Well friends, for this blog post I recommend you pulling your Bible out and following along with me. There is just something about seeing these things for yourself in your Bible that sometimes make them more real to you personally.
With that in mind, let’s take a little trip back in time—back to the days of Moses. In Exodus 34:29-35, we see Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with God’s commandments for His people. At the end of verse 30, it says, “…his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” Moses’ face was literally glowing like your Diego night light. Why? He had spoken with the Lord; in other words, he had been in God’s presence.
Now, let’s go back a chapter and look at Exodus 33. In verses 12-17, Moses is essentially seeking God for His presence to be with him. In fact, in verse 15 Moses says, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Oh, we need this attitude in our hearts! If the very presence of God is not backing us, forget about it. Nothing beats His presence. God responded that His presence would be with Moses. As if that were not enough, Moses says in verse 18, “Now show me your glory.” That is a profound request, and it is one that God met. Moses saw the back of God, since the Lord said His face must not be seen. Knowing this, it is obvious why Moses’ face was glowing! He saw God, and he was reflecting God’s glory.
Whenever Moses returned to the Israelites after his encounter with God, the people were actually afraid to come near him (Exodus 34:30). Verses 33-35 show that Moses actually put a veil over his face after speaking to the Israelites, and he removed it when in God’s presence. Remember that.
Now it is time to discover why this is important for us today. Turn to II Corinthians 3:13-18. It says:
13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Focus on verse 18. “…we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory…” Praise God, we have a new and better covenant with God than Moses did! Our faces are unveiled and they reflect the glory of our God! Keep reading. It says we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” We are becoming more and more like God every day if we stay with Him and spend time with Him. Notice in verse 13 that “the radiance was fading away” for Moses. However, WE have something better! The glory that we reflect is EVER-INCREASING! Praise God, His glory in us never has to grow dimmer. We can have His glory radiating out of us more and more each day! People will notice you just like the Israelites noticed Moses, and they will say, “You’re glowing!” Then you get to humbly say, “It’s because I’ve been with God,” and you can tell them all about Him.
Friends, the reason why we can have these things is Jesus Christ. WAY back in the day, God lived in a place called the temple. More specifically, He lived in the placed called the Holy of Holies, or Most Holy Place. In Exodus 26:33, we see that there is a veil that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. In Matthew 27:50-51 we find that when Jesus died, this veil was torn in two. What does this mean? Why is this significant? God picked up a change of address form.
Back in the old covenant, God lived in the temple, but in the new covenant, we see that His Spirit lives in us (I Corinthians 3:16-17; I Corinthians 6:14-16;19-20). If you have received Christ as your Lord, God is now making His home in you! We are the temple, and the veil has been torn away, not only in the temple but from our faces. So now, we live II Corinthians 3:18 by reflecting the very glory of God! Oh, realize that Christ is in you! When you see yourself in the mirror, you say, “God is in that young man!” or “God is in that young woman!” To the glory of God, He is in you! You might as well start believing it, declaring it, and living like it.
When you start seeing this and believing this, you begin realizing you have everything you need inside you. When you go to school and feel like the only Christian there, you say, “The God in me is greater than the darkness in them!” (See I John 4:4) You see, boldness comes that way. That’s why it says in II Corinthians 3:12, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” Whenever you feel like giving up because the troubles of life are getting to you, you can stand up and say, “No, I am more than a conqueror in Christ!” Romans 8:37 says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.” We need to understand what “all these things” means if we are going to understand this verse. So, let us back up to verse 35 because verse 37 is the response to a couple questions asked in this verse. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” This reveals that we are more than conquerors through Christ in times of trouble, hardship, persecution, famine (or “dry seasons”), nakedness (poverty/lack), danger, and every weapon that may come against us.
Seek out verses in the Bible that talk about who you are “in Christ” and begin to see yourself that way. Talk that way. Think that way. Before long, you will find yourself rising up to it. This is the fulfillment of Romans 13:14, “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Oh, we can be so clothed with Him that there is no place for anything else.
The end of this verse brings up a final point I want to emphasize. Turn back to II Corinthians 6 again. Verse 16 mentions again that we are God’s temple; we are His residence. Now, let’s continue reading because what comes next is a related extension of the fact that God makes His home in us. II Corinthians 6:17 – 7:1 reads:
17“Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
18“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
When you see what you have become in Christ, purification must take place. The first verse of chapter 7 says “let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.” The responsibility is on us. Yes, the Word of God transforms us by renewing our minds, or changing the way we think (Romans 12:2). However, part of this process is evaluating ourselves in light of what we have read in the Bible. We must examine every area of our lives. Anything and everything that “contaminates body and spirit” must be removed. If we do not, it hinders how we reflect God’s glory. It is not about legalism. It is about reverence for God. Look again at that verse. We purify ourselves “out of reverence for God.” Friends, if we have things in our lives that we know are not benefiting us but are actually contaminating us physically or spiritually, there are only three possibilities. We do not know who we are in Christ, we do not reverence God, or both.
In response, let us turn from things that limit our reflection of His glory. Do not condemn yourself. Confess it unto God and be forgiven (I John 1:9). Clothe yourself with Jesus Christ by finding these “in Him” and “in Christ” verses; confess them, and you will find yourself rising to the level of your confession. In areas where you once struggled, you will find victory. You will reflect the glory of God with ever-increasing radiance as you purify yourself from everything that contaminates and dive into His Word, causing those around you to glorify God (Matthew 5:16)!