2 Cor 4:1-10,15-18 theme verse 2 Cor 4:6
The praise and honor and glory be to our heavenly Father who seeks true worshipers who worship Him with the Spirit and truth.
In this trenth Sunday of 2025, I pray that His grace of the application of all the benefits which Jesus earned for our salvation and also the glorious ministry of the proclamation of His kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit may be full in our life. Last week, we meditated on the declaration of the glory of God which was expressed in the creation and providence of God, yet this week, we would like to look at what the glory of God is together.
1) Apostle Paul wrote four letters to the church in Corinth to deal with the issues in Corinthian church such as the misunderstanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, their immoral life and the challenge to the Paul’s apostleship, etc. The first Epistle to the Corinthians is his second letter, while the second Epistle to the Corinthians in which we read today’s text actually is the fourth letter.
2) Anyhow, in this second letter to the Corinthians, Paul first encouraged Corinthians who resolved the issues and then in today’s text, he defensed his apostleship against traveling minister who insisted his apostleship based on the demonstration of the Holy Spirit that he proclaimed the truth of Gospel (v2), that Jesus Christ is the Lord (v5) and that the power belongs only to God (v7) and then explained that the reason why he proclaimed the Gospel even by taking suffering, persecution and death which is true proof of his apostleship was (vv8-10) to glorify God (v15) and to prepare for them the eternal weight of glory (v17).
3) In today’s text, there is a word which appears four times. That is the word “glory”. I mean, in verse, we can see the glory of God, and in verse 4, the glory of Christ, while in verse 17, the glory which will be prepared for us, and finally in verse 15, the glory which we return to God. I think through these four words of glory, Paul interpreted well the gospel, as the purpose of God’s creation is the manifestation of glory of God and also taught us our Christian identity in this glory and also the glory of worship service.
4) Regarding the glory of God, Richard Muller defined the glory of God as the infinite excellency of divine essence of God. And as the Numinous of God, it elicits holy wonder and the fear of God from us. And GK Beale in his book “We become what we worship” that this glory of God is the essential glory.
5) But, as we can see in Exodus 19 of the Old Testament in which God warned Moses to sanctify the Israelites and be careful not to go up the mountain, when God descended on Mount Sinai, because sinful human beings would die, when they saw the glory of God, human beings cannot see the glory of God. And also Romans 3:23 and 1 Timothy 6:16 of the New Testament say the same thing that since all people have sinned so that they cannot attain the glory of God.
6) According to today’s text, God gave a method to see His glory, I mean, by displaying His glory in the face of Christ, so that God makes us see His glory through Jesus Christ. As NIV Bible says that God’s glory is displayed in the face of Christ, we name this glory of God which is displayed in the face of Christ as the displayed or expressed glory. As Jesus said in Jn 14:9 that “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father,” we, sinners, can see the glory of God in the face of Christ. That’s why Calvin said in his commentary on Ps 8:3 that “His glory is beheld in a special manner, in the great favour which He bears to men, and in the goodness which he manifests towards them, that is, in Jesus Christ.”
7) By the way, since Eph 1:23 says church is the body of Christ, we receive this glory of Christ who is our head as Jn 17:22 says “the glory that God has given me, I have given to them” and reflect it to the world. In other words, this displayed or expressed glory which we receive and reflect is named as the reflected glory. And regarding this glory which we received from our Lord, verse 17 of today’s text says “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” And also 2 Cor 3:18 says that “And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” As such, that we reflect the glory of Christ which is given by our Lord, is called to glorify God in verse 15.
8) Here to glorify God does not mean add some to the glory of God by doing good. As GI Williamson explains the meaning of glorifying God in his commentary on Westminster Short catechism Q&A 1 that “What is the chief end of human being?” “it is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”, he says glorifying God does not mean to glorify God more, since God is glorious One from eternality and most glorious already so that any creatures cannot make God more glorious. Therefore, to glorify God means to reflect His glory, that is, His glorious attributes.
9) Through today’s text, we would like to think about few things together. Firstly, Christian identity is the one who glorify God by reflecting the glory which is increasing day by day, after Jesus gave it to us, who received and displayed the essential glory of God which we cannot see it. Secondly, the virtuous chain of this glory is the worship service. I mean, when on Sunday all the tribes, languages, and countries worship God during 24 hours, this parade of glory reflects the glory of God all over the world and also when during the week, Christians who received the glory of God are sent to the place to reflect the glory of God as their living sacrifice. Therefore, I pray that over all the members of our church, the glory of God may cover and we may reflect that glory to the world for His glory.
Key Questions as Small Group Activity
Q1 According to today’s text, we become more and more glorious as we receive it from Christ and also glorify God by reflecting it. Can you see this 24/7 glory of God? And do you hear this invitation to His glory?
Q2 What kinds of His glorious attributes do you reflect? And how will you continue to reflect and glorify God? What is your own unique glory which God gave to you?
Q3 Where is the place you want to build the kingdom of God? Now do you live in that place to reflect the glory of God? I hope you could enjoy His grace while praying and meditating on the will of God for you.
Love you. Thank you. God bless you.
Prayer Note
Dear ( God’s attribute which you found Today ) God!
Thanks for ( something you received through the sermon or even during the week )
Praise, gratitude and glory be to You, Lord!
Today, I realized my sin (pains) that ( the sin God reminded through the sermon ),
please forgive (or heal) me and help me not to repeat ( the sins you recognized ).
I learned that ( something you learned through the sermon )
Please help me to live in that ( learned way of life )
I pray in ( Jesus’ attribute you find ) Jesus’ name. Amen.
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