Entry #22 - Chasing Glory

It is my conviction that the answer to a lot of confusion in the American church (as I can speak little about the church in France having never been there) is a renewed passion for and vision of God's glory. His Glory is what we lack, according to a literal reading of Romans 3:23, and His Glory is what the Christian ought to be striving after, according to 2 Corinthians 3:18. Without this perspective, I observe (and you can too) that Christians' attention is turned to rules in many circles. I mean, endless discussion about rules. Some say Christians should be more strict in some area, and some say Christians should be more lax and loving. And the whole conversation centers around Christians, and the rules. I know the routine from 5 years total in Bible college. For the person seeking a more thorough and genuine Christian experience, it seemed that legalism and liberalism were the only two options. Some would angrily state that Christians ought never to drink alcohol, a prohibition the New Testament never gives, because "Christians should be different". Others would get annoyed at this, and instead, join Rob Bell in his equally unbiblical view of hell, summed up in his "provocative" statement that he was more concerned about hell on earth than eternal hell.

This is a sad, sad waste of time. The ultimate pursuit of the Christian life is God Himself, and in all His Glory. How we got so focused on ourselves, I know not, but I know that a desperation for God Himself is the answer. His holiness is the blaring element of ultimate reality that gives coherence to every doctrine; man, sin, depravity, faith, regeneration, and so on. With our weak view of His holiness we flap our gums in vain about the true meaning of Christianity, because Christianity is reconciliation to a God Whom we have been trained by way of distractions not to chase after.

I could write longer on this general topic, and I have. The particular thing I wanted to post about was the actual chasing of His glory, which I have struggled with in mind and soul. So this is a brief thought for anyone else who, like me, is chasing after glory but struggling to know what that even means.

Those who speak predominantly on the glory of God also tend to speak predominantly in abstract terms, which I believe has created an ache and a disconnect for me. What I mean is, I know that knowing and beholding the glory of God should be the source of my ultimate victory over various sins, yet I meander in the same handful of sins over and over. And so when I talk about the transforming power of the glory of God, I speak of something that is true, and an idea that I love, yet one that I am somehow failing to let empower me, day-to-day. So if I dare force this idea on anyone, it makes me a bit of a liar or a quack.

It occurred to me that I am missing out on experiencing the glory of God, because I am thinking of this pursuit in abstract terms. Granted, God is beyond us. But His glory is seen not only in the starry expanse that covers us at night but in the goodness of His ways. I mean the way He would have us live. I mean loving and forgiving each other. I mean staying faithful, both physically and in one's heart, to one's spouse. I mean giving freely to those in need, with a loose grip on one's possessions.

To break it down even further, for Kurt to overcome lust, he is to fight with not only an awareness of God's radiance but a love for marriage, and all it stands for, and how joyous it can be. I must see God's glory reflected not only in stars and mountains and oceans and planets, but in the exclusivity and love of human marriage. I must see God's glory in the keyboard I type this blog with. I must see God's glory in every practical and real thing, and in the way of life illuminated for us in the Gospels and epistles. That is (one aspect of) what it means to truly pursue the beauty and majesty of God in this life. And the ball is rolling.