Title: The Light of the Face of Christ
Contents
2006. 2.26.
Apostolic Right Argument
The words of 4:1,2 indirectly explain the fact that at that time there was not little danger of Christianity being corrupted. “We who, by the mercy of God, assume this office, never lose heart. We have put aside all shameful things we could not reveal, we have not acted cunningly, we have not preached God's Word perversely. And since the truth has been revealed, we can present ourselves proudly before God and before the conscience of all men.” The statement that God's Word was not "perverted" here suggests that there were some who preached it perversely. This is the core of what Paul is explaining in today's text. Of course, those who preach crookedly are those who have come into the Corinthian church with an authoritative introduction and are criticizing Paul's authority and the gospel he preaches. Today's text does not directly explain what their argument is. Instead, Paul indirectly points out their problems by stating his own faith.
creator of light
Paul's place in primitive Christianity is very special. He consistently preached only salvation through Jesus Christ, almost to the point of evangelical monism. This also means that salvation through Jesus Christ was not accepted as such a clear truth at that time. You might find this strange. Even though they are already in the Christian community, can they preach anything other than salvation through Jesus? You must go back to the days of the New Testament and read these words. As pointed out earlier, Christianity at that time was not yet organized. In particular, the majority of Christians were either Hebrew Jews, or at least Diaspora Hellenistic Jews. The conflict between Paul and his adversaries is understandable, given how strong Moses and the Law were to them.
However, this gospel and law issue is not only related to the Jewish legal way of thinking, but to a much more fundamental philosophical issue. Paul explains this problem in Gnostic terms. The reason they do not recognize the Gospel is that they are basically dark in heart. Look at verse 4. “They do not believe because the evil spirits of this world have darkened their hearts. They were blinded from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” Paul expressed darkness and light symmetrically. Gnosticism interpreted this world as the dualism of good and evil and the dualism of light and darkness. While this gnosticism is not consistent with the Christian faith, it is clear that it is a partially persuasive argument. This is because Christians do not think that they can realize the truth or achieve salvation on their own, but believe that the light of grace must come upon them. That is exactly what Paul means when he says that if our hearts are darkened, we will eventually be able to appreciate the gospel.
However, Paul does not stop at Gnosticism, which is the mainstream philosophy of that time. This issue of light and darkness that Paul speaks of goes beyond Gnosticism and goes back to Old Testament creationism. See verse 6a. It is said that “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shed his light into our hearts.” To Gnostics, light and darkness are two ontological forces that rule the world, but to Paul they are just creatures. Paul emphasizes the fact that God created light. The God who created light has shone light into our hearts. That is the only way to recognize the Gospel and the truth. It was also because of this light of creation that Paul was able to avoid preaching the word of God in a crooked way and people were able to accept the gospel.
As such, Christian epistemology has its roots in creationism. The ability to see the truth is not inherent in human beings, but comes from God who created light. In this respect, we Christians accept justification and sanctification, and the whole process, as God's grace. We pray for this grace to come. Because without the light that God made and shined, we could never recognize the gospel and truth.
To elaborate on what this actually means: We don't think we'll realize the truth just because we're smart. The fleshly thing is the fleshly thing, and the spiritual thing is the spiritual thing. Just because a person has extensive knowledge of physics and psychology does not necessarily mean that they understand the gospel and the truth. Conversely, being illiterate does not mean that you do not realize it. The crucial thing here is the light of God.
People might think it's strange to hear this explanation, but it's not. Such things are common in our daily life. There are quite a few people who are very good on the one hand, but stupid on the other. There are people who have good math brains but poor music brains. There are some people who jump in biotechnology but are very childish in human respect. There are many people who excel in theology but are inexperienced in human relations. In the same way, it is said that people who are veterans in the work of this world but are close to strangers in the spiritual world are possible. In this respect, the spiritual can only be discerned spiritually, which we call spiritual epistemology arising from the light of God. Paul defends the fact that he is preaching the gospel correctly because that light is shining in his heart. What is the gospel that can only be recognized by the light of God?
The face of Christ and the glory of God
Today we encounter a tricky part of the Christian faith. Some of you may be wondering, why do we have to deal with topics such as gnosticism, epistemology, and creationism, because it is enough to repeatedly proclaim that simply believing in Jesus will result in salvation. I don't mean to make it difficult for you. Because the New Testament writers went through this process, we want to follow their thinking. See section 6b. Paul stated the fact that the “glory” of God “shine” in the “face” of Christ now. This sentence is perhaps the most difficult in the New Testament. Isn't that the most important thing? Isn't that the most mysterious thing? That is why Paul is not saying that we cannot perceive without the light of God. What the hell is Paul talking about now?
The story of the face of Christ is connected with the story of the face of Moses, previously described in 3:12ff. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, where he received the Law, including the Ten Commandments, from God, a halo appeared on his face. When the Israelites saw the halo, they were afraid, so Moses covered his face with a veil. This event is recorded in Exodus 34. Why does Paul bring this up? The luminous halo on Moses' face is meant to point out that it will be short-lived. This means that the law represented by Moses is provisional, not eternal truth.
That's right. Moses' halo passed. Instead, a halo shines in the face of Jesus Christ. The face of Jesus here does not refer to his physical body, but to his life. It points to the suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, his entire destiny. Light shines in the life of Jesus Christ. To shine means to shine brightly. What was revealed to the ancient Israelites in the Mosaic Law, but now revealed in Jesus Christ is the 'glory of God'. The glory of God is shining in the life of Jesus Christ. Paul saw it now. The glory of God shining in the whole life of Jesus Christ.
What is this glory? What is the glory of God that Paul saw so clearly in the life of Jesus Christ? The glory of God is the event in which God becomes Lord in name and reality. To say that God is Lord means that he is manifested as the Creator, and furthermore, that his salvation is manifested. The glory of God is the fulfillment of His salvation, the Creator of the world. Perhaps it is not very realistic because you only accept these words as unconditionally religious. Think of it this way. In our lives now, God's creation has not been fully realized. Even drinking water makes you thirsty. Even having friends and family by your side cannot solve loneliness. No matter what you have achieved in your social life, you are still insecure. The act of creation has not yet been completed for us. This means that we are not yet fully saved. The completion of that creation and salvation is the glory of God. We do not know exactly what that glory is. Because we have not yet crossed the river of death.
Jesus Christ is the only way we can recognize and experience the glory of God who have not crossed the river of death. If we explain according to the background of today's text, it is not the law but the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul is telling us that the glory of God shines in the life of Jesus.