Treasures of Truth
15 BEHOLDING
Beholding
Before we move on, the verb ‘beholding’
deserves some further discussion.
This thought has the connotation of
“constantly gazing at” or
“always keeping in view” an object of our sight.
This action is performed by the volition of our will
in union with His will.
The act of beholding the Lord
parallels the importance of keeping our minds set on Him.
It is our continual pressing on in Christ,
laying hold of,
and requiring His presence
in our hearts and lives.
EYES OF THE FLESH
Viewing God, others, and yourselves according to the ‘eyes of the flesh’.
Veils are those areas in which
we are blinded to truth
by distortions, deceptions, amplifications,
faulty ideas, erroneous thinking, lies,
imaginations concerning God, others, and ourselves.
But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror
the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed
into the same image
from glory to glory,
just as by the Spirit of the Lord. II Corinthians 3:18
EYES OF THE SPIRIT
Viewing God, others, and yourselves according to the eyes of the spirit.
Veils Removed:
Emancipation from the bondage of our flesh
to the liberty of the Spirit.
Beholding: With Unveiled Face
Paul had just described how Moses,
when he had come down from the mountain,
had to cover his face with a veil (Exodus 34:33)
so that the glory of the Lord resting on his face
would not blind anyone.
However, Moses left the veil on his face.
Paul was using this as an analogy
to the hardening that occurs in our minds and hearts
when we seek Christ by our own merit.
He says that the veil is lifted or removed in Christ.
Although the glory that Moses was first given faded,
he did not remove the veil.
He wanted people to think that the glory was not fading away.
Paul goes on to say that whenever a man turns to the Lord,
the veil is taken away.
This denotes an exposure of the inner man,
perhaps recognizing our own inadequacy before the living God.
It is at this point, when the veil is lifted,
that we experience the transforming liberty
of the glory of the Lord.
This moment is the beginning of our emancipation
from the bondage of our poor habits,
our negative self-image,
our inability to meet the demands of our faith alone,
and the opening wide of the spiritual realm.
Paul seems to indicate from this passage
that an unveiled face is a necessity
to the act of beholding the Lord.
Beholding as in a Mirror
In scripture, the Word is often referred to as a mirror.
In the Old Testament, the laver in the tabernacle
was actually made out of mirrors,
gathered from women in the community (Exodus 38:8).
The laver had special significance
in that no one could enter the Holy Place
unless he had first cleansed himself by the water.
As the laver emptied, he could see himself in the basin.
The act of washing symbolized his purification
and actually secured his cleansing from his former sins.
The dual role of the Word and water
is referred to in the New Testament:
That He might sanctify and cleanse her
with the washing of water by the word. Ephesians 5:26
In the Word, we come to discover
not only who we are in Christ,
but scripture uncovers
our present character and actions
that need to be confessed.
We can turn to the Lord and ask Him to wash us.
In John 13, when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet,
He tells them that unless they allow Him to wash their feet,
they will have no part in Him.
As Christians, we are positionally righteous in Christ.
The paradox is that we know
we still fall short of the mark.
It is noteworthy that the Lord washed the disciples’ feet.
It is very similar to our own situation.
In our daily walk with the Lord
our feet get dirty, we sin.
We know that we can come to Him
and He will wash us.
The place where He washes us
is in His Word.