BEHOLDING THE SON: THE TRANSFORMING GLORY OF GOD IN CHRIST
Orientation
Many assume God's glory remains distant and dangerous, like in Moses' time, creating a barrier to intimate relationship.
- God's direct presence was once a consuming fire, fatal to sinful flesh.
- The Old Covenant system used veils and distance to shield humanity from overwhelming glory.
- This created a pattern of thinking where God's presence meant exclusion rather than welcome.
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (Exodus 33:20)
— Exodus 33:20
Clarification
The incarnation of Jesus Christ is not a mere visitation but the decisive unveiling and fulfillment of all Old Testament shadows.
- Christ is the true Holy of Holies, the meeting place between God and man.
- His sacrificial blood provides bold, assured access, removing all need for fear or distance.
- To behold Christ is to behold God Himself, as He is the radiance and express image of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
— John 1:14
Structure
Biblical logic moves from veiled glory to revealed glory in Christ, enabling transformation through beholding.
- The pattern: Hidden Glory (Problem) → Incarnate Glory (Solution) → Transforming Glory (Result).
- The means: The Word became flesh; we behold Him through the Word and Spirit.
- The outcome: Conformed into His image from glory to glory by the Spirit's work.
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. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
— 2 Corinthians 3:18
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core assertion is that God’s glory, once lethally inaccessible under the Old Covenant, is now fully and safely revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. This is a Pauline dispensational shift from type to reality. The incarnation is the tabernacling of God, making Christ the true Holy of Holies. His sacrificial blood establishes a ’new and living way’ (Hebrews 10:20), granting believers bold access—a present-tense, assured entrance into God’s presence. This access is not earned or maintained by effort but is secured by His finished work.
Transformation is not progressive sanctification via moral effort. It is the Spirit’s work of conforming us to Christ’s image as we behold Him. This ‘beholding’ is the gaze of faith upon the incarnate Son through the Word. The objection that God’s glory must remain distant or that we must cleanse ourselves first denies the sufficiency of Christ’s blood and reintroduces the veil He tore. The Pauline category is clear: we move from glory concealed to glory revealed in Christ, resulting in transformation by the Spirit, not the law.
Integration
Your standing before God is secure in Christ. The glory that transforms you is not a force you must cautiously approach, but a Person who has drawn near. Beholding Him is not a task to achieve a higher state; it is the Spirit-given rest of seeing the One who has accomplished all. Any pressure to perform, to clean yourself up, or to fear distance is removed by His blood. You are welcomed. The transformation that happens is His work, as you see Him. Christ is your access, your sanctification, and your reward. There is no hierarchy of beholders—only Christ, fully revealed, and you, fully accepted in Him. Let this anchor you. The work is finished. The veil is torn. Look to Him.