Holiness Through Beholding The Glory Of Christ

By Mark R. Stevenson [1]

A Meditation On 2 Corinthians 3:18

Introduction

The glory of Christ is the most important reality in the universe and is thus a subject of overpowering magnitude. How shall we speak of one whose glory is “like the sun shining in full strength” (Rev. 1:16)? C. H. Spurgeon said this of the glory of Christ:

Hope not, my brethren, that the preacher can grapple with such a subject. I am overcome by it. In my meditations I have felt lost in its lengths and breadths. My joy is great in my theme, and yet I am conscious of a pressure upon brain and heart, for I am a little child wandering among the mountains…. I stumble among sublimities, I sink amid glories. [2]

In what follows, we want to explore 2 Corinthians 3:18 to see the exegetical foundation for the concept that growth in personal holiness comes through beholding the glory of Christ. Once we have the biblical foundation, we want to think through the implications and the application of that truth.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18 ESV).

We Become What We Worship

Human beings were created in the image of God. That means we reflect, to some degree, the likeness of our Creator. Sin, of course, distorts that image. When we worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25), the image of God in us is marred and disfigured. Thus redemption, at one level, has as its goal to restore the image of Christ in us. The process of growth in holiness is about reflecting more and more the image of Christ.

So this issue of what we worship—whether Christ or idols—has huge implications in the quest for holiness. New Testament scholar Greg Beale has written a book entitled We Become What We Worship. The main thesis of the book is this: “What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or restoration.” [3] Beale writes:

God has made humans to reflect him, but if they do not commit themselves to him, they will not reflect him but something else in creation. At the core of our beings we are imaging creatures. It is not possible to be neutral on this issue: we either reflect the Creator or something in creation. [4]

For example, Psalm 115:4-8 says, “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear…. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” 5 Likewise 2 Kings 17:15 says regarding Israel: “They went after false idols and became false, and followed the nations that were around them.”

But how is this reversed?

Becoming Like Christ Through Beholding His Glory

In Romans 8:29 Paul writes, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” That is the goal to which God is bringing us. We know how it will ultimately happen. First John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” When Christ appears, one look at him in all of his glory and holiness will be so powerful that it will instantly and completely change us into his likeness. The quest for holiness will be realized through seeing the glorified Christ.

But how do we become more like Christ now—before that day of glory, when we face a thousand temptations to be idolaters? How do we become more like Christ and reflect his image? The same way as it will take place in the future—by beholding the glory of Christ. Notice our key text, 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

In the context of 2 Corinthians 3, Paul has been demonstrating the superior glory of the new covenant. The old covenant contained letters carved on stone that pronounced condemnation to those who disobeyed. But the old covenant was simply an external code. It did not deal with the heart. It did not provide the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Paul says in 3:6, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Thus the old covenant was temporary; it pointed forward to something far greater.

In verses 12-16, Paul shows that even the temporary glory of the old covenant was veiled, as Moses veiled the reflected glory of God in his face. Likewise hearts are veiled and minds are hardened so that people are blind to the superior glory of Christ.

But under the ministry of the new covenant, the veil is taken away in Christ. Notice 3:16-17: “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord, there is freedom.”

When you turn to the Lord, Paul says you encounter the life-giving, new covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit where there is freedom, not condemnation and bondage, and where our eyes are opened to the glory God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Transformation Through Beholding The Glory Of The Lord (2 Cor. 3:18)

Who Is Transformed?

Exodus 34:34 indicates that whenever Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he removed the veil from his face. But that was the privilege of one man—Moses. Here in 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul says that “we all with unveiled face” have the privilege of beholding the glory the Lord. It’s not just for Jews or apostles; it’s for all who have turned to Christ. The veil is forever gone, and we behold the glory of the Lord.6

How Are We Transformed?

The word “beholding” (κατοπτρίζω, katoptrizō) is unique in the sense that it is only used here in the Bible. Other translations render the word “behold as in a mirror,” and that is probably accurate.7

Beholding What?

What is it that we behold as in a mirror? Nothing less than “the glory of the Lord.” Paul describes it further in 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

So the “the glory of the Lord” is God’s glory revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ. Paul also speaks in 4:4 of “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Colossians 1:15 calls Christ “the image of the invisible God.” Hebrews 1:3 declares that “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” John could say, “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14).

