Glory of Christ by John Owen (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 12 (Differences between our beholding the glory of Christ by faith in this world and by sight in heaven - the first of them explained).
Firstly Owen shows us that the view of Christ's glory by faith in this world is obscure, dark, inevident and reflexive.
Then Owen teaches us that the view of Christ's glory by sight in heaven is immediate, direct, intuitive. And therefore steady, even and constant. This is because:
(i) the object will be real and substantial;
(ii) we shall be endued with visive power.
I loved the point that in heaven our minds will be freed from all darkness so we can view Christ's glory: 'Such as are the remainders of that depravation of our natures which came upon us by sin. Hereby our minds became wholly vain, dark, and corrupt, as the Scripture testifieth, -- utterly unable to discern spiritual things in a due manner. This is so far cured and removed in this life by grace, as that those who were darkness do become light in the Lord, or are enabled to live unto God under the conduct of a new spiritual light communicated unto them. But it is so cured and removed in part only, it is not perfectly abolished. Hence are all our remaining weaknesses and incapacities in discerning things spiritual and eternal, which we yet groan under, and long for deliverance from. No footsteps, no scars or marks that ever it had place in our minds shall abide in glory, Eph. v. 27. Nothing shall weaken, disturb, or incapacitate our souls, in acting all their powers, unimpeded by vanity, diversions, weakness, inability, upon their proper objects. The excellency hereof, in universal liberty and power, we cannot here comprehend; nor can we yet conceive the glory and beauty of those immixed spiritual actings of our minds which shall have no clog upon them, no encumbrance in them, no alloy of dross accompanying them. One pure act of spiritual sight in discerning the glory of Christ, -- one pure act of love in cleaving unto God, -- will bring in more blessedness and satisfaction into our minds than in this world we are capable of.'
A renewed mind so I can see Christ in all his glory - that's what I want!
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 13 (The second difference between our beholding the glory of Christ by faith in this world and by sight in heaven).
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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