I recently picked up and began to re-read John Owen’s, “The Glory of Christ.” I can recall the first time I read this book and
was taken back by the depth of truth it contained. Owen is a puritan author who wrote this work in 1684. Owen, a brilliant scholar, penned this powerful book near the end of his life. I find it extremely fascinating that at the end of His life, he finds himself writing a treatise on what might seem to be a simple topic, the glory of Christ. I find that fascinating for a number of reasons.
First, there are many in the Christian faith that seem to acknowledge the importance of Christ at the moment of conversion and perhaps in their evangelistic efforts, but seem to have very little need of Him apart from that. After entering through Christ, he becomes a mere shadow in the Christian life.
Second, many men and women who are nearing death profess to think often and deeply about the things that seem to matter most. It would appear that Owen was coming back to a central truth that was of the utmost importance as he considered his own death and the life he had lived.
Third, If a mature Christian who was an example of faithful gospel ministry reflects on something that appears to be simple, It is more than likely that there is a level of profundity that I have yet to consider. Such is the case with every fundamental Christian doctrine.
If you’re anything like me, you struggle at times with motivation in the Christian life. Obedience can seem more like a punishment than a reward. We creep into the “do more, try harder” type of Christianity that sets us up for inevitable failure and frustration. The reason this happens, Owen would argue, is that we have not understood the glory of Christ as we ought. Quoting John 17:24, Owen reminds us that Jesus himself prayed that his disciples would “see his glory.” This prayer from the lips of our Lord was a call for believers to be enthralled with the glory of Christ and to be dominated by a true vision of His glorious nature. Notice the words that Owen uses:
“Only a sight of his glory, and nothing else, will truly satisfy God’s people. The hearts of believers are like a magnetized needle which cannot rest until it is pointing north. So also, a believer, magnetized by the love of Christ will always be restless until he or she comes to Christ and beholds his glory.”
This is the greatest privilege and joy a believer has both in this life and the next, to behold the glory of Christ. It is in beholding the glory of Christ that we will find immeasurable strength, encouragement, satisfaction and joy. Nothing else will satisfy; nothing else comes even close. The gospel and the glory of Christ are not some entry point into the Christian life but a continual prize we must pursue and in which we must find our utmost pleasure. It is a doctrine we must be well acquainted with so that we can face our own impending death with no regrets. It is simple yet profound – like the many sides of a diamond, the more we turn and inspect it the more we see and appreciate the beauty.
May the glory of Christ capture our minds and hearts so that we all, as Paul writes, “…with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18).”