So what we behold as in a mirror is God’s glory as it shines forth in his Son. In fact we could say that the mirror is Christ because “believers see in Christ the reflection of the very nature of God.”8 The glory of the Lord is “mirrored” in the face of Jesus Christ.9

This raises all kinds of questions about how we see it and what exactly we see. We will return to those questions. But the main point of 2 Corinthians 3:18 is that it is through beholding this glory of the Lord that we are transformed into the same image.

What Happens?

“Transformed” is the main verb of verse 18, and you will notice that along with the word “beholding,” “transformed” is in the present tense: “we all,…beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed” (μεταμορφούμεθα, metamorphoumetha). Philip Hughes comments, “The effect of continuous beholding is that we are continuously being transformed.”10 That is why it is so essential to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Heb. 12:2). Paul is telling us that the way we grow in holiness, the way we are continually transformed, is through continually meditating on the glory of Jesus Christ.

Into What?

The text says we are being transformed into “the same image.” What is that? It is the same image we see mirrored, namely Christ. [11] 2 Corinthians 4:4 makes that clear when it speaks of “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

It is interesting that this word “image” is the Greek word εἰκών (eikōn), from which we get our English word “icon.” It can be used to speak of an idol (e.g. Rom. 1:23; Isa. 40:19, LXX). But here the image is no lifeless idol. It’s the real thing—Jesus Christ—the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). [12] And as we behold him, we are being transformed into his likeness, restoring God’s purpose in creation.

What does this transformation look like? One day it will affect our whole being, including our bodies. Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.” We long for that. We groan, eagerly awaiting the redemption of these lowly bodies (Rom. 8:23).

But that is not the transformation we experience now. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Our outer self is wasting away,” but “our inner self is being renewed day by day.” So the transformation now is inward. The same word is used in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (metamorphousthe) by the renewal of your mind.” As we behold the glory of Lord, our thinking becomes less conformed to the world and its values and more conformed to Christ. What becomes visible in this transformation is our behavior, our character, our manner of life.

But also, as we behold the glory of Christ, our affections are transformed. Our hearts are stirred and we love Christ and see him as infinitely glorious. We get a taste for his glory that seems better to us than all the things the world has to offer (1 Pet. 1:8).

Two more things to notice about our text.

To What Degree Do We Experience This Transformation?

This is a progressive transformation. We are being transformed “from one degree of glory to another.” The glory reflected in Moses’ face faded, but the glory of the Lord that is reflected in our lives is to gradually increase. [13] We are to make progress in becoming more like Christ.

Are we making progress? Unfortunately we experience setbacks. But this text would imply that setbacks come when we take our eyes off the glory of Christ and become more enticed with the glory of other things—with idols. That is why the battle of sanctification is a battle to see the glory of Christ again and again and to treasure him above everything else. We should sing with Fernando Ortega, “You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.”

Who Is The Source?

Finally our text gives us the source of this transformation: “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The One who enables us to behold the glory of the Lord and the One who does the work of transformation in our hearts is the Holy Spirit. Apart from the work of the Spirit we do not see Jesus Christ as glorious. Our hearts are hardened; our minds are blinded. But the Spirit comes and shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (4:6).

This does not mean that we just sit back and passively wait for the Spirit to sanctify us. Sam Storms puts it this way, “[The work of the Spirit] doesn’t eliminate human effort, but rather makes it possible. We act because we are acted upon.” [14]

How does the Holy Spirit work this transformation in us? John Piper suggests this: “The work of the Holy Spirit in changing us is not to work directly on our bad habits but to make us admire Jesus Christ so much that sinful habits feel foreign and distasteful.” [15]

So 2 Corinthians 3:18 provides the biblical foundation for understanding that growth in holiness comes through beholding the glory of Christ. We now want to think through some of the practical implications.

How Do We Behold The Glory Of Christ Today?

It is not with physical eyes, but with what Paul calls in Ephesians 1:18 “the eyes of your hearts” that we behold the glory of Christ. Remember, 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” So the way that we behold the glory of Christ now is not in some mystical vision, but in the Word of God.

Consider, for example, Revelation 1 where John receives a magnificent vision of the glorified Christ. But observe what the Lord says to John in verse 11: “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches.”

It is very significant that Christ wants the vision written down and sent to the churches. He could have appeared to each of the seven churches, but he did not. You and I don’t get an ecstatic vision like John did, but we do get a book that records the vision. The implication is that Christ wants us to see his glory in Holy Scripture. John got the vision, we get the book. And when we see something of the glory of Christ in the Word and meditate on it, we are changed.

Think also of Luke 24. The risen Christ appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He could have immediately revealed himself to them and taken away their grief and doubts. But he did not. In fact, Luke 24:16 says that the disciples “eyes were kept [or prevented] from recognizing him.”

Why? Because Jesus wanted them to see from Scripture the things concerning himself. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

When their eyes were opened to recognize him, they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (24:32). That is where we behold the glory of Christ during our present life on earth as we wait to see him one day face to face.

Martin Luther said of Christ: “For although he is everywhere and in all creatures and I may find him in stone, fire, water, or rope, since he is assuredly there, yet he does not wish me to seek him apart from the Word…. There if you seek him you will truly find, namely in the Word.” [16]

The implication is obvious. We need to spend time reading and studying and meditating on the Word of God. That is where we behold the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. And it is through beholding that we are increasingly transformed into his image.

Part of our problem is that we don’t have much of an appetite for meditating on the glory of Christ. We have stuffed ourselves with so much entertainment and so many diversions that when it comes to something substantive like contemplating the glories of Christ, it often does not resonate with us. We are so full of junk food that when we come before the exquisite banquet of the glories of Christ, we are not very hungry.

Perhaps it is time to turn off the computer or TV or put away other distractions in order to spend more time in the Word. And as we do, ask God to open the eyes of our hearts to see Jesus, to thrill ours souls with the Lord of Glory.

John Owen, in his classic book The Glory of Christ, says, “We need to think much about [Christ] if we wish to enjoy him fully (1 Pet. 1:8).” But our culture does not encourage us to think and meditate and reflect deeply on things of eternal value like the glories of Christ. And so Owen says this:

If we are satisfied with vague ideas about him, we shall find no transforming power communicated to us. But when we cling whole-heartedly to him and our minds are filled with thoughts of him and we constantly delight ourselves in him, then spiritual power will flow from him to purify our hearts, increase our holiness, strengthen our graces, and sometimes fill us “with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” [17]

We turn now to some specific reflections on the glories of Christ.

Meditating On The Glories Of Christ

A fascinating study is to trace in the gospels how often people were amazed at Jesus. Again and again people responded in astonishment; they marveled at him. Here are a few examples:

• Mark 1: 22, “They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.”
• Jesus healed the paralytic and Mark 2:12 says, “They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!”
• When he calmed the storm, they marveled and said, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8:25)
• They were “overcome with amazement” when he raised a dead girl (Mark 5:42)
• They were “utterly astounded” when he walked on water (Mark 6:51)
• After he healed a man, Mark 7:37 says: “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well.’”

What these and many other texts do is remind us that Jesus Christ is amazing! There are countless ways to see his glory as we reflect on his person and work. Here are a few dimensions of his glory that will profit our souls.

1. We may meditate on his pre-incarnate glory and his eternality as the Son of God—he who never had a beginning but has always existed. Think of John 17:5, where Jesus, anticipating the cross, prays: “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

The Jews said to him in John 8, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” What does Jesus say? “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am”!

2. We can meditate at length on his deity. Romans 9:5 says the Christ is “God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” From this flow all kinds of thoughts.

a. His power—He spoke and worlds appeared; he upholds the universe by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3). 

b. His holiness—Think of Isaiah 6:3 where the seraphim call to another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” John 12:41 makes it clear that it was Christ’s glory that Isaiah saw. 

c. Ponder some of his divine attributes such as wisdom, righteousness, love, mercy, grace, and goodness. 

d. We can speak of Christ’s moral glory, that is, his intrinsic or essential glory seen in his moral perfections; and we can distinguish that from his acquired glory—the glory he acquired through accomplishing our redemption.

