christ is glorious. So we need to learn how to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He calls to us, saying, “Behold me!” (Isaiah 45:22). But what shall we see in Christ do we see him as the image of the invisible God, representing God’s nature and will to us? Do we see him as “the express image” of the Person of the Father, so that we have no need to ask with Philip, “Lord show us the Father…” p16
“Is Christ, then, glorious in our eyes? Do we see the love of the father in him? Do we daily meditate on the wisdom, love, grace, goodness, holiness and righteousness of God as revealed to us in Christ? Do we realise that to see this glory in heaven will be our everlasting blessedness? Does the site of his glory which we have here increase our desire for that perfect site of it we shall one day have of it above?” P21
Considerations
Do we think of meditating on the glory of Christ as a priority?
Are we beginning to understand Christ’s uniqueness and why God sent him?
Do we really believe that beholding His glory will change us, or are we too busy trying to change ourselves for Him?