Beholding the Glory of God in Christ

In the Confessions, Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” I thought of that as I was reading John Owen yesterday. In his book, The Glory of Christ, he said, “Only a sight of his glory, and nothing else, will truly satisfy God’s people.” Do we believe that? I desperately want my whole heart, mind, body, and soul to embrace that truth…I will never be satisfied outside of seeking God’s glory.

He illustrated that truth, “The hearts of believers are like a magnetized needle, which cannot rest until it is pointing north. So also, a believer, magnetized by the love of Christ, will always be restless until he or she comes to Christ and beholds his glory.”

So, Owen and Augustine agree…the heart is restless, like compass needle trying to point north, until they find rest in God’s glory!

Owen goes on to speak of how we behold the glory of Christ. He said, “Scripture shows us two ways by which we may behold the glory of Christ. We may behold it by faith in this world…and we may behold it by sight in the next.” We see the glory of Christ in His Word and that makes all the difference.

When I read Owen, I am reminded of Sinclair Ferguson’s comment in his introduction of Owen’s book The Holy Spirit, “ Whenever I return to read Owen I find myself at least in part wondering why I spend time reading lesser things.”