John said that when the Word became flesh we beheld His glory and that His glory was full of grace (John 1:14). There is no way to separate God’s glory from His eternal grace and mercy. To look at the events in the life of Jesus is to see a mirror of heaven’s grace as revealed throughout the divine history of God’s dealing with man.
Moses Saw God’s Glory
I remember as a child the story of Moses asking God to show Him His glory. The Lord told Moses that no one could see His face and live, but Moses would see His glory the next day. I read the rest of the book of Exodus hoping that Moses would reveal what the backside of God looked like. It was only as an adult I read the story about the events on that day and fully understood what Moses saw.
Read Moses’ Description of God’s Glory
Hear Moses’ description of what God’s glory looks like. “Then The Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations’” (Ex. 34:6-7). Read these words carefully. The true glory of God is not seen with physical eyes of humans, but with the eyes of faith. God’s glory is seen in His mercy, grace, compassion, longsuffering, abounding goodness, keeping mercy for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin!
We Beheld the Word’s Glory—Full of Grace
Paul said that the fullness of deity dwelt in bodily form in Jesus (Col. 2:9). When those disciples saw Jesus’ glorious grace, what did they see? Stand at the foot of the cross and see the fullness of God’s grace manifested in Jesus. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Ask Peter about fullness of grace bestowed upon him. Less than two months after He denied the Lord, Peter proclaimed the Lord’s grace on Pentecost. Read the gospel accounts. In story after story, you see Divine glory and grace.
See the Fullness of Divine Grace in Your Life
Take time to reflect on seeing the Word’s glory and grace in your life. When we were sinners, He died for us. He wept over Jerusalem, and He wept over us when we were rebellious. Read the word of John slowly and thank God that you can see what John said. “The Word became flesh and we beheld His glory, full of grace…” He longs for us to be in heaven. Thank the Lord for His glorious grace we have seen in our lives!