3. We meditate on his real and true humanity and marvel at the humility that characterized the incarnation of the Son of God.

4. We worship as we consider the hypostatic union—the union of Christ’s divine and human natures in one person. We should be more familiar with the monumental Creed of Chalcedon which will not only keep us from Christological error, but will also to move us to worship.

5. We meditate on the wonder of his teaching, his miracles, and his sinlessness.

6. And what shall we say of the cross, where Christ the mighty maker died for man, the creature’s sin. There is so much glory to behold at the cross. Paul could say, “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).

7. We behold the glory of Christ in his offices: prophet, priest, and king. We can meditate on how all these things were prophesied and typified in the Old Testament, and Christ came and fulfilled them. For example, we behold the glory of Christ in the superiority and finality of his sacrifice. Under the old covenant the same sacrifices, which could never ultimately take away sins, were repeated year after year after year. But Jesus Christ came and offered one sacrifice for sin that forever satisfied the righteous requirement of God. He appeared “once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”! (Heb. 9:26).

8. Think of the glory of Christ in the gospel—justification by faith in Christ alone. Redemption, reconciliation, regeneration, propitiation, imputation—all great gospel words, and all accomplished through the work of Christ!

9. We behold his glory in the resurrection and sing, “Death could not keep its prey, Jesus my Savior; he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord. Up from the grave he arose.” [18]

10. We behold his glory in his ascension, his exaltation, and in his continued teaching through his apostles.

11. And we long for the glory of his return, and his kingdom, and the eternal state, and the New Jerusalem where “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23). Revelation 22:4 says we “will see his face.” We will behold then and forever, in a way we cannot now “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

When we think of the glory of Christ, there is so much to ponder, and behold, and delight in, and rejoice over. John Flavel, in the opening of his book on the glory of Christ, said this:

The whole world is not a theatre large enough to shew the glory of Christ upon, or unfold…one half of the unsearchable riches that lie hid in him…. What shall I say of Christ? The excelling glory of that object dazzles all apprehension, swallows up all expression. When we have borrowed metaphors from every creature that hath any excellency or lovely property in it, till we have stript the whole creation bare of all its ornaments, and clothed Christ with all that glory; when we have even worn out our tongues, in ascribing praises to him, alas! we have done nothing, when all is done. [19]

Why do we trifle with idols when there is an astonishing Christ, full of infinite glory and supreme worth, who allows us with unveiled face to behold his glory? We will never plumb the depths of the glory of Christ. Eternity will not exhaust our praise, our wonder, and our adoration of the glories of the Lion who is the Lamb!

Let me exhort you to find authors and books and preachers that will help you meditate on the glories of Christ. The Lord has given teachers to the church to help us. For example, Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon in 1736 entitled: “The Excellency of Christ.” It is a profound and powerful sermon on the glories of Christ. Edwards’ text was Revelation 5:5-6, which says: “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.”

Edwards takes this text and brings out example after example of how in Jesus Christ we see both lion-like and lamb-like excellencies. Edwards’ thesis is this: “There is an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies in Jesus Christ.” [20] He goes on to unpack that in ways that lead us to worship and have a fresh vision the glory of Christ.

How Does Beholding The Glory Of Christ Transform Us?

Let me offer a few of examples and encourage you to think of more.

First, think of the glory of God in the forgiveness of our sins through Christ. The parable Jesus tells in Matthew 18:21-35 of the unforgiving servant illustrates how enormous our debt of sin is before God—and how truly stunning it is that God forgives us.

As you meditate on such grace and the glory of God in forgiving our incalculable debt because of Christ, you ought to become a little less bitter, a little less resentful, a little more willing to forgive others. The more you behold this glory, the more important it becomes to you to forgive others. And when you hear Paul say in Ephesians 4:32, “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you,” and something inside you resonates, you are becoming more like Christ.

Take another example: learning to meditate on the glory of Christ’s teaching. In the teaching of Christ we see knowledge, wisdom, and truth as well as incredible relevance. How does meditating on the glory of Christ’s wisdom change us more into his image?

