THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Possessing such a glorious message, so superior to the Old Testament revelation, there surely was no need on the part of the apostle, as in the case of Moses, for any concealment, nor any need of lack of full confidence on the part of the people in the apostle. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (iii. 17), freeness, openness of speech, and no need of concealment. The apostle has no need of fear, concealment, or reserve. He will be frank, open, bold, full of candor, and not—as his opponents had described him—vacillating, dissembling, concealing (cf. iii. 12, 13). The apostle had no fear that the glory of the gospel of Christ would, like the glory in the face of Moses, pass away. On the contrary, the freest, fullest, and most complete investi gation of the gospel is solicited. We may search and see (John i. 39, 46; Psalm xxxiv. 8). If there be a veil hiding'truth from any life, it should be remembered that the veil is not over the Book (the Scriptures), but over the sinner’s heart. If the reader of the Bible sees no beauty in it, it is not because of any fault in the Bible, but because of wrong in his heart and life (iii. IS; cf. 1 Corinthians ii. 14). Sin-unwilling ness to see, hear, or obey—throws a veil over, and causes a hardening of the heart. When men shall turn away from sin and manifest a willingness to obey God, then the veil will be removed, and they will see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (iii. 16-18; cf. John i. 14; Colossians ii. 9). It is worth while to notice the closeness and identity of Christ and the Holy Spirit in these verses,(iii. 17, 18). The fellow ship of Christ is the fellowship of the Spirit, and the fellowship of the Spirit is the fellowship of Christ. Christ dwells in the hearts of believer's by His Holy Spirit (cf. Romans viii. 9; Galatians ii. 20; iv. 6; Philippians i. 19; Acts xx. 28; Ephesians iv. 11; John xiv. 18). Such a beholding of Christ in all His glory will do for us what the beholding of the glory of God in the face of Moses did not do for the Israelites;—it will change
us from one degree of glory to another and greater. Not only will it be true that this glory will come from Christ, who is its source, but it will grow from one stage to another (iii. 17, 18). It will not pass away as did the glory in the face of Moses. Note, further, in this’ wonderful passage (iii. 14-18): first, what we behold—the glory of the Lord, which is Christ (iii. 17) ; second,, the possibility of actually beholding in the gospel the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; third, this privilege all may have; fourth, the effect of such behold- in—“changed into the same image” ; fifth, the cause of such a transfiguration is the Spirit. A RELATION OF CONTRASTS We shall be helped in our endeavor to understand the relation between the two Testaments by considering the element of contrast in the method of presenting truth. The Old Testament 1. Contains the darkness. 2. Contains the bondage. 3. Contains the letter. 4. Contains the temporary. 5. Contains carnal and external institu tions and ceremonies. 6. Seeks by outward observances and commands to govern and control inward principles. 7. The transcendence of God—God above u s.. 8. Introduction of sin. 9. Paradise lost. 10. Prophecies. 11. Types. 12. Shadows. 13. Death. 14. Gathered to their fathers. 15. Law our schoolmaster. 16. Deals principally with law—so ends with a curse (Mai. iv. 6). 17. Law given by Moses. 18. God seeking man—“Where art thou?” (Gen. iii. 9). 19. Book of the generations of Adam (Gen. v. 1). 20. Presents Christ as the Messiah. 21. Characterized by beginnings.
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