Have you wondered why some professing Christians seem to bloom and others seem to languish spiritually? They can be in the same church or even the same family, sharing many of the same experiences yet seem to differing starkly in their progress.
In his landmark essay on The Glory of Christ puritan John Owen provides some practical guidance in identifying what types of things impede the believer’s growth in seeing the glory of Christ. He says that we have trouble beholding the glory of Christ because we are distracted and diverted by sin (and its affects).
But whatever be our attainments in this, that which obstructs this light, which hinders it from shining in a due manner, that obstructs and hinders faith in its view of the glory of Christ. And this is done by the remainders of corrupted nature in us, when they act in any prevalent degree. For they darken the mind, and weaken it in its spiritual operations. That is, where any corrupt and inordinate affections, as love of the world, cares about it, inclinations unto sensuality, or the like spiritual disorders, do prevail, faith is weakened in its spiritual acts, especially in discerning and beholding the glory of Christ. For the mind is rendered unsteady in its inquiries after it, being continually distracted and diverted with vain thoughts and imaginations.
Persons under the power of such distemper may have the same doctrinal knowledge of the person of Christ, his office, and his grace, with other men, and the same evidence of its truth fixed on their minds; but when they endeavour a real intuition into the things themselves, all things are dark and confused unto them, from the uncertainty and instability of their own minds.
This is the sum of what I do design. We have by faith a view of the glory of Christ. This view is weak and unsteady, from the nature of faith itself, and the way of its proposal unto us as in a glass, in comparison of what by sight we shall attain unto. But, moreover, where corrupt lusts or inordinate affections are indulged unto, where they are not continually mortified, where any one sin has a perplexing prevalence in the mind, faith will be so far weakened thereby, as that it can neither see nor meditate upon this glory of Christ in a due manner.
This is the reason why the most are so weak and unstable in the performance of this duty; yea, are almost utterly unacquainted with it. The light of faith in the minds of men being impaired, clouded, darkened, by the prevalence of unmortified lusts, it cannot make such discoveries of this glory as otherwise it would do. And this makes the preaching of Christ unto many so unprofitable as it is.
John Owen—The Glory of Christ (Christian Focus Publications, 2004), 208-209
The answer then is not with the object beheld but the one who is beholding. By virtue of our own distractions we can often fail to see the worth of Christ. Further, the failure to mortify or put to death the sin will insulate us in a cocoon of shallowness and luke-warmness. Therefore, anyone who is living in a state of spiritual plateau, decline or indifference should never rest. Instead of waiting to be zapped with increased passion, joy or delight in God they should get to work identifying and mortifying sin. Like a clogged artery that dangerously reduces blood flow unchecked sin serves to impede the health of the soul. It slowly restricts our light and life.
It is encouraging to hear Owen say that mortification and sight go together. In other words, putting sin to death will produce a longing to behold Christ’s glory and seeing Christ’s glory will compel the mortification of sin. On both accounts we are unsettled until we are comfortably reclined upon our Savior with humble satisfied delight.
