Devotions

The Glory of God in the Face of Christ

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From the days of Moses, the Lord has offered his presence to those that will accept him. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 22:37 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ and Matthew 22:39 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But, there is a veil, in 2 Corinthians 4:4 “the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”. There is though, for us who have believed, a mission, in 2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as if God were imploring you through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

A Veil Lies Upon Their Heart

2 Corinthians 3:9–18
There was a glory that came on Moses as he spent time in the presence of God. That glory came on Moses as the Lord was describing how He wanted to come into their presence and He gave Moses ten commandments for the people. These “10 laws can be divided into two groups of five. The first five focus on the relationship between a person and God. The second five focus on person-to-person relationships.”1 and can be summarized, as Jesus said when asked, in

Matthew 22:36–40 “Teacher, which commandment is greatest in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

But in Moses day, the people could not bear the glory, and as it was in Jesus day, they still struggled with Love. This is why it says in

2 Corinthians 3:15–16 But until today, whenever Moses is read aloud, a veil lies upon their heart, 16 but whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

And this is the fulfillment of God’s promise

Ezekiel 11:19–20 And I will give to them one heart, and a new spirit I will give in their inner parts. And I will remove their heart of stone from their body, and I will give to them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they may walk in my statutes, and they will keep my regulations, and they will do them, and they will be to me a people, and I myself will be to them as God.

 

The Glory of God in the Face of Christ

2 Corinthians 4:1–6
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1 “Because of this”, because in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory”, there is a glory that shines from us as the sons and daughters of God.

But the deceiver, the enemy of our soul, in 2 Corinthians 4:4 “the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

It is not though, our lives that we are to proclaim. We enjoy the benefit of our salvation, whether anyone else hears or not. For them, the ones that are blind, we proclaim Jesus Christ and we trust that God will do in them what he has done in us as he said in

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” is the one who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

We Have This Treasure in Earthenware Jars

2 Corinthians 4:7–18

We Live by Faith, Not by Sight

2 Corinthians 5:1–10

 

If Anyone is in Christ, He is a New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:11–21
Paul is writing in part to counter the words of some that in 2 Corinthians 5:12 “boast in appearance and not in heart”. Paul describes the life of a believer as those that, in 2 Corinthians 5:15 “no longer live for themselves” and in 2 Corinthians 5:16 “from now on we know no one from a human point of view” which is also to say that those who “boast in appearance” are only living for themselves and are living from a human point of view. But this is not the way for us as Christians in

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

There is a new way of living for us. There are new priorities for us. There is a new mission for us in

2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as if God were imploring you through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Now is the Day of Salvation

2 Corinthians 6:1–13

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • 2 Corinthians 3:9-18
  • 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
  • 2 Corinthians 5:1-21
  • 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ex 20:1–21). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.