Unveiling Hearts To Behold God's Glory
The vision of God's glory stands at the center of biblical hope, yet Scripture insists that such vision requires transformation of the human heart. Paul writes that "we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" [3]. This unveiling is not merely intellectual but involves a fundamental reordering of the soul's capacity to perceive divine reality.
The Veil and Its Removal
The contrast between veiled and unveiled vision runs through biblical theology. Moses covered his face after encountering God's glory, and the Israelites could not look upon even that reflected radiance. John Gill observes that believers "are not like Moses, who had a veil on his face; nor like the Jews, who have one on their hearts" but rather behold Christ's glory "unveiled, that has no veil on it" [5]. This removal of the veil is not automatic but requires divine action. Charles Hodge emphasizes that "the soul by nature is spiritually dead; it must be quickened. It is blind; its eyes must be opened. It is hard; it must be softened" [6]. The gracious work of the Spirit accomplishes what human effort cannot—opening eyes that would otherwise remain shut to divine glory.
The Lamentations exhortation to "lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens" [1] captures the posture required: an active turning of the inner person toward God, not merely external ritual. This lifting involves both confession and aspiration, acknowledging present blindness while seeking the vision that only God can grant.
Purity and Vision
Jesus' beatitude establishes the essential connection: "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God" [8]. Augustine draws from this the principle that believers must be "purifying our hearts by faith, that we may be prepared for that ineffable and, so to speak, invisible vision" [8]. The vision of God is not granted to hearts still cluttered with competing loves. Augustine notes disapprovingly those who "loved the glory of men more than the glory of God" [8], identifying divided affection as the barrier to seeing truly.
This purity is not merely moral but involves the reorientation of desire. The heart must be "encouraged, united in love and into all the wealth of the full assurance of insight into the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ" [2]. Knowledge of God's glory comes through union with Christ, not through detached observation.
The Eschatological Fulfillment
While believers now see "as in a mirror," the promise extends to direct vision. Revelation describes the redeemed: "they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads" [7]. John Gill explains this as seeing God "as he is not to be seen now; they shall see him as he is... face to face, they shall have intimate and familiar communion with him" [11]. This vision is reserved for those made "perfectly holy" [11], suggesting that the unveiling of hearts reaches completion only in the resurrection state.
Yet this future vision is not disconnected from present experience. Augustine speaks of advancing "from glory to glory" [3], indicating progressive transformation. The same Spirit who will grant unmediated vision begins the work now, removing veils incrementally as hearts are purified. Isaiah's warning that "the ungodly be taken away, that he see not the Glory of God" [10] underscores that this vision is not universal but granted to those whose hearts have been prepared.
The Christological Center
The glory beheld is specifically the glory of Christ. Aquinas notes that "the vision of the Divine Essence is granted to all the blessed by a partaking of the Divine light which is shed upon them from the fountain of the Word of God" [4]. Christ himself is both the object of vision and the means by which vision becomes possible. Moses' request to see God's glory [9] finds its answer not in a theophany that would destroy the viewer but in the incarnate Word, whose glory can be beheld by those whose hearts have been unveiled through faith.
The unveiling of hearts to behold God's glory thus involves divine initiative, human response, progressive sanctification, and eschatological consummation—a single movement from blindness to sight, from glory to glory.
Sources
- Lamentations “Lamentations 3:41 (Geneva1599) — Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.”
- Colossians “Colossians 2:2 (LEB) — so that their hearts may be encouraged, united in love and into all the wealth of the full assurance of insight into the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. II.- 6. Some men of great gifts, and very learned in the Holy Scriptures, who have, when an opportunity presented itself, done much by their writings to benefit the Church and promote the instru (part 2): from being men we shall advance to the rank of angels, and shall be able to say with the apostle, 'We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord; ' 7 although no creature can see the face of God, according to the essential ”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Beatific Knowledge of Christ's Soul, Art. 4: Article: Whether the soul of Christ sees the Word or the Divine Essence more clearly than does any other creature? I answer that, The vision of the Divine Essence is granted to all the blessed by a partaking of the Divine light which is shed upon them from the fountain of the Word of God, according to Ecclus. 1:5: "The Word of God on high is the fountain of Wisdom." Now the soul of Christ, since it is united to the Word in person, is more closely joined to the Word of God than any other cre”
- 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all with open face,.... We are not like Moses, who had a veil on his face; nor like the Jews, who have one on their hearts: "but we all"; not ministers and preachers of the Gospel only, but all believers, whether Jews or Gentiles, greater or lesser believers, who are enlightened by the Spirit of God, and are converted to Christ: "with open face"; which may regard the object beheld, the glory of Christ unveiled, that has no veil on it, as Moses had on his face, when he delivered the law; or the persons beholding, who are rid of Jewish darkness; the veil o”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 54: the mind the intellectual knowledge of those truths. Both these are essential. The work of the Spirit is with the soul. That by nature is spiritually dead; it must be quickened. It is blind; its eyes must be opened. It is hard; it must be softened. The gracious work of the Spirit is to impart life, to open the eyes, and to soften the heart. When this is done, and in proportion to the measure in which it is done, the Word exerts its sanctifying influence on the soul. It is a clear doctrine of the Bible and fact of experience that the truth”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 94: leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve Him: and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there: and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” ( Rev. xxii. 2-5 .) Sometimes the final abode of the redeemed is called a “new heavens and a new earth.” ( 2 Pet. iii. 13 .) As to t”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER XII. 37-43. (part 10): His command, but not as He is. Let us be purifying our hearts by faith, that we may be prepared for that ineffable and, so to speak, invisible vision. For "blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." (5) 13. "Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but, because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God." See how the evangelist marked and disapproved of some, who yet, he said, beli”
- Exodus (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Exodus 33:18: Show me thy glory - Moses probably desired to see that which constitutes the peculiar glory or excellence of the Divine nature as it stands in reference to man. By many this is thought to signify his eternal mercy in sending Christ Jesus into the world. Moses perceived that what God was now doing had the most important and gracious designs which at present he could not distinctly discover; therefore he desires God to show him his glory. God graciously promises to indulge him in this request as far as possible, by proclaiming his name, and making all his goodness pa”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, JOHN V. 25, (part 11): of the body, for that they have had a good obedience in the resurrection of the heart. 12. Shall then the wicked man see God too? of whom Isaiah saith," Let the ungodly be taken away, that he see not the Glory of God."(4) Both the ungodly and the godly then shall see that Form; and when the sentence, "Let the ungodly be taken away that he see not the Glory of God," shall have been pronounced; it remains that as to the godly and the good, that be fulfilled which the Lord Himself promised, when ”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 22:4: And they shall see his face,.... The face of God, so as he is not to be seen now; they shall see him as he is; not only the angels, who always behold the face of God, but all the saints, risen and changed, being pure in heart, and perfectly holy; they shall see him face to face, they shall have intimate and familiar communion with him; they shall enjoy his favour, and have the freest and largest discoveries of his love; and they shall see the face of the Lamb; they shall behold Christ and his glory both with the eyes of their understanding, and with the eyes of th”