Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
| Revelations and Glory series |
“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.”
Proverbs 25:2
Last time we began to see the truth in the first part of this verse about the glory of God. This time let’s explore the way that we are changed as we search out what God has concealed.
The Power of Revelation
Truth in the Bible is profound and full of mystery. When we read a verse, it often tells us a simple truth that is helpful to us. But, as we behold that same verse, meditating on it, God begins to reveal a deeper truth that agrees with the first, but provides a fuller understanding of its eternal meaning. It goes something like this:
The first glance we take at the verse is like looking at a picture, flat and still. It tells us something, but we don’t always understand the context. As we stare at it longer, it begins to take shape and we see there’s more than just a surface meaning, but a depth to the truth. It’s like looking at a sculpture, still motionless but now more comprehensive in its significance. As we meditate on it, we see that this truth isn’t static and inert, but alive and breathing. It is filled with the power to change us, and it is still unfolding today, awaiting its fulfillment in nothing short of eternity.
This is a process that depends on Him entirely. While we can read the Bible without Him, we can only receive revelation through Him. Moreover, it is only through the experience of revelation that our hearts are moved to be more like Him. If we had merely read the truth then it might affect our minds for a time, but it would never reach our hearts and it is from the heart that true, consistent change flows.
He Is the Source
So, the truth is not something we simply find, but something that must be sought. In His divine wisdom, He chose not to tell us everything plainly. Instead, He leads us to the truth as He slowly reveals it to us when we seek. This process of revelation, it surprises us, it inspires us. We see Him in a new light; we see how glorious He really is, and it inspires us to be more like Him.
This is the reason this leads to our glory, not because we have any glory on our own, but because this process of revelation inspires us to be like Him, and He is glorious. Paul explains this, how revelation relies on Him and how His glory affects us when we see it, in 2 Corinthians 3:
(2 Corinthians 3:14-18)
The phrasing in the verse tells us plainly that we are not the ones who change ourselves, but that we are “being transformed”. More explicitly, Paul tells us that it is God who transforms us, that “this comes from the Lord”. But what is our part in this? How do we receive this transformation? The verse tells us our part is “beholding the glory of the Lord”.
Beholding His Glory
Let’s start by understanding that word “beholding”. In the original language of the verse this is a compound verb. Specifically, it combines katoptrizó meaning “to reflect as a mirror” and menó meaning “to stay, abide, remain”. Let’s start with that second verb menó because it emphasizes more clearly our role. Our role is to abide with Him, to remain in His glory. This is the same word Jesus used over and over throughout John 15 as He told us:
(John 15:4)
This emphasizes for us that our action is one that relies on Him for its effect. It tells us that we cannot do this on our own, that we must remain with Him to see the transformation described in this passage. What do we do while we are remaining? The other verb, katoptrizó, answers this for us and also explains why the word is translated as “behold” (i.e., an instruction to look at something) rather than simply “abide”. We are called to keep our attention focused on Him so that we can “reflect as a mirror” “the glory of the Lord”.
So, we are supposed to be looking at Him, focused on who He is; but not in a quick, passing sense, but in an abiding sense (menó) so that we reflect (katoptrizó) His glory. As we behold Him, we become more like Him, reflecting His glory more and more.
Transforms Us
To describe this further, the passage goes on to tell us how we are “transformed into the same image”. What image is Paul referencing? He is referring to the “glory of the Lord” in the previous sentence. This is why he goes on to say that we are “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another”.
Here’s why this is so important. We know that Genesis describes our original design and identity as this: that we are made in the image of God. Obviously, sin has distorted that image because God is without sin. However, as we abide in Him, with our focus fixed on the glory of who He is, we make our way back to this original design, we find our original identity. More accurately, God transforms us back into His image. As we abide in Him, beholding Him, He restores our glory (the glory of reflecting His glory, His goodness, His love to all of creation). In other words, He restores our identity. We are no longer lost, confused, without significance or purpose. We are transformed; we know who we are and why we’re here. We are finally fulfilled.
Next Time
So, we’ve seen why this matters; we’ve seen why this is so important for us. We’ve seen how our glory, our purpose is inseparably tied to this instruction in Proverbs 25:2 to “search things out”. When we feel lost, when we feel worthless, when we feel meaningless, this is the resolution. But how do we begin? What is the first step and what do we need to start this journey? Next time we’ll explore just that. Don’t forget to subscribe!
Wow!! Great post!! I loved it!!
Still working on getting instagram – but I will finally do it