The Glory of Christ Quotes

“On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“No man shall ever behold the glory of Christ by sight hereafter who does not in some measure behold it here by faith.”
― John Owen, The Glory Of Christ

“By beholding the glory of Christ by faith we shall find rest to our souls. Our minds are apt to be filled with troubles, fears, cares, dangers, distresses, ungoverned passion and lusts. By these our thoughts are filled with chaos, darkness and confusion. But where the soul is fixed on the glory of Christ then the mind finds rest and peace for "to be spiritually minded is peace" (Rom. 8:6).”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“But whatever dismal appearance of things there may be in the world, we need not fear the ruin of the church by the most bloody oppositions. Former experiences will give security against future events. It is built on the rock, and those gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“The pretended desires of many to behold the glory of Christ in heaven, who have no view of it by faith while they are here in this world, are nothing but self-deceiving imaginations.”
― John Owen, The Glory Of Christ

“That one of the greatest privileges and advancements of believers, both in this world and unto eternity, consists in their beholding the glory of Christ.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Slothful and lazy souls never obtain one view of this glory. The “lion in the road” deters them from attempting it (Prov 26:13).58 Being carnal, they abhor all diligence in the use of spiritual means, such as prayer and meditation, which to them are uneasy, unpleasant, and difficult. But for others, this way shares in the blessings of the promised destination. The means of obtaining a view of the glory of Christ are of the same kind and pleasantness of the view itself.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ: In Modern English

“Sometimes it may seems that he has withdrawn from us. We cannot hear his voice, nor see his face, nor experience any sense of his love even though we diligently seek him. In this state, all our thoughts and meditations concerning Christ will be barren and fruitless, bringing no spiritual refreshment to our souls. If we are happy with such life-less, fruitless thoughts of him which bring no awareness of his love, nor give us any sight of the glory of his person, the power of religion in us will wither away. Our duty is fully expressed by the spouse in the Song of Solomon (Song of Sol. 3:1-4; 5:2-8). When in such a state we must diligently seek him in prayer, meditation , mourning, reading and hearing his Word in all ordinances of divine worship both in private and in public.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Not to see the wisdom of God, and the power of God, and consequently all the other holy properties of his nature, in Christ, is to be an unbeliever.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Yea, the soul is disturbed, not edified, in all contemplations of future glory, when things are proposed unto it whereof in this life it has neither foretaste, sense, experience, nor evidence. No man ought to look for anything in heaven, but what one way or other he has some experience of in this life.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“The real view that we may have of Christ and His glory in this world comes through faith in the divine revelation of Scripture.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ: In Modern English

