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.
—2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
When you have an unveiled face before the Lord, you live unhindered by anything in His presence. You know who you are in Christ. The Holy Spirit lives in you, and where He is there is freedom (2 Corinthians 2:17). You live without shame and condemnation. You are at peace in your relationship with your Father.
When we know who we are in Christ, we reflect His glory. We mirror the gift of His righteousness He has given us. We see the new creation we are in Him. We are changed—from glory to glory—into His likeness. We are transformed from the fading glory of the Law into the eternal glory of New Covenant Grace. We live by faith in Jesus Christ and not by any work trying to prove we are righteous. We know that a man is not justified by anything he does but only by His belief in the finished work of Jesus. No one is made right with God by any anything he does (Galatians 2:15-16).
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned Moses. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. Moses knew he was a sinful man (Exodus 3:5-6).
In the glory of the law, no one could see the Lord and live. The wrath of God for man’s failure to live righteously was weighty. Sin separated man from God. Because of sin, a holy God could not remain in man’s presence. When a man failed, God left him.
Jesus changed everything! The unveiled glory of the New Covenant is where the Holy Spirit reveals to us who we are in Christ. God sees us as the righteousness of His Son. When we know Christ, we are no longer under the fading glory of the law. We are forever under the glory of God’s Grace. God no longer leaves us when we sin. He lovingly brings us to repentance. When we sin, we are the ones who turn from Him. Falling from grace is not falling back into sin. It is seeking right standing with God by how well you keep the law (Galatians 5:4).
Believing you are blameless in Christ transforms you until your actions and reactions are born of the righteousness Christ has given you. When you see yourself in the glory of the New Covenant, you do not have to hide your face from God. The more you see Him, the more alive you are. In this glory, you have His unconditional love and approval. In this New Covenant glory, God never leaves you. He is always with you. The glory of the New Covenant is Christ’s grace. It is your freedom from sin’s separation from God. You are free to run to your loving Abba Father.
Absolutely nothing separates you from Him. When you look into His face, you know you have been transformed from the perishable glory of your own self-righteousness into the unveiled and imperishable glory of the righteousness Jesus died to give you. You no longer need to strive to win God’s approval. Jesus approved you at the Cross. You live in the freedom of His Grace.
“Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14, NLT).
“For when I tried to keep the law,” Paul wrote, “it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20, NLT).
Quit working to win the approval and acceptance that Jesus has already won for you. Your old self and that condemnation of the law have been crucified with Christ. You are fully forgiven, known, and accepted. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives within you. With an unveiled face, you reflect the glory that is His. You are changed from the fading glory of the old covenant into the revealed glory of the New.
And when you know this—and really believe this in your heart—you are free. Nothing separates you from Him. Unveiled and unhindered you come boldly into His presence in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
© 2022 Lynn Lacher
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