The Glorious Gospel

For if the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, the ministry that brought righteousness has even more glory. In fact, in this case, what was glorious is no longer very glorious, because of the greater glory of that which surpasses it. Indeed, if what is fading away was glorious, how much more glorious is that which is permanent! (2 Corinthians 3:9–11)

When God gave Moses the law, it was glorious. When Moses came down from the mountain, his face was shining, reflecting God’s glory. And the laws that God gave were excellent. Of course, they had come from God himself who is holy and perfect. But they served a dual purpose. They showed the people their inability to be perfect in God’s eyes, but they also pointed to the Messiah, whom God had promised since the fall into sin. But the glory of the law was fading. It only pointed to a much better glory. When the Messiah came, the law would be fulfilled and its glory would be surpassed and taken away.

But many of the Israelites failed to see that the glory of the law was fading. They clung to the glory of the law, hoping to justify themselves by obeying it as best as they could. They took pride in their “ability” to keep the law. But they failed to see that the law required more than just outward obedience. We too are often caught up in the glory of the law. We see our obedience to the ten commandments as our way of being good people so that God will be pleased with our works. We also see our obedience to God’s law as a way to show that we are good people. And we rely on our outward obedience to God’s law for God’s good pleasure with us.

But Jesus brought us a glory that surpasses the glory of the law. That is the glory of the gospel. The glory of the gospel never fades. It never disappears because it does not require anything of us, or point ahead to anything. Instead, it points back to the one who gives it its glory: Jesus. The gospel tells us that Jesus has done everything perfectly. He has obeyed the entire law in thought, word, and deed. And he has given that perfection to each of us freely, through his grace and mercy. And that is much more glorious than a righteousness that can never be truly attained by any of us. That’s what makes the gospel surpassingly more glorious than the law. Praise God that the gospel is permanent, never going away. Amen.

The song for today is “There Was Jesus” by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton

Zach Williams, Dolly Parton - There Was Jesus (Performance Edit) [Official Music Video]