“Indeed, it is by beholding the glory of Christ that believers are first gradually transformed into His image and then brought into the eternal enjoyment of it because they shall be forever “like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1Jo 3:2; 2Co 3:18).”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“But God, in His appointed time, will vindicate His honor and glory from the foolish attempts of sinful men who attempt to strip Him of both.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“It is to be feared that there are some who profess religion with an appearance of strictness, who never separate themselves from all other occasions, to meditate on Christ and his glory; and yet, with a strange inconsistency of apprehensions, they will profess that they desire nothing more than to behold his glory in heaven for ever. But it is evident, even in the light of reason, that these things are irreconcilable. It is impossible that he who never meditates with delight on the glory of Christ here in this world, who labours not to behold it by faith as it is revealed in the Scripture, should ever have any real gracious desire to behold it in heaven. They may love and desire the fruition of their own imaginations; — they cannot do so of the glory of Christ, whereof they are ignorant, and wherewith they are unacquainted. It is, therefore, to be lamented that men can find time for, and have inclinations to think and meditate on, other things, that may be earthly and vain; but have neither heart, nor inclination, nor leisure, to meditate on this glorious object. What is the faith and love which such men profess? How will they find themselves deceived in the issue!”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Some men speak much of the imitation of Christ, and following of his example; and it were well if we could see more of it really in effect. But no man shall ever become “like unto him” by bare imitation of his actions, without that view or intuition of his glory which alone is accompanied with a transforming power to change them into the same image.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“I speak of them whose minds are better disposed towards heavenly things; and unto them I say, Wherefore do you love Jesus Christ? for so you profess to do. Wherefore do you trust in him? wherefore do you honor him? wherefore do you desire to be in heaven with him? Can you give a reason of this hope that is in you, — an account why you do all or any of these things? If you cannot, all that you pretend towards him is but fancy and imagination; you fight uncertainly, as men beating the air. Or is one of your reasons hereof, that in him you do by faith behold that glory of God, with the holy properties of his nature, and their principal operations, in order unto your own salvation and blessedness, which otherwise would have been eternally hid from you? Herein is he “precious unto them that do believe.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Those who are aware of a weakening of their experience of grace themselves must redouble their efforts in the duties of mortification and spiritual obedience, but take care that what you do is what God has appointed, and that how you do it is guided and directed by Scripture. Examples of such duties are the reading and hearing of the Word, fervent prayer and diligently guarding against all temptation to sin. There should be a special effort to keep the mind spiritual and heavenly. This will demand holy earnestness, and a strong resistance to any other attitude of mind.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“But the promises concerning the growth of this grace in believers are not unconditional. According to 2 Peter 1:4-10, many duties are required so that these promises might be fulfilled and accomplished in us. Believers are expected to make every effort to grow strong in grace. God does indeed sometimes work sovereignly, bestowing healing grace on backsliding believers (e.g. Isa. 57:17-18). Many a poor soul has thus been delivered from going down into the pit. The good shepherd will go out of his way to save a wandering sheep. But we must not presume on God’s goodness by neglecting the duties we are called to fulfil.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Where the light of revelation is not accompanied by spiritual experience and power in our souls, then it will end either in outward formality or atheism. But when feelings outrun the light of revelation, then they sink into the bog of superstition, doting on images and pictures. But where there is spiritual restraint and discipline, it is better that our emotions exceed our lights, rather than light exceed our emotions. It is by the defect of our understanding that we do not have more light and it is by the corruption of our wills that we do not have more experience of spiritual comforts.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“So the first consequence of Christ's withdrawing himself from us is that inward graces grow weak and we tend to rely more and more on outside helps. Above all, we lose the desire for holy meditation and we spend less and less time with Christ. Just as frost withers the plants in the garden, so the grace in our hearts also withers when the 'Sun of Righteousness' withdraws and hides himself.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“By the incarnation of Christ, God intended first of all to redeem the church by the sacrifice of his Son. But there is a greater reason for the incarnation of Christ, one which centres on the glory of God. This was that he might 'gather all things into one' in Christ. The whole creation, especially that which was to be eternal blessed, was to have anew head given to it. From him all graces were to glow into this new family, and from this new family worship, praise and gratitude would flow back to him. All communications from God to this new family would be channelled through Christ, and all worship and gratitude to God from this new family would also be channelled through Christ. Who can describe the divine beauty, order and harmony of all things in this new family under its new head Jesus Christ? The union and communion between angels and men, the order of the whole family in heaven and earth, the communication of life, grace, power, mercy and comfort to the church and all things being ruled for the glory of God all depend on Jesus Christ. This glory God purposed for his incarnate Son, and it was the greatest, the highest glory that could be given to him.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Election is founded on divine love because it is free and undeserved. We did nothing to persuade God to choose us rather than others. Any good done to us which is altogether undeserved and which is done to promote our good, is an act of love and cannot be anything else. Any good there is in God's people is the result of election and not the reason why God chose us. The only thing that moved God to choose us was his undeserved love.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“Ignorance of God is the source of all wickedness and confusion among men. From this ignorance arouse that flood of abominations which God swept away in Noah's day. The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were burned up with "fire from heaven". In short, all the rage, blood, confusion, desolations, cruelties, oppressions and disasters which fill the world to this day, by which the souls of men have been swept into eternal destruction, have all arisen from the ignorance of God.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“The soul which can be satisfied without beholding the glory of Christ, is not a soul for whom Christ prays.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ

“If the Holy Ghost judged the state of the Jewish Church to be weak and imperfect - because it rested on high priests that died one after another, although their succession was expressly ordained of God himself - shall we suppose that the Lord Christ, who came to consummate the church, and to bring it unto the most perfect estate whereof in this world it is capable, should build it on a succession of dying men, concerning which succession there is not the least intimation that it is appointed of God? And as unto the matter of fact, we know both what interruptions it hath received, and what monsters it hath produced - both sufficiently manifesting that it is not of God.”
― John Owen, The Glory of Christ