What Should We See When We Behold His Glory?

By Al Felder

John wrote, “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). That statement reaches to the heart of who Jesus is and why He came. It tells us that the incarnation was not only about God coming near, but about God making His glory known in the Son.

But what should we see when we behold His glory?

That is an important question, because many people think of glory only in terms of visible brightness, overwhelming splendor, or majestic power. Christ does possess all divine glory, and at times, glimpses of that glory broke through in striking ways. Yet the glory revealed in Jesus is deeper than mere outward radiance. It is seen in His person, His humility, His truth, His grace, His obedience, His cross, His resurrection, and His reign.

To behold His glory rightly is to see more than wonder. It is to see who He truly is.

We Should See the Glory of the Eternal Son

When we behold Christ’s glory, we should first see that He is no mere man. He is the eternal Son.

His glory did not begin in Bethlehem. It did not begin in Galilee. It did not begin when people followed Him, when He worked miracles, or when He rose from the dead. His glory is the glory of the One who was with the Father before the world was. It is the glory of the Word who was with God and was God.

This matters because the life of Jesus cannot be understood rightly if He is reduced to a remarkable teacher or moral example. The glory John speaks of is the glory of the only begotten of the Father. It is divine glory. It is the glory of One who shares fully in the nature of God.

So when we behold His glory, we should see that in Christ, God Himself has drawn near.

We Should See the Glory of Humility

One of the most striking things about the glory of Christ is that it appears in humility.

The world often associates glory with visible splendor, status, applause, and power displayed openly. But when the Son of God came into the world, He came in lowliness. He was born in humble circumstances. He took the form of a servant. He walked among ordinary people. He endured rejection, weariness, opposition, and sorrow.

At first glance, that may not seem like glory at all. But it is. It is the glory of divine humility. It is the glory of the One who possessed all honor and yet stooped to serve. It is the glory of majesty clothed in meekness.

This is part of what makes Christ’s glory so unlike worldly glory. He reveals that greatness in the sight of God is not self-exaltation, but holy humility. When we behold His glory, we should see the beauty of that humility and be humbled by it ourselves.

We Should See the Glory of Grace and Truth

John says that Christ was “full of grace and truth.” That means when we behold His glory, we should not expect to see grace without truth or truth without grace. In Him, both stand together perfectly.

His glory is seen in the way He deals with sinners. He does not flatter sin. He does not lower the holiness of God. He does not turn truth into something soft and harmless. Yet neither is He cold, cruel, or unwilling to show mercy. He welcomes the broken. He calls sinners to repentance. He extends compassion without compromising righteousness.

That is glory. It is the glory of perfect balance. It is the glory of a Savior who never leans into error in either direction. He is not severe without mercy, and He is not merciful without holiness.

