When One Turns to Christ

“Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, 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 the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ESV)

In this passage in 2 Corinthians, it speaks of Moses at Mt Sinai who put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from seeing the radiance of God’s glory fading from his face after he had been with God face-to-face. Yet, the reference appears to be about another kind of veil that covers people’s hearts – the veil of unbelief. And, that veil of unbelief has continued to this day for the Jewish nation. As a whole, the Jewish nation refuses to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior. So that is why their minds are still veiled. But there is a minority of Jews who do believe in Jesus Christ.

Some of the Jews, however, are still trying to reach God through the Old Covenant regulations, and they never will, because they don’t understand that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the promise, and that the Old Covenant was temporary until Jesus Christ could be revealed. So, they are stuck in time with no way to “cross that river” until they decide to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who is the only one who can lift that veil of unbelief from their hearts. And he will do so whenever anyone turns to the Lord Jesus in repentance, faith, surrender, and obedience to God.

Many people are trapped on the side of life which only offers them doubts, fears, and lack of faith and trust in God/Jesus Christ. They are searching for something to fulfill them, but they are never finding what they are looking for because they are searching in all the wrong places – in pornography, entertainment, self-gratification, busyness, and temporary happiness and fulfillment. So many of them end up empty inside, ready to give up searching, confused and unsure about their future life. And finally their search ends in futility and emptiness and total lack of belief in anything. 

The gospel is veiled to them. Their hearts are hardened through unbelief, so they cannot see the truth of the gospel. And it is Satan (the god of this age) who has blinded them so that they cannot see the truth. They are not free. The veil of unbelief still covers their hearts, as they are still trapped on the opposite side of life from the promise of eternity with God through genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. The only path for them to freedom is for them to step out in faith, to put their feet forward, to trust God/Jesus to part the waters of doubt, and to follow God/Jesus wherever he leads them. 

Many people are on that opposite side of life from God. They are blinded to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and their only path to freedom is to step out in faith and to trust Jesus. For by faith we receive the Spirit of God within us, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom – freedom from the penalty of sin, and freedom from the control and bondage to sin in our daily lives, as well as freedom to serve God and to walk daily in obedience and in surrender to him and to his will for our lives. Oh, what freedom that is! I’ve been on that other side. I don’t want to ever go back!!

When we yield control of our lives over to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit within us through our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and through our willingness to step out in faith and to follow our Lord Jesus to the other side of life, the veils of unbelief are not only removed from our hearts, but in their place is now the glory of God within each believer in Jesus Christ. And as we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus, we are then able to reflect the Lord’s glory, which is ever-increasing as we continually yield control over to Jesus and we let go of the reigns of control over our own lives. 

Our character and our lifestyles (our daily practices) will reflect whatever controls us and whatever fills our lives and minds, and whatever is our “god” or is most important in our lives. So, Christ’s glory can only be reflected in our characters and in our lifestyles as we are spending time with Jesus in his word, and as we are listening to his teachings, and as we are submitting to his Lordship, and as we are obeying his commands, in practice, and as we are being transformed to the likeness of Jesus with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit, and which is not from us. 

The way in which this “ever-increasing glory” is then able to operate and to be reflected in our hearts and lives is through us renouncing secret and shameful ways (repentance), and by us refusing to use deception, and by us not distorting the word of God to suit our own purposes in order to excuse away sin and rebellion against God. To the contrary, we must set forth the truth plainly - through our words, our characters, our lifestyles, and through our witness for Jesus Christ. And we must humble ourselves and become the Lord’s servants.

Come, Ye Disconsolate

Lyrics by Thomas Moore, 1816

Arr. by Thomas Hastings, 1831

Music by Samuel Webbe, Sr, 1792

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,

Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.

Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;

Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,

Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!

Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,

“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

Here see the bread of life, see waters flowing

Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.

Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing

Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06q9am18p9k

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