“For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold…” 2 Cor. 3:9-12 (ESV, italics mine)
Hope has been a growing theme in my life over the past few years. What is the hope that sees us through circumstances that test our trust in God’s goodness in our lives? The older I get, the more I see this world as a fallen and broken place, and the more I long for Christ’s return, to make things right. But He is not yet here. So what hope is available to me to help me persevere as I wait?
As I was driving to work this morning, listening to 2 Corinthians, that simple word, “hope”, caught my attention: from chapter 13, verse 12, “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold…” I asked myself, what is this hope that causes Paul to be so bold in the proclamation of the Gospel?
He’s described it—in the prior verses. Glory, far surpassing that of the old covenant—Moses, interacting with God face-to-face, a relationship so holy, his face was physically radiant in such a way that the Israelites could not bear to look upon him. Yet…the ministry of the Holy Spirit is far more glorious.
So the next question that comes to mind for me is how is glory something to put your hope in?
It takes me back to a time during my Jr High youth group when we were reflecting with Louie Giglio on the physical display of God’s glory in the universe. There is something about those mysterious galaxies, millions of miles away, yet so beautiful, so breath taking—it captures your soul. It is by definition glorious! And when you soul is taken up, it is a greater joy and delight than any physical pleasure this world has to offer. And that is precisely what makes it glorious: it is full of mystery, beauty, intrigue…but when captured by it, your will becomes bent on experiencing it more.
That taste of glory I experienced those few weeks back with my Jr Highers reminds me why we can hope in the glory alluded to in these verses. For glory, in its very nature, is full of hope.
Father, teach me to hope in glory...the glory to come. My imagination is so dulled, my heart so cold. I am, like C.S. Lewis well put, "an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea." I am "far too easily pleased."
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