Believing Is Seeing

In the world in which we live, people often say "seeing is believing." Jesus says the exact opposite: "If you believe, you will see the glory of God."

Scripture Focus: John 11:40

"Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?'"

Every single person at that tomb was going to watch Lazarus be raised from the dead. They were all going to witness the miracle that took place. But not everyone was going to see the glory of God.

It's only those who believe who are going to see the miracle not as an end in itself, but as a means to the end—and that is the glory of God.

Think with me for a moment. Our unworthiness is never the barrier to our beholding the glory of God. You're never worthy. Our ignorance is never the barrier to our beholding the glory of God. We're always ignorant. We have only scratched the surface of just how glorious our God is.

What is the barrier to our beholding the glory of God then? It is our unbelief.

And Jesus says, "If you believe, you will see the glory of God." Believe being the main theme in John's gospel—he both begins there and ends there. "These things I have written to you so that you may believe (John 20:31)." And if you believe, it's not just that your sins are forgiven, Jesus says, "You're going to see the glory of God."

Now, that's a Christian thing to say. "Yeah...the glory of God." But what is the glory of God? What would you tell your kids if they asked you?

Think about it. Moses prays, "Show me Your glory (Ex. 30:18)." And God passes by him, shows him an element of His Shekinah glory—the radiance of who God is. But when Moses says, "Show me Your glory," God mounts a pulpit and declares His character: "Yahweh, Yahweh, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness, forgiving sin and iniquity (Ex. 34:6)."

What is the glory of God?

It's His character, His excellencies, who He is. That's God's glory.

And Jesus tells Martha here—and He tells you—if you believe, you're going to see the glory of God. The kindest thing God can do is reveal His glory.

In John 11:45, after Lazarus walks out of the tomb, we read: "Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what He had done believed in Him."

This was, of course, the main reason Jesus performed any sign at all—to prove who He was, to prove that He had the power to forgive sins.

Listen—if you're waiting for a miracle to convince you that God indeed is true, out of the mouth of Jesus: If you don't believe His Word, you're not going to believe even if a dead man rose from the grave.

However, He did give life to the dead. He's furnished all the proof He will ever need to furnish. He raised Lazarus and He raised Himself from the grave.

Do you believe? If you do, you will see the glory of God.

Stay dialed in