Religion Can Be Vital

MEMORY SELECTION: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” —II Corinthians 3:17

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Mark 2:23 through 3:6

TO THE thoroughly consecrated Christian his religious belief is more than important; it is his life. In the verse following our memory selection we read, “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.”—vs. 18

The apostle is here comparing the Christian’s relationship to God with that which was the arrangement under the Law Covenant, which, of course, affected only the Jews. When Moses was instructed by God to go up onto Mount Sinai, he was hidden from the children of Israel by the thick black clouds that covered the mountain. And while he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights receiving instructions concerning the Law Covenant, the skin of his face shone so much that the children of Israel could not look upon him when he came down. Therefore Moses put a veil over his face when he spoke to the people. But when he went back unto the Lard he removed the veil. The Apostle Paul makes the point that if the glory of the Law Covenant, which was done away with, made the face of Moses shine, how much more glorious is that arrangement which remains and of which we are a part.—II Cor. 3:7-16

The Jews were really blinded by the glory of the Law Covenant reflected in the face of Moses, and the veil that he put over his face prevented them from seeing the glory fade. (vs. 13) “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.”—vs. 14

The Apostle Paul then says that “we all, with open face,” that is, with our face uncovered, are in the presence of the Lord, and that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can behold the glory of the Lord as looking into a mirror. The mirror that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, are permitted to look into is God’s Word.

In I Corinthians 2:9,10,13, the Apostle Paul explains, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. … Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

As the beholder looks into the mirror of God’s Word, he sees the glorious character of the Father and the Son revealed. The Prophet Jeremiah, as the mouthpiece of God, said, “Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”—Jer. 9:24

And then, continuing with verse 18 of the 3rd chapter of II Corinthians, the apostle says that we are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. This, of course, does not mean that our physical bodies are changed, but it does mean that we are motivated to change our characters to conform as nearly as possible to the pattern or image set before us. This is spoken of as a matter of growth—from glory to glory.

The Apostle Paul gives us a practical lesson of how this growth in character can take place. In Romans 12:2 he states, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” And then he continues in the rest of the chapter to give concrete examples of how our worldly minds can be transformed to see and understand things from God’s standpoint. To a truly consecrated Christian this change will be reflected in his life pattern, and his relationship with the Heavenly Father becomes the most important thing in his life.

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