The glory of God is the driving force of missionary work. The result is secure: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).

In the Bible, God’s glory makes the earth split open and the mountains melt (Ps. 97:5). His glory is displayed in the spectacle of lightning, rainbows, and brilliant light (Rev. 4:3–5). It’s also seen in the seemingly mundane. Day and night, the sky preaches a wordless and soundless sermon of glory (Ps. 19:1–6).

Still, “glory” often seems abstract. Many understand God’s glory as the driving force and goal of missions but fail to connect it with the people they minister to every day. But God’s glory is personal and transformative. It reflects from the lives of people who turn to the glory of Christ.

The Glory of God Is a Living Human Being

In Hebrew, “glory” is the weightiness of God, and it usually refers to his character and perfection on display. Or as Faith-Builder Catechism says, “His goodness and greatness shining out to the world.”

Irenaeus, a second-century bishop, provides a concrete description of God’s glory: “The glory of God is a living human being; and the life of the human consists in beholding God.”

God’s glory is personal and transformative. It reflects from the lives of people who turn to the glory of Christ.

The first part of Irenaeus’s statement, “The glory of God is a living human being,” is often understood to mean God is glorified in someone when they’re living life to the fullest. It’s a slogan that could be printed at the bottom of a rock-climbing or parasailing poster.

But this statement isn’t about extreme sports; it’s ultimately about Jesus Christ. The apostle John grasped for words to describe the glory of God becoming flesh and living among us as a man who walked on earth (John 1:14). John couldn’t get over the fact that he’d seen and touched the glory of God (1 John 1:1–4). Paul likewise writes that God’s glory is “displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6, NIV).

While we see God’s glory in all of Christ’s life, it’s most clearly displayed at the cross: “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,” says Jesus in John’s Gospel, with a nod to Isaiah’s prophecies (John 12:32, see v. 41). We, too, see God’s glory brightest in Christ’s suffering for us at the pinnacle of history.

Irenaeus’s second statement is that the “life of the human consists in beholding God.” True life is found in a type of sight—seeing Jesus Christ, the glory of God. The promise that the “earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” (Hab. 2:14) points to the day when individuals from all over the earth will have the “knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

Reflecting the Glory

My paradigm for thinking about the glory of God in missions shifted when I was in seminary. I listened on the edge of my seat as one of my teachers described a moment when he came to a new understanding.

“I used to think of the glory of God as a bright light slowly spreading around the globe,” he explained. “Now I understand that it is people from every area of the world coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ. So, when I read of this glory, instead of a bright light, I see faces of people from every people group coming to know Jesus Christ.”

No miracle is more extraordinary than seeing someone transformed by the grace of the gospel. The first baptism I witnessed in Mongolia was an elderly woman named “No-Name.” She lived her life in superstition and fear of the spirit world. Even her name indicated that her parents tried to deflect the spirits’ attention away from her. But as she came to know Christ’s glory, she gained a new identity and fearlessness. When she was baptized, the joy of Christ radiated from her face. The fear that once clouded her expression reflected a shimmer of God’s glory.

Like with Moses before her (Ex. 34:35), it was almost as if Christ’s glory shone from her face.

Beholding God

Paul recognized this dynamic of seeing and reflecting glory: “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).

We see Christ through the eyes of faith. The Holy Spirit gives the believer a new sight so that the glory of Christ shines everywhere we look.

The Holy Spirit gives the believer a new sight so that the glory of Christ shines everywhere we look.

One of those places is in our brothers and sisters in Christ as they look to Jesus in faith. “Those who look to him are radiant” (Ps. 34:5). We see Christ’s glory in the person being baptized—as a person comes out of the water, the image of Christ reflects on his or her face. We see Christ’s glory on the faces of believers as they sing and praise God. We see it shining on the faithful preacher.

God’s glory is the fullness of his infinite perfection. It’s as joyful, radiant, and life-giving as God himself. Christian missionaries live for God’s glory. Their deepest desire is for God’s glory to be seen and delighted in by people from every language, people group, and nation as they look to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (Rev. 5:9).