In this chapter Paul references the veil with which Moses used to cover his face after seeing God's glory on Mt. Sinai. And just as the Israelites could not gaze at Moses's face because their minds were hardened, so the unbeliever's heart is "veiled" and he cannot see God's glory because of it. "But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed" (vs 16).
How is the veil removed? Verse 14 tells us: "[O]nly through Christ is it taken away." And if you know the gospel you know that there is freedom from sin for those who have been given the Spirit of the Lord through the death of Jesus Christ (vs 17). When a person is converted, the veil of ignorance is taken away, and they are able to see and comprehend the message of the gospel and indeed, the glory of God.
In the last verse (vs 18), we see that the effects of this unveiling are at least two-fold. Those persons are now capable of (1)beholding the glory of the Lord; and they will all (2)begin to be transformed into the same image. Said another way—(1)experiencing God's glory, and (2)being changed from the inside out to look more like Christ.
True Christians greatly desire these two things! There is nothing more satisfying for them than the joy that comes from being in God's presence (Psalm 16:11), and the same joy which also comes from being crucified with Christ so that it is no longer they who live, but Christ who lives in them (Gal. 2:20).
Do desire these two things more than anything else? Do you desire them at all?
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