The Gospel and God's Glory

2 Corinthians 4:4 - 6

"The Gospel of the glory of Christ". Jesus made no attempt to glorify himself but men glorified him, the Father glorified him, the Holy Sirit glorified him, even demons glorified him.

The Good News is Good News of God's glory seen in the Son. The glory was not first seen in Jesus, though. It is there right from the beginning of time as we know it and was surely present in the heavenlies even before. God commanded the light to shine out of darkness. Not the light of the sun for the sun was not yet commanded into being. The light that shone must have been the light of God's glory. Moses also knew this glory of God in the Tabernacle and in the pillar of fire - the Shekina Glory. Isaiah saw the Lord's glory in the Temple and thought he would not live. But all these appearances of the glory of God were localised. God has promised that, through Jesus, "as surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." (Hab. 2:14)

Here in 2 Corinthians 4 v 4 & 6 we have a clear contrast between those in the world and those who are in Christ. Satan, the god of the age, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ. The world looks at the Church and sees its faults and hypocricies, it dwells upon real and imagined sins of the saints, it thinks of supposed inconsistencies in the gospel message and sees nothing but superstition, ritual and "do-gooders". The Man of the World sees no light, no Good News and no glory. In all of this, how can he experience the glory of God? In contrast 'God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'

We, who are the heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus (Rom 8:17) have experienced, in differing degrees, the Glory of God operating in our own lives. We have seen it in the face of Christ. There is a sense in which, as Children of the Father and the expression of Christ, we bear the glory of God in our own faces. We see it in one another as we worship, as we minister to God or to one another. If only we were constantly in worship and ministry the world also must eventually see the difference even if they are blinded to the glory. If, indeed, the whole world is to know and see the glory of God it is surely we, the saints, who are to bear the glory to the world.

The glory of God was seen in the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could go, but through the torn veil we have access to the Holiest Place - to the presence of God. As the priests bore the Ark of the Presence so it is for the saints to bear the Glory of God as a Covenant mark to be seen of all the earth. This is part of the Gospel. The Good News of the Glory of God

Further references

John 12:31, Eph 6:12, Isaiah 6:10, Matt 13:4, 2 Peter 1:19, Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 2:5, Eph. 5:8 & 14