Reflecting Glory - Part 1

WELCOME

“We all with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at [or are reflecting] the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” –2 Corinthians 3:18

I’ve always been drawn to water, and growing up, I had the privilege to spend hundreds of hours on or near ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans. One of the fascinating aspects of water is its ability to reflect colors and even entire images. The number of artists’ renditions and photographs taken of amazing scenes reflected on water demonstrates how attractive these reflections are to the human eye. If we find these so alluring, how much more so is the image of God reflected in and through us? Well, that’s exactly what Paul is getting at here in this section of 2 Corinthians!

WORKOUT

Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-11

When we jump right into this section of Scripture, it can feel like stumbling into the middle of a deep conversation between two people, with you having missed the first ten minutes of essential context. To explain and defend his apostolic ministry to the church in Corinth, Paul contrasts the Old Covenant with the New by focusing on the story of Moses from Exodus 34: “As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord (v.29).” The people were afraid, so Moses would cover his face. Each time Moses talked with the Lord, he would remove the veil; however, Moses would have to put it back over his face to talk with the people. Paul contrasts this Old Covenant reality with the coming of the New Covenant in 2 Corinthians 3:7-8: “Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory… how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?”

• Why did Moses have to cover his face? What is the significance of this fact?
• What do you think Paul is contrasting here? Describe it in your own words.

Take a minute to think about what Paul is communicating here: in Christ, we have encountered God in such a way as to reflect His glory. What’s more, the experience of His glory is transforming us to be more like him. This transformation is a restoration to the very purpose for which we were created, as we discussed on day 1: to experience and to reflect the glory of God. Notice what Paul writes in verse 9, “For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory.” The glory of the New Covenant is not limited to one person, as in the Old with Moses. The New Covenant glory overflows to all who are in relationship with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

• What are practical ways we see God’s glory reflected in the lives of His people?
• Would you describe your relationship with God as “overflowing with glory?” Why or why not?

WRAP-UP

In Christ, God is enabling us to fulfill the mission for which we were first created but were inhibited from fulfilling due to our rebellion in the fall, that is to be God’s glorious representatives, reflecting his glory into the world and reflecting the glory (worship) to Him. As we are restored to a right relationship with God through Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us and enables us to see all of life, including coaching and competing, as an opportunity to represent God’s glory, to live, to coach in such a way that yes—honors God—but also accurately reflects how God would do it, that God is doing it through us.

Reflecting His Glory: When we trust in Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can reflect God’s glory in all we say and do.