One Degree of Glory to Another
November 13, 2022
“But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2.14)
“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2Cor. 3.18)
God’s work is to transform us into people who can live for eternity without destroying everything. Throughout the Old Testament, we see humanity bringing about dissension, destruction, and devastation. We bring chaos, undoing God’s creative work. It’s not entirely our fault—plenty of blame can be given to the work of the elemental spirits of the world, the powers of darkness, Satan and his demons—but we are responsible and culpable for selling ourselves to those powers and submitting to their yoke of slavery.
In the ministry of Jesus, we begin to see a different option. He lives in our midst, but instead of bringing chaos and destruction, he brings healing and wholeness. He lives in a world dominated by evil powers, but doesn’t submit to them. He follows the Spirit of God instead. For this, the “rulers of this age” crucified him (1Cor. 2.8). Little did they know, they were bringing about their own destruction (Col. 2.15)! They bit off more than they could chew, thinking their wisdom, their ways, their power, was greater than God’s!
We are freed from these powers in the waters of baptism (Rom. 6.4-11). Paul writes that Christ died “for our sins to set us free from the present evil age,” (Gal. 1.4) and that, having come to know God/be known by God, we should not turn back “to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits” (Gal. 4.8-9).
In the ministry of Jesus we see another way to be human, a way not enslaved to the powers of darkness. In the cross, the power of those powers is broken. In baptism, we are personally freed from those powers, so that we might live the way Jesus lived. Because of this, “the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” is filling the earth. As we see God’s glory (i.e., God’s ways) in Jesus’ ministry, as we walk in the Spirit, we reflect that same glory. Day by day, we are to grow in this glory.
One implication of all this is that this present moment of discussion and decision making, difficult though it is, is actually for our good! It’s a chance for us to renew our devotion to one another, to grow in love and charity, to model the very glory of God. Polarization, in the church or society, is difficult to counteract. Reconciliation and healing are hard to bring about, but this is part of living together for eternity, and so it is part of Gods work. Through the working of the Spirit, polarization is counteracted and reconciliation is brought about, one decision to love each other at a time.
—John Coffey