I would suggest that seeing Christ’s wisdom makes us less infatuated with the wisdom of the world. Can you trust what the government tells you? The media? The atheistic scientific community? No. But you can trust the word of Christ; it will not fail! The more we focus on his Word, the wiser we become. We become better equipped to evaluate things from God’s perspective and think God’s thought after him. We need more people in our churches with the mind of Christ!

What about meditating on the glory of Christ’s return in victory, his triumph over all his enemies, and the setting up his glorious kingdom where he’ll reign as King of kings and Lord of lords—how does that change us?

It gives us courage and boldness and confidence to stand up for Christ, even though the world mocks us and persecutes us. We take heart because we know that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11).

There is also something purifying about meditating on the appearing of Christ—thinking about the truth that we are going to see him as he is, and we are going to be transformed into his likeness. John says, “Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him, purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3, NASB). Suddenly, money, careers, cars, and even health are seen in their proper perspective. We want to holy because we want to see Jesus.

Finally, and most importantly, meditating on the glory of Christ transforms us from being idolaters to worshipers. Romans 1:18-32 teaches that the essence of sin is a failure to honor God as God and give him thanks, and to turn instead to other things. [21] But when the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ shines in our hearts, we long to glorify God, thank him, and proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). And the more we behold him, the more we worship, the more we reflect his image, the more we fulfill the purpose for which we were created—to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Notes

1. This article was originally delivered as a plenary address at the Iron Sharpens Iron conference hosted on the campus of Emmaus Bible College, May 2010. As much as possible, the original sermonic style has been retained. Another version of this article appeared in Journey 9:1 (Summer 2011): 3-11.
2. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Treasury of the Bible (repr., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981), 7:223.
3. G. K. Beale, We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 16.
4. Ibid.
5. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.
6. Harris notes, “The perfect participle ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ [“unveiled”] stresses the permanence and irreversibility of their unveiled state.” Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 313.
7. NASB, NKJV. BDAG’s gloss is “look at something as in a mirror, contemplate something.” The NIV and NET use “reflect” rather than “behold (as in a mirror).” Yet against this translation Thrall notes: “If believers already reflect the glory, what is the point of the following μεταμορφούμεθα? The transformation, in that case, has already occurred. For ‘reflection’ is the consequence of transformation.” Margaret E. Thrall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, ICC (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1994), 1:291. See Thrall’s extended discussion of κατοπτρίζω (1:290-295).
8. Thrall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 1:284.
9. Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 206.
10. Philip E. Hughes, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962), 118.
11. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 315; Thrall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 1:285.
12. Spicq says in regard to Christ as the image of God: “Here eikōn means not so much resemblance as derivation and participation; it is not so much the likeness of a copy to its model, but the revelation and, as it were, emanation of the prototype. The image of something is its expression, the thing itself expressed.” Ceslas Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, trans. James D. Ernest (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 1:417-418.
13. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians , 316.
14. Sam Storms, A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ: 100 Daily Meditations on 2 Corinthians, Volume 1; 2 Corinthians 1-6 (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 93.
15. John Piper, God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself (Wheaton: Crossway, 2005), 91-92.
16. Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (1950; repr., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009), 223.
17. John Owen, The Glory of Christ, abridged by R. J. K. Law (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1994), 115. The original passage may be found in The Works of John Owen, Vol. 1, ed. William H. Goold (1850-53; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1965), 400-401.
18. Robert Lowry, “Christ Arose,” #357 in The Celebration Hymnal: Songs and Hymns for Worship (Colorado Springs: Integrity Music, 1997).
19. John Flavel, The Fountain of Life: A Display of Christ in His Essential and Mediatorial Glory, Vol. 1 of The Works of John Flavel (1820; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1968), xviii.
20. Jonathan Edwards, “The Excellency of Christ,” in Sermons and Discourses 1734-1738, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 19, ed. M. X. Lesser (New Haven, Yale University Press, 2001), 565. The sermon is also available in Altogether Lovely: Jonathan Edwards on the Glory and Excellency of Jesus Christ (Orlando: Soli Deo Gloria, 1997) or the two volume collection of the Works of Jonathan Edwards published by Banner of Truth and Hendrickson. For a more recent author see John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ (Wheaton: Crossway, 2004).
21. See Mark R. Stevenson, “Holiness and the Problem of Idolatry,” EmJ 19 (2010): 177-191.