There was a time when the glory of God was utterly inaccessible—a consuming fire hidden behind veils and shadows, a presence so overwhelming that even Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, could not look upon God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20). The message was clear: sinful humanity could not approach God directly. The best the law could offer was distance, ritual, and the constant reminder that the way into the holiest was not yet made manifest.
But everything changed with the incarnation. The Word became flesh, and in Jesus Christ, the once-hidden glory of God was made fully visible, tangible, and approachable. John declares, “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). In Christ, God’s glory is not diminished but brought near—no longer a threat, but an invitation.
Christ: The True Meeting Place
The tabernacle and temple, with their curtains and sacrifices, were only shadows pointing forward. Christ Himself is now the true Holy of Holies—the final and only meeting place between God and man. Through His blood, the barrier is gone. Hebrews proclaims that we have “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). This is not a mere improvement on the old system; it is its fulfillment and abolition. The distance is abolished, the separation ended. To suggest otherwise is to deny the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work.
When you behold Jesus, you are not looking at a mere representative or symbol. He is “the brightness of [God’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:3). He Himself said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). The glory that once threatened to destroy now welcomes and transforms.
The Only Path to True Transformation
Here is the critical distinction: transformation into God’s image does not come by law-keeping, self-improvement, or religious striving. The law could only produce external conformity—never the internal change God desires. If you attempt to be changed by your own effort, you remain outside, veiled, untouched by the true glory. This is not a secondary issue. To trust in self-improvement is to reject the very means God has provided for your transformation. It is to cling to shadows and forfeit the substance.
The new covenant offers something radically better: “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). The Spirit does what the law never could—He impresses the very image of Christ upon you as you behold Him. This is not your work, but God’s. This is grace in action: God Himself, in Christ, becoming everything to you and for you.
The Veil Removed—The Life-Giving Presence
If you approach Scripture as a manual for moral improvement, you remain veiled—blind to the glory that saves and transforms. But when you turn to the Lord in faith, the veil is removed (2 Corinthians 3:16). Now, beholding Christ in the Word, you encounter not a terrifying spectacle, but the life-giving presence of God Himself. The Scriptures are not a collection of rules or stories; they are the revelation of the Son, the very breath of God drawing you into communion with Him.
This beholding is not passive or occasional. It is the ongoing, active turning of your gaze to Christ—receiving “grace upon grace” (John 1:16), as His light shines into your heart (John 1:4). The Spirit seals you, conforms you, and makes you a living reflection of the Son. This is the only way to true transformation. Any other path—any return to law or self—abandons the glory for shadows and forfeits the inheritance of sonship.
What Is Lost If You Refuse This Grace?
If you insist on transformation by your own effort, you lose everything that Christ accomplished. You remain outside, veiled, unchanged. You forfeit bold access to God, the cleansing of your conscience, and the very image of Christ being formed in you. You trade the living presence of God for dead works and the inheritance of sons for the anxiety of slaves. This is not a minor error; it is a collapse of justification, inheritance, and sonship. The glory of God in Christ is not an optional upgrade—it is the only way to life.
The Call: Behold and Be Transformed
God has made Himself fully known and fully accessible in the face of Jesus Christ. The glory that once destroyed now transforms. The Spirit does what the law never could. The only question is whether you will turn to Christ, behold Him with unveiled face, and be changed by grace—or whether you will cling to the veil and remain unchanged. The finished work is before you. The invitation is open. Do not settle for shadows when the substance has come.
Verses Referenced
- Exodus 33:20 – “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
- John 1:14 – “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.”
- Hebrews 10:19-22 – “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
- Hebrews 1:3 – “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
- John 14:9 – “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “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 3:16 – “Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.”
- John 1:16 – “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.”
- John 1:4 – “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
