The Glory Of God In 2 Corinthians -- By: Matthew Y. Emerson

Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 19:3 (Fall 2015)
Article: The Glory Of God In 2 Corinthians
Author: Matthew Y. Emerson


The Glory Of God In 2 Corinthians

Matthew Y. Emerson

and

Christopher W. Morgan1

Matthew Y. Emerson is Dickinson Assistant Professor of Religion, Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. He earned his Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Christ and the New Creation: A Canonical Approach to the Theology of the New Testament (Wipf & Stock, 2013), along with a number of essays and articles.

Christopher W. Morgan is the Dean and Professor of Theology, School of Christian Ministries, California Baptist University, Riverside. He earned his Ph.D. in Theology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Morgan has authored Jonathan Edwards and Hell (Mentor, 2004) and A Theology of James: Wisdom for God’s People (P&R, 2010), and he has co-edited with Robert A. Peterson numerous works such as Hell under Fire (Zondervan, 2004), Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism (InterVarsity, 2008), Suffering and the Goodness of God (Crossway, 2008), The Glory of God (Crossway, 2010), The Deity of Christ (Crossway, 2011), The Kingdom of God (Crossway, 2012), Sin (Crossway, 2013), and Heaven (Crossway, 2014).

I cannot expect to understand the mysteries of God ... If I understood God, He could not be the true God. A doctrine which I cannot fully grasp is a Truth of God which is intended to grasp me. When I cannot climb, I kneel. Where I cannot build an observatory, I set up an altar. A great stone which I cannot lift serves me for a pillar, upon which I pour the oil of gratitude and adore the Lord my God. How idle it is to dream of our ever running parallel in understanding with the infinite God! His knowledge is too wonderful for us. It is so high—we cannot attain to it.2

We can study nothing as monumental or overwhelming as our glorious God. Yet through creation, humanity, his Word, and Jesus himself, God has graciously revealed himself—and his glory—to us. Although God has not spoken

exhaustively, he has spoken truly and sufficiently to us as his image-bearers. So while the depths of God and his glory will remain out of our reach, by God’s grace and through his revelation we can and do know in part.

One particularly helpful glimpse into God’s glory is 2 Corinthians, which contains twenty-one references to the term (counting both nominal and verbal forms; see 2 Cor 1:20

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()