August 10, 2015 WHEN THE VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY
2 Corinthians 3:16-18: “but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
In the Old Testament, after Moses met with God, he had to wear a veil over his face as his face evidently “absorbed” some of God’s glory and until it faded away, the people could not look into his face (see verse 13). Paul said that even in his day, the Jewish people had hardened their heart and still had a veil over their heart and therefore could not “see” Christ (verse 15). Many in our day still have a veil over their heart and cannot see Christ because they are spiritually blind. Man cannot remove the veil that is covering his heart and mind by intellect, by logic, by education, by self- effort; but only when he “turns to the Lord” is the veil removed. Man is locked into and limited to, reason and logic, and the idea of “faith” sounds foolish to him. God does give man the ability to use logic and reason, but God is also Spirit, and in fact, God said that the things that are unseen are more real than the things that are seen (2 Corinthians 4:18). For sure, the one that is not a believer, has a veil over his heart and mind; but I believe it is also possible for a believer to become somewhat blinded by allowing a veil to cover his heart and mind. For example, if a believer refuses to forgive himself or someone who has wronged him, then he evidently has a veil that is preventing him from seeing the blessings that accompany forgiveness. The wonderful and liberating news of the gospel is that any man or woman can have the vail that hinders their sight, removed by a simple act of faith. Such a simple, but profound truth: by simply “turning to the Lord”, the veil is taken away. Our salvation touches every aspect of our lives including the removal of the veil-giving us unhindered spiritual sight and understanding. When we are among those who are non-believers, we must remember that they are spiritually blind and unable to see what you and I see; and because of their blindness, we are to have a spirit of compassion just as we would with one who is physically blind. Our posture is to be that of being light in such a way that others are drawn to the light. When the veil is removed, we can with an unveiled face “behold the glory of the Lord” as in a mirror, and as we behold Him, we are changed and are being transformed into His image! Wow! Simply by looking at Him, we are changed! We “look at Him” by having a heart that desires Him above all else and having a desire to know Him. The scriptures are given not as a rule book, but are given to enable us to “look at Him” for who He is. May we be quick to turn to the Lord, because only as we turn to Him and behold His glory will we be changed and find what our heart is searching for.
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 3:16-18: “but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
In the Old Testament, after Moses met with God, he had to wear a veil over his face as his face evidently “absorbed” some of God’s glory and until it faded away, the people could not look into his face (see verse 13). Paul said that even in his day, the Jewish people had hardened their heart and still had a veil over their heart and therefore could not “see” Christ (verse 15). Many in our day still have a veil over their heart and cannot see Christ because they are spiritually blind. Man cannot remove the veil that is covering his heart and mind by intellect, by logic, by education, by self- effort; but only when he “turns to the Lord” is the veil removed. Man is locked into and limited to, reason and logic, and the idea of “faith” sounds foolish to him. God does give man the ability to use logic and reason, but God is also Spirit, and in fact, God said that the things that are unseen are more real than the things that are seen (2 Corinthians 4:18). For sure, the one that is not a believer, has a veil over his heart and mind; but I believe it is also possible for a believer to become somewhat blinded by allowing a veil to cover his heart and mind. For example, if a believer refuses to forgive himself or someone who has wronged him, then he evidently has a veil that is preventing him from seeing the blessings that accompany forgiveness. The wonderful and liberating news of the gospel is that any man or woman can have the vail that hinders their sight, removed by a simple act of faith. Such a simple, but profound truth: by simply “turning to the Lord”, the veil is taken away. Our salvation touches every aspect of our lives including the removal of the veil-giving us unhindered spiritual sight and understanding. When we are among those who are non-believers, we must remember that they are spiritually blind and unable to see what you and I see; and because of their blindness, we are to have a spirit of compassion just as we would with one who is physically blind. Our posture is to be that of being light in such a way that others are drawn to the light. When the veil is removed, we can with an unveiled face “behold the glory of the Lord” as in a mirror, and as we behold Him, we are changed and are being transformed into His image! Wow! Simply by looking at Him, we are changed! We “look at Him” by having a heart that desires Him above all else and having a desire to know Him. The scriptures are given not as a rule book, but are given to enable us to “look at Him” for who He is. May we be quick to turn to the Lord, because only as we turn to Him and behold His glory will we be changed and find what our heart is searching for.
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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