Faith is the eye of the soul that “sees” the glory of the Lord in the Spirit. The sight of the Lord Jesus’ glory transforms all who see his glory. Our transformation is by degrees in this life until we are all perfected in glory at his return, when our faith becomes sight.

^“Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:15-18 ESV)

“But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2Cor 3:18 NAS)

In the third chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul instructs the church on the greater liberty and glory of the New Covenant in comparison to the Old Covenant. In keeping with the themes of liberty and glory, Paul mentions that the work of the Holy Spirit is now more fulsome, and the greater glory that pertains to believers today is due to an “unveiling.”

In the Old Testament, Moses veiled his face from the congregation of Israel because, after meeting with Jehovah on Mt Sinai, the shine on his face would wane over time; Moses had just instituted Jehovah’s National Covenant with Israel, so he did not want the people to see the waning glory of that covenant of that day. But today, Christ’s church regards the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ without a veil. Paul explains that this is because the glory of the New Covenant is not fleeting, but is an everlasting covenant whose glory endures.

As Christians behold the glory of the Lord in the Spirit, they are transformed from one degree of glory to a higher degree. Stated differently, a believer’s transformation from one degree of glory to a higher degree depends on the Spirit of God and the believer beholding the glory of the Lord. Therefore, the only kind of “beholding” that is transformative is seeing the glory of the Lord by faith.

The process of spiritual growth, or sanctification in the Christian life, is, from first to last, by faith. Faith is the gracious gift of God, and it is given to his elect without regard to personal merit. Sanctification is the work of the Spirit of God in the believer’s life, and only proceeds by faith. But faith does not work of itself – it must have an object to behold. That object is no longer the veiled face of Moses as under the Old Covenant but the unveiled face of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Covenant, for “the light of the glory of the knowledge of God [is] in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ that transforms believers is seen, by faith, in the Gospel. When the Spirit shines the light of his grace upon the heart of anyone hearing the Gospel and the believer sees the majesty and mercy of the glorified Christ by faith, the glory of the Lord is commuted to them. The believer turns from the darkness of sin to the Lord because of the light of glory that he now sees. Thus, the sight of the Lord Jesus’ glory, which initially transforms the believer in regeneration, continues to transform them throughout their lifetime. Yet it must be affirmed that it is the Spirit that continues to work liberty in the believer to turn from the lesser glories to the greater glories by enabling us to “look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

The reader will note that the English Standard Version (ESV) differs from the New American Version (NASB) in omitting the statement that the image of the Lord Jesus we behold today is seen as in a mirror. That should not trouble us, as in his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul wrote “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1Cor 13:12). This is to say that the glory of the Lord that believers behold in his unveiled face today will be much increased in the future; now, we see dimly, incompletely, imperfectly, not his essence but his image. But when the Lord returns, we will no longer see him as in a mirror dimly, but we will behold him “face to face.” At his return, God will make believers perfect in glory. The necessary result of our perfect vision is our complete transformation. Until Jesus returns, we only know the Lord imperfectly and in part; but then our knowledge of the Lord, who is all our glory, will be complete.

Our text teaches the imperative of continually proclaiming the Gospel to the world of fallen humanity, for God’s transforming grace comes to us by no other means. The worshipper of God must turn to the Lord Jesus by faith, receiving all the Gospel promises of salvation and obeying all of his commands, as he has commissioned his church to do (Mat 28:18-20). Preaching is of no help without beholding Jesus by faith in the preaching. Sacraments are of no help without beholding Jesus in the sensible signs and seals in the ordinance. Prayer will not transform lives without beholding the glory of the Lord in the face of Jesus Christ. Faith is the eye of the soul that “sees” the glory of the Lord in the Spirit, and that sight always transforms those who see his glory.

One related matter that should be mentioned is that pictures of Jesus, whether imagined in the minds of believers or created through painting and sculpture, are ineffective in ministering to God’s saints. No transformative glory should be expected through the use of idols. The Spirit of liberty does not lead us into bondage by breaking God’s Second Commandment. The “image” of Christ presented to the worshipper of God in the Spirit is the Gospel mystery, which reveals the perfections of divinity and the glorified humanity of the ascended Lord, as well as his mediatorial work in creation and redemption. No mental or crafted image can picture the immensity, purity, simplicity, omnipresence, and aseity of God in the person of Christ, who is the express glory of the Father. The New Covenant doubles down on condemning images of the Savior, despite arguments that Jesus’ incarnation grants us license to use images of Christ.

Another related matter is that today we are unable to sustain a full view of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ without turmoil. Any face-to-face appearance of Jesus Christ to us today would not minister to us, but would undo us to the core! For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; only glorified humans can. Thus, even John, the beloved friend of Jesus in the flesh, fell to the ground as though dead at the appearing of Jesus in the Apocalypse. “No one can see God and live” (Exo 20:19; Deu 5:24; 18:16) – not even in the New Testament (Rev 1:17)!

The fact that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did not die when they beheld Jesus of Nazareth is because Jesus “veiled” the glory of the Father in human flesh. Besides, they did not see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, not even dimly as in a mirror, because they were spiritually blind. For the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ can only be seen in the Spirit and by faith – “the flesh is of no help at all” (John 6:62,63). God can only be worshipped in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23,24).

One final matter is that some theologies hold that when Jesus Christ returns to earth, he will reign over the nations for a millennium (1,000 years) with his saints. Purportedly, the inhabitants of the world will be unconverted but convertible men during the millennium. But theologically, this is impossible; for even one glance at the glorified Jesus Christ, in full view with carnal eyes of angels and all men, does not save. This look will not convert, will not transform, but will destroy the sinful, unworthy remnant of the earth. A non-spiritual, material, and literal 1000-year eschatology (Chiliasm) is therefore not as hopeful a finish to redemptive history as one might expect.

Lou Veiga is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Houston, TX.