“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Corinthians 3:18 Mean?
Paul describes the ongoing transformation of believers: we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory. The transformation is progressive, communal, and driven by beholding.
"With open face" — the veil has been removed (v.16). Unlike Moses, whose face was veiled, believers see with nothing between them and God's glory. The access is direct.
"Beholding as in a glass" — the glass is a mirror. You look at the glory and the glory transforms you. The beholding is the mechanism. You become what you see.
"Changed into the same image" — the transformation is into the image of Christ. You are being remade — progressively, step by step — into the likeness of what you behold.
"From glory to glory" — the change is incremental. Not instant. Glory to glory — one degree at a time. The transformation is real at every stage but never complete until the final revelation.
"Even as by the Spirit of the Lord" — the agent of transformation is the Holy Spirit. You do not transform yourself. The Spirit does the changing as you do the beholding.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does 'beholding' produce transformation — what is the connection between seeing and becoming?
- 2.What does 'from glory to glory' mean for your expectation of spiritual growth?
- 3.How is the Spirit's role in transformation different from your role?
- 4.What are you consistently beholding — and is it producing Christ-likeness or something else?
Devotional
We all, with open face beholding the glory of the Lord. The veil is gone. The face is open. And what you are looking at is the glory of the Lord — unfiltered, unmediated, direct.
Are changed into the same image. Changed. Not by effort. By beholding. You become what you look at. The glory you behold reshapes you into its own image. The transformation is not self-produced. It is vision-produced.
From glory to glory. The change is progressive. Not all at once. Glory to glory — one degree of transformation at a time. You are more like Christ today than you were yesterday. And less like him than you will be tomorrow.
Even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit does the changing. You do the beholding. The division of labor is clear: look at the glory. The Spirit handles the transformation.
This is the most elegant description of spiritual growth in the New Testament: behold Christ's glory with an unveiled face, and the Spirit progressively transforms you into his image. The looking produces the changing. The seeing produces the becoming.
What are you beholding? Whatever you gaze at consistently is what you become. If you gaze at Christ's glory — through Scripture, prayer, worship, communion — the Spirit transforms you into his image. If you gaze at something else, you become something else.
The beholding determines the becoming. Choose what you look at carefully.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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…
But we all - All Christians. The discussion in the chapter has related mainly to the apostles; but this declaration…
But we all, with open face - The Jews were not able to look on the face of Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, and…
In these verses the apostle draws two inferences from what he had said about the Old and New Testament: -
I. Concerning…
But we all i.e. we Christians, in contradistinction to the Jews.
with open face i.e. unveiled. Cf. 1Co 11:7.
beholding…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture