A GREATER GLORY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?

If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 (NLT)

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The New Covenant was flourishing as it took route as Jesus predicted, first in Jerusalem before moving through Judea and Samaria in advance of being carried by the Apostle Paul to the “end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). New churches were formed as Christian disciples accepted the offer to gain eternal life through their belief in Jesus, the Savior of the world sent by God.

But there were challenges for the early Christian church as its roots were forming. The Jewish faith was still very much alive and well, its faithful followers who chose to reject Jesus committed to persecute Christians and their belief system with the hope of eradication. These believers in Judaism were unwilling to accept that the same God they believed in could be a God who chose to form a new covenant with His people. And so, they held to their old ways and in doing so, forfeiting their opportunity for eternal life and charting a course for eternal damnation and torment instead.

As we look at today’s passage from 2 Corinthians 3, we find Paul highlighting the matter of glory through the context of the two covenants, Old and New.

In the matter of the Old Covenant, the covenant the Jews in Paul’s time were still holding too, we know it was a faith anchored in the Mosaic laws, the laws etched in stone that God gave to Moses to take to His people. Those tablets were placed in the holy Ark of the Covenant which became a central fixture in the temple and an object of Jewish worship. This deliverance of the law to the Israelites began with glory but it then led to sealing death for those who sought to adhere to it. You see, there was one big problem. No one person could perfectly keep the standards of the law. All, Jew or otherwise, were sinners who fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

God didn’t wish for this to be the way things ended for His people, all His people. He so loved them all so much that He had to come up with a way to settle the sin issue and save everyone.

Enter Jesus and the new way.

God sent His only Son as a final atoning sacrifice to abolish sin once and for all, liberating its captives forever. All one needed to do to gain pardon and the gift of salvation is believe that God did what He did through Jesus. That’s it.

This belief in the new way, an acceptance of the New Covenant, ushered in a greater glory. Now instead of staring down sure condemnation and eternal suffering in Hell, one could look forward to a new everlasting life free from all afflictions that the worldly existence brings.

No more pain.

No more suffering.

No more sickness.

No more heartbreak.

No more sin.

All who place their belief in Christ Jesus will be made new after conquering death and the grave. It’s a glorious promise, an overwhelming future glory that blesses the soul now as we wait for the better days to come.

Two glories, one old which was replaced by a newer, better version by the God who is the Maker and Master of us all.

Have you accepted God’s offer of salvation through His Son, assuring that you will one day experience the greatest glory ever?

My prayer is that your answer to that question is “yes”.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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