From glory to glory!

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image from glory to glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

A book I was reading recently made a novel suggestion: if we are Christians we are not just human beings; we are human becomings.

Once I had worked out what the writer meant I thought, Clever! But it’s not just a witty trick with words, for it conveys a real – and very important – truth. To be a follower of Jesus is to be in a constant process of change, a process of transformation, of becoming.

Of course, you could say that that is true of literally everybody, Christian or not. We get older (though not necessarily wiser). We put on weight (or possibly lose it). We learn things, whether by focussed study or by daily experience. We develop wrinkles and grey hairs. Our moods vary. Everybody changes.

But that isn’t what the book I was reading meant. No, it meant what the apostle Paul is driving at in this meaty, thought-provoking verse at the end of 2 Corinthians 3: “we all… are being transformed into his [that is, Christ’s] image from glory to glory…”.

To get the background, you need to go to Exodus 33-34 in the Old Testament. Putting it very briefly (and a little over-simply), Moses has a vision of God on Mount Sinai, and when he comes back down the mountain “he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29). His face, it seems, literally shone. That was wonderful, of course; but unfortunately it frightened the people and they kept their distance.

Moses’ solution to the problem was to put a veil over his face – but of course this was not necessary when he went back “into the presence of the Lord” (this is all summarised in Exodus 34:29-35).

Going back to 2 Corinthians 3, Paul compares himself with Moses. Just as Moses brought God’s word down the mountain “engraved in letters on stone” – the words of the law which could only lead to death, yet which also brought “glory” - how much more (he says) will my ministry through the Spirit bring glory!

Paul also draws attention to a small but vitally important difference from the Exodus story: it’s summed up in that little word “all”: “we all… with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory…” Moses, in his day, was the only person who saw the glory of God direct – but Paul makes no such claim for himself, nor does he want to. No, every Christian, “we all”, has this privilege; for to see Jesus is to see the very glory of God.

And how can we possibly see the glory of God in the crucified and risen Christ without being changed! That’s what the book I was reading meant when it said we aren’t just human beings; we are human becomings.

Let’s bring it down to earth…

Do you see yourself as “a work in progress”, or as “a finished article”? - as static (I might even use the word stagnant), or as developing day by day?

We sometimes excuse our bad or indifferent behaviour with the thought, “Well, sorry, but that’s just the way I am”, or “I’m afraid it’s too late for me to change”. We may not actually say that, but that’s the truth. And it’s a sad truth, a defeatist truth, a truth that conflicts with Christian faith altogether, and which dishonours God. The person who says, for example, “Yes, I know I’ve got a bit of a short temper”, needs to be challenged, not tolerated: “Isn’t it high time that you worked on lengthening it a bit, then?”

Jesus didn’t suffer and die on the cross in order to tidy us up a touch, perhaps make us little bit more outwardly respectable. No, he died on the cross in order to make us into new people, to slowly but surely make us fit for the glory of heaven itself. Nothing less than that.

I saw a poster some time ago that somebody had stuck on the wall: “Be patient. God hasn’t finished with me yet!” I couldn’t help but smile – a  nice blend, I thought, of humour, humility and thoroughly good theology. I think it sums up 2 Corinthians 3:18 pretty well: God indeed hasn’t finished with us yet; that process of transformation is a daily, ongoing thing.

So why not take a few minutes to ask ourselves: in what areas of my life is change needed? Why not jot down a little list of areas where I know I fall short, and pray over it regularly? A bad habit, perhaps, that I have always been meaning to break, but never managed to? A new sphere of service that, deep down, I sense God is calling me to, but which I am putting off? A more determined discipline of prayer and Bible-reading? A more positive, cheerful spirit, to replace a tendency to cynicism or grumpiness?

We may not see immediate results, but a serious intention can set us moving in the right direction. We begin to grasp the reality of Charles Wesley’s truly great hymn: “Changed from glory into glory,/ Till in heaven we take our place,/ Till we cast our crowns before Thee,/ Lost in wonder, love, and praise”.

Yes! What a day that will be! As 1John 3:2 puts it: “We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is”.

Father, I confess that I am a pretty earth-bound, not-very-special follower of Jesus. Please stir me up by your Spirit so that day by day I really do move from glory to glory, and so bring me to that greatest day of all when I really shall see him as he is. Amen.

A note for the technically-minded: That word “contemplate” could, just possibly, be translated “reflect”. In other words, the Christian doesn’t just see the glory of Jesus, but makes it seen by others. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others…”