1 Corinthians 2, “Our Glory”

The mystery of God is all about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  It is all about the Father’s promise to bless His Son (Psalm 2:6-9).  For that reason it is very proper for Paul to say in 2 Cor. 2:7 that the mystery is about “our glory.”  How is that?  Of course it is “our glory” because of our relationship with the Lord of glory (v8), the crucified Lord of glory.  Let us think about this today. 

It is as strange to speak of the glory of sinners (that’s us) as it is to speak of the glory of one who is crucified.  The world, or rather let us use Paul’s terminology in this chapter, the natural man (v14), has no idea how these things can be joined as they are.  But those who have the Spirit who is from God (v12) do understand.  They know there is a direct connection between the humility of Jesus’ life and death that qualified Him to be given a Name above all names (Phil. 2:5-11).  And they also know that because of our deep, mysterious identification with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-4) that we are in Christ and the recipients of every, EVERY spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:4).  We have everything, EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). 

This is what it means to live in the days of the New Covenant.  Old Covenant Israel did not have the blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  That experience was impossible until after the cross of Christ when the declaration of righteousness (justification) was a reality for all who believe in Christ.  The promised Holy Spirit (Ezek. 37:14; John 14:16-18) enables us to know God: not just know about God but to know God (Jer. 31:34).  People who did not, who could not, know God now know God (Hosea 2:19-20).  As Peter put it, the OT prophets prophesied of things that angels longed to see, things that were for us, people after the cross and resurrection (1 Peter 1:12).  Amazingly, we have the mind of Christ!

No one knew this like the Apostle Paul.  He was a scholar, head and shoulders above his fellow-Jews.  But after the Damascus-road experience and a couple of years in the Arabian desert he became the mouthpiece of God to declare the mystery that had been hidden in ages past (Eph. 3:1-7).  He could accurately compare spiritual truths from the Old Covenant with the spiritual truths of the New Covenant.

What does this mean for us?  How should we be impacted by the fact of “our glory” that is the result of knowing “the Lord of glory?”  It should redefine our goal in life, the passion to know Christ (Phil. 3:11).  There is nothing more excellent than the excellence of the knowledge of Christ (Phil. 3:8).  NOTHING!  We have been given the Spirit of God that we might have our eyes opened to the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.  Let us learn Christ (Eph. 4:20)!  Let us grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18)!  Let us learn more and more of His cross that we might be made conformable to His death.  Let us learn the power of His resurrection that we might attain to His resurrected life (Phil. 3:11)!