beholding glory
Posted by Drew | Filed under General
So in Florence this week, almost all of the staff and all of the students I know were out of town. At first it was fine because I wanted some rest, but after 3 days of no meaningful conversations with anyone, I was really anxious to be around people again. But during that time I continued listening to Piper’s sermons on Romans 6-8. If you’re familiar with Piper, you know he doesn’t lightly examine any passage. I listen to most of what he had on Romans 6 and there were at least a dozen sermons just on that chapter. I think he spent something like 3 years teaching through the book. Romans 7 started out with the same thoroughness, with a four part series on verses 1-6. The last series really stuck with me. Dead to the Law, Serving in the Spirit is the name of the series. I don’t think I could do the teaching justice if I tried to summarize comprehensively, but here’s a brief overview.
Essentially Piper explains what it means to die to the law, why that’s a good thing, why Paul is passionate about it, why dying to the Law frees us to be loving people, why dying to the law enables us to bear fruit, and why that fruit is the fruit of Love, specifically, serving in Love. Lots of questions he proposes and answers, lots of clarity on living a life as a Christ follower. I recommend this series.
The beholding glory part actually comes from 2 Cor. 3:18 as Piper compares the glory of the Law, to which we must die, to the glory of the New Covenant into which we enter through Christ. This verse was referenced because verse 6 describes dying to the old written code, and living the new life in the Spirit. 2 Cor 3 describes how Moses’ face had to be veiled because of the glory of the law, and compares the old law, which “was being brought to an end” to the ministry of the Spirit, which is permanent. The glory of this ministry is what we behold as we are transformed. Dying to the law means forgetting our Lists of Christian behavior that we try to follow in order to become like Christ, and being Renewed by the Spirit so that we are able to See and Behold Christ. And it is this Beholding of God’s glory that transforms us and makes us more like Christ. And this beholding is our greatest duty as Believers, therefore it should be our greatest pursuit. And not just for ourselves, but we ought also to seek to behold the glory together with other believers. Pointing toward Christ and being pointed toward Him. In Community. Experiencing Transformation. Sanctification.
I share these thoughts not to communicate well the point of the message, but to encourage anyone who is interested to seek out this resource. Piper says that the truths contained in this passage contain the essence of following Christ. “… released from the Law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code, but in the new life of the Spirit.”
