With Unveiled Faces

“If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness. For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.” – 2 Corinthians 3:9, 10

Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been granted a glorious life through the power of God. The old covenant (the law) is holy, righteous and glorious because it comes from God. However glorious it may have been, all that the law did was expose the sin in the lives of God’s people. The law made it plain to God’s people where they fell short of God’s glory, but the law was powerless to help people overcome sin. The ministry of the old covenant brought condemnation because it pointed out sin and its tragic consequence: death; but the ministry of the new covenant brought righteousness and life. The law was necessary, but it was never intended to be permanent. God’s people had to experience condemnation so that they could appreciate God’s mercy and forgiveness. His people had to experience death so that they could appreciate the life-giving Spirit. The new ministry of the Spirit is even more glorious. The changed hearts and lives of believers is an even more miraculous work of God than lightning, thunder, and earthquakes.

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.” - 2 Corinthians 3:12, 13

Because of this surpassing glory, we live our lives unveiled by the power of hope. Paul seems to believe that Moses covered his face because the radiance of God would fade after he spoke with the Lord. Paul thinks that this action kept the Israelites from understanding that the glory of this old covenant was only temporary. In Christ, the veil is taken away. Because we know, and have experienced, the glory of God we have an everlasting hope. We believe and confidently, boldly profess that our God is a God of his word. Through Jesus Christ, we are directly connected with God and his glory. Because of our confidence in the glory of the new covenant, we live our lives with unveiled faces. What we know and what we profess is nothing to hide. We should not be afraid to see where God can take us. We shouldn’t allow our comfort and apprehension to cheat us out of experiencing God and his all-surpassing glory. We must boldly let God use us as his servants in his way, letting God’s glory take us places we may never have imagined.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18

As we are strengthened by hope, we are also transformed by the power of the Spirit. Numerous places in the scriptures refer to freedom as freedom from death, sin, law, and condemnation. In this context, for Paul, freedom is the removal of any barriers that might hinder spiritual understanding. As for the Jews, their diehard dependence upon the old covenant and its ways became a barrier that separated them from God and his ever-increasing glory. They were unable to recognize Jesus as the glorious Messiah that all of their beloved scriptures were pointing to. Therefore, they were unable to accept Jesus and ultimately their hearts became hardened, which resulted in their being even further separated from God.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Those 10 words can and will forever change your life. When Christ died for our sins, and was resurrected, the veil was removed. Now, we are free, nothing stands in our way of our experiencing God and his glory to the fullest. That is, nothing but ourselves. We must choose live in this freedom. We mustn’t let fear imprison us. We mustn’t let doubt enslave us. We mustn’t let the way we have always done things become the barrier that prevents us from experiencing God and his all-surpassing glory. Paul refers to this glory as “ever-increasing.” This implies an ongoing, never complete experience. As the Holy Spirit works through our lives, we step by step come closer to God’s perfect way of living. It happens little by little as the Holy Spirit points out more areas of our lives that need to be submitted to God’s will. As the Spirit is changing us, the glory of God is reflected in our lives as a beacon of light and testimony to the world of God’s greatness.

Unveil your face and allow the glory of God to be witnessed in your transformed life!

The Greatest Love

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Jesus Christ is God’s greatest gift to us. It is a really amazing thing to think about, isn’t it? I mean who could possibly love me (you) so much that they would willingly put their one and only Son in harm’s way to protect me (you)? God does. And God does love us that much because that is God’s nature. God so loved because God is love. This great truth is the motivation of God’s plan. 1 John 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” In his book "3:16", Max Lucado writes the following about John 3:16… “If you know nothing about the Bible, start here. If you know plenty about the Bible, return here. John 3:16 is a 26 word parade of hope; beginning with God and ending with life, urging us to do the same.” We must realize our need for such a gift as this. “For God so loved”…because of God’s great love for us, we must realize one very important truth: Sin is not breaking God’s law, it is breaking God’s heart.

Because this very precious gift is free, we are left with the greatest choice. God’s gift…Jesus’ sacrifice…challenges us to a decision. Because God has gone to such great lengths to protect us from ourselves, we must choose to either accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, or reject him. John’s gospel teaches that Jesus does not come to condemn the world or judge the world. Jesus doesn’t need to condemn anyone. If we refuse God’s precious gift, if we refuse to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we call judgment and condemnation on ourselves. We have to choose Jesus for ourselves. Blaise Pascal once said, “If I live my life like there is a God, and find out in the end that there isn’t, I have gained much and lost little. But if I live my life like there is isn’t a God, and find out in the end that there is, I’ve gained little and lost everything.” We choose to believe Jesus is the Christ, and by believing we choose life.

Once we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, our choosing Jesus is God’s greatest glory. God’s power is revealed in those who come into the light and live by truth. Again, we have a choice. Some people choose darkness. Immersed in their own wrong behavior, they have no desire to be disturbed or change. Those enveloped by the darkness avoid the light for fear of having their darkness exposed for what it is, rebuked for what it is…SIN. But those that choose Jesus? Those who choose Jesus are allowed the “shine” so that the power of God may be revealed in their transformed lives. Stepping out of the darkness and into the light is not something that comes naturally for us (see Rom. 7:15, 18b, 21). We can, however, choose to follow Jesus. Jesus says in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We can choose to follow Jesus and have the darkest corners of our lives illuminated by the light of life. Once that happens, Satan has no power there anymore. That part of our lives he once controlled, he no longer controls anymore. It is under the lordship of Christ! For God so loved…and perfect love drives out fear. Free yourself from the oppression of darkness and evil. Step into the light and let the love of Jesus warm your heart and soul. Darkness does not have to be your lord and master anymore. Where ever you are in life, Jesus loves you right there, and he desperately wants to set you free.

Why would God sacrifice his one and only Son? Two reasons:
(1) God loves you with the greatest love.

(2) You can’t enter eternal life without God.