THE GOSPEL OF THE GLORY OF THE BLESSED GOD

1 Timothy 1 and 2

The glory of God is the shining forth of all that God is in His nature and attributes. Until the work of redemption was accomplished it was impossible for God to display His glory. When Moses desired to see the glory of God, He said, “Thou canst not see my face” (Exod 33: 20), but He put him in a cleft of the rock, and covered him with His hand while He passed by, and allowed him to see His back parts, but His face could not be seen. The work of redemption, the removal of sin was not then accomplished, and man was not reconciled. The display of God’s attributes at that time would have been the destruction of the whole sinful race of men, and of the whole creation defiled by sin. But this would not have been to the glory of God; it would have been the triumph of the enemy. Hence God hid Himself and dwelt in thick darkness. No one in that day could stand in the presence of the glory of God. The glory was hidden behind the veil. When it filled the tabernacle or the temple, men had to go out, even Moses and the priests. And when in some measure it shone in the face of Moses, the people could not look upon it. Moses had to veil his face. It was impossible for it to shine forth in that day because, sin being there, the attributes of God could not be displayed in accord with His nature.

In the death of Christ God was glorified—all His moral glories shone out and were vindicated. Jesus could say, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him”, John 13: 31. Sin was judged in the sinless One, who became the victim, who offered Himself without spot to God. The glory has been fully satisfied, sin has been removed from before God, the man that was obnoxious to the glory of God has gone from His eye in the death of Christ. What remains is the righteous One, who has been glorified in God. He now fills the glory of God. The glory of God is now displayed in Him. Like Stephen we must look into heaven to see the display of the glory of God. It is not yet publicly manifested, but faith sees it displayed in Christ raised and glorified. God’s glory is His triumph over sin and every adverse power. This was displayed in the resurrection of Christ and His exaltation as man to the glory of God. “Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father” Rom 6: 4. Then it is still further manifested in the exaltation of Christ as man and the bringing to pass in Him of the full purpose of God in regard to man, and that in spite of sin and every adverse power. In heaven God’s glory is fully seen in the face of Jesus Christ. If we look around, all that we see on earth at the present time is the work of Satan and the sin of man, a state of confusion and misery, all that is to the dishonour of God. What a comfort therefore it is to be able to look up into heaven and see the glory of God. “The heavens declare the glory of God”, Ps 19: 1. For us it shines, not in the face of him who represents God as the lawgiver and judge, but in the face of Him who represents God in the fulness of His grace and love to men, and in the One who has already satisfied the claims of the divine glory. In Him the divine glory has found its rest, the true ark of the covenant, and the mercy-seat. Redemption has been accomplished and the believer reconciled to God in Christ, and is thus made perfectly suitable to the glory of God. Like Stephen, he is ready to enter into it. We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God”, Rom 5: 2. We have liberty in the presence of the glory, we look at it with boldness—all fear is gone. Instead of condemning us and driving us away, the more we look at it the more it conforms us to itself. But this supposes that we are in the good of the new covenant, and have received the word of reconciliation. Only a reconciled person can look at the glory of God.

But the time is coming when that glory will shine forth universally, and fill heaven and earth. “As I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah”, Num 14: 21. The effect will be to banish everything which is not in accord with it, and to bring in a new condition of things, in which all will be in accord with it, in which everything will utter His glory. The church will be the vessel in which the light of it will shine forth in its fullest manner, the nations on earth will walk in the light of the heavenly city which comes down from heaven, having the glory of God.

The declaration of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is glad tidings, the glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God. It is glad tidings because God’s triumph is salvation for men, as it was at the Red Sea. They sang, “for he hath triumphed gloriously”, Exod 15: 21. His triumph was the destruction of the enemy’s power and salvation for His people. Thou hast “led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation” (v 13); and so it is for us, our salvation and blessing have been secured in the resurrection of Christ. We see how the Lord has triumphed gloriously; we triumph in His triumph and sing His praises, and await in joyful expectation the display of His glory. Moreover, this triumph of God ensured the complete carrying out of His purpose in regard to them, nothing could stand in the way. “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in” (v 17). And more than this, it involved the complete and final triumph of God. “Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever”, v 18. All this is indeed glad tidings, in view of the present existing state of things in this world. In the world of today Satan reigns, sin reigns and death reigns. This state of things cannot be final. In one sense these enemies have already been annulled in the death and resurrection of Christ. He has already gained the victory, and He is coming again to make good this victory in the whole universe. That will involve the putting down of all lawlessness, the subjugation of all enemies, the banishment of Satan into the abyss, the setting aside of death, and the establishment of God’s kingdom, to the praise and glory of God, and the eternal blessing of His people. All this is assured in the resurrection of Christ and His exaltation to the right hand of God.

Nothing less than this is the fulness of the gospel of God; it is the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Whoever confesses it gives glory to God, glory to Christ. Amen.

From Helps for the Poor of the Flock vol 21 (1916)