Beholding the Glory of Christ in the
Present Dispensation.
"We have contemplated His glory" — John 1:14.
Mobile Conference, May 12, 2017
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The only safeguard against all the distractions and pollutions
of the world is look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher (or, Perfector) of our faith (Heb. 12).
But this looking is not meant to be for brief moments only, but as the writer
of Hebrews expressly exhorts us to look stedfastly
unto Jesus:
12:1-2. Let *us* also
therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside
every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race
that lies before us, v2. looking stedfastly on Jesus the
leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him,
endured [the] cross, having despised [the] shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God. (JND translation.)
We can never contemplate the glory of Christ, His Person, His life and His
position, His present work on our behalf at the right hand of God being under
the influence and power of the principles of this world.
In the present dispensation, it is a great privilege and of immense
benefit given to saints to contemplate the glory of Christ by faith.
Paul exhorts the saints to have the mind of Christ "Let this mind
be in you..." He exhorts the saints
to contemplate the glory, sufferings, humiliation and exaltation of Jesus
Christ.
I John 3 - Behold what manner of love - "Behold" here means to
look and contemplate the love of God the Father - the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ (II Cor 8)
Arrested by this sight, Paul says:
“But we all, with open face beholding as
in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord.” II Cor. 2:18
"Behold" is speculatas "Speculation" but this is not the
speculation of the philosophers as they pretend. But guided by the Spirit of God, it is
grounded upon the Scriptures --it takes hold of divine truth by faith.
To proceed further, I would observe that the writings of
John, especially, gives us this aspect that is, contemplating or
reflective side of Christianity. The Gospel of John, the last written
chronologically after the three synoptic Gospels, amidst the heresies of
Gnostics and false teachers, in which he expressly tell us that they have
contemplated the glory of Christ (John 1:14) -- thereby showing us this
peculiar aspect of Christianity, namely, contemplation, without which, the
saints may fail to attain a proper apprehension of the divine things, or come
to the full understanding and acknowledgment of the mystery of Christ. (
The present is an age of contemplation for the Christian. By contemplation, I
mean a steady seeing of the secret glory of Christ by faith, since Christ is
revealed to the saints of the present dispensation in this manner only. (see Heb. 2, John 14:19 ("the world seeth
Me no more")
But in the coming age, that is, "the world to come" will be the time
of His manifestation --the unveiling (Apocalypse) of the glory of Jesus Christ
(Rev. 1).
But, the present, it should be observed, is a special season for the saints to
behold Christ by faith, Who is revealed to us in the Scriptures by the Spirit
of God, and this special experience, we may remark, reaches its highest point
in the Breaking of Bread on the Lord's day (Luke 24).
Hence, observe, though their hearts burned as they listened to the discourse of
Christ, but it was only when He brake the bread, their eyes were opened. Now, of course, all this was divinely
appointed for those two at that time.
But yet, I ask, is it not on the Lord's day, at the Supper, our enjoyment too
and deep apprehension of the Person of Christ and His atonary
death on the Cross made manifest in a very singular manner, while being lost in
wonder in beholding this very same Jesus Who is now crowned with glory and honour (Heb. 2)?
Again, to remark, the present is a time of contemplation for the Christian,
while Christ dwells in the heavens, but is hidden to the world below. As Jesus
was taken up to the heaven, the apostles beheld Him steadfastly. In Heb 2, the
writer of Hebrews tells the sojourners that "but we see Jesus...crowned
with glory and honour"; But again, this act of
beholding Jesus Christ is by faith, through contemplation of the word of God,
and not the palpable glory of Jesus, which the glorified saints shall see Him
at His coming.
Furthermore, it should be borne in mind that the object of faith in all the
former dispensations had been Christ. Of Old, Christ was seen in the shadows
and types under the Law.
But in the New, Christ was manifested as the Light shining in
darkness, but the darkness (the true moral state of the world) comprehended (or
apprehended) it not (see John 1, I John 5 "the world knew Him not". But His own, by the grace of God, were given
to behold Jesus "the Word became Flesh" and contemplate His glory (I
John 1); but observe, though they had seen Him by natural sight, yet they had
to discern His glory, that is, the inward spiritual glory of Christ as the
Only-begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.
“We have contemplated His glory” see John 1:14; I John 1.
To again remark, that in all ages, from the beginning of the world, Christ is
set forth as the One and Only Object of faith for man. Even before the Fall,
in the midst of the Garden, the Tree of Life (type of Christ; cf. Rev. 2) was
there in the midst. In the Fall, the
promise of the coming Redeemer was declared as the hope for the lost sinners,
and so held forth all through the ages, until when in due time, Christ came
forth from the Father, "made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
(Gal. 4.)
We have then three periods or epochas: First, the
time before the Incarnation of Christ -- Christ was the object of faith as seen
in the types and shadows of the Law.
Second, the time of the First Advent at the Incarnation -- Christ was the
object of faith on earth, as seen and contemplated by His own (John 1, &c.)
Third, the present period which began in the Resurrection, -- the time between
the First and Second Advents -- that is between His Ascension to the heavens
after He had accomplished redemption and His Appearing -- Christ has been set
as an Object of faith (John 14) in the heavens, Who is beheld by His own by
faith (Heb. 2; Col. 3 &c.)
But in all these epochas, we should observe that
Christ is the alone Object of Faith, Hope and Love for the faithful. All creation (albeit now groaning because of
the bondage of corruption) is yet set to display the glory of Christ in the
coming day when the palpable, that essential glory of Jesus will be seen at the
time of His manifestation (Romans 8 &c.)
I would observe again, that the apostles beheld* or contemplated the glory of
Christ, when He dwelt amongst them (John 1).
Now, we too are given in the present dispensation to behold or
contemplate Jesus by faith.
[John 1:14 "We beheld His glory" "We have contemplated His
glory" I John 1, perhaps cannot be confined to their experience of
contemplation as a result of seeing His inward spiritual glory, but also it
intimates the palpable glory when Peter, James and John saw the transfigured,
essential glory of Christ on the Mount.
They were given by the grace of God to see both glories of Christ --the
inward spiritual glory and the external glory; though the context may seem to
allude to their experience of seeing His inward glory.]
In passing, I would observe that, this contemplativeness is neither confined to
the saints on the earth only, we find in Rev 4 and 5 a
similar character. The glorified saints
sitting in silence for the most part on the thrones are given to contemplate
the glory of Christ as the Creator (Rev. 4) and as the Redeemer and Judge (Rev.
5) Of course,
they see Him there both as God (Rev. 4) and the Lamb (Rev. 5).
But the silence between the songs of Creation and Redemption seems to intimate
that they are anticipating the destiny of the world as Christ is being inaugurated
as One Who alone is worthy to preside over the destiny of the world as shown in
the taking of the seven-sealed Scroll from the right hand of Him that sat on
the throne (Rev. 5).
I may further hint about the scene in Rev 8, before the breaking of the seventh
seal, an interval of silence spanning half-an-hour. Now, who can comprehend this scene of
silence? The Seraphims
of old ever praised God "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole
earth is full of His glory.” Is. 6; Rev. 4; but here, all
silence? But God in His sovereign
design allows it in the coming day.
To return, this principle of contemplation of Christ is exemplified in the
primitive Church as the writings of NT show us.
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews constantly exhorts the sojourning
believers to look unto Jesus. He shows
the greatness of His Person, His works of old --creation, providence and
finally that glorious redemption. He shows
Christ sitting at God's right hand (1:3), and then he proceeds to show His superiority
over angels etc. and says "But we see Jesus" 2:9, and further on
exhorts us in 3:1 Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession. In Heb 4, again, he says, "seeing then
we have a Great High Priest passed into the heavens" And in Heb 12
"Looking unto Jesus", Heb 13 "By Him therefore, let us offer the
sacrifice of praise" etc. Thus the whole discourse is written in
contemplation of Christ in glory.
The sum is this:
These last days, unless one maintains a wall of separation from the world,
and spend one's life (as we wait for the Lord Jesus) in contemplation, there
would be no true fruit. (See the case of
This, beloved friends, we ought to be occupied with
in this present day of ruin and apostasy.
Looking away from the world, and looking unto Jesus --the Author and
Finisher of our faith, we are exhorted to run the race that is set before us.
Jesus Christ is all in all for the believers. Therefore we must not look here and there,
but Him alone. We must not go further
than Christ. "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily"
He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
May God grant us grace to fix our gaze upon
nothing else, but the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ, as we wait for His
soon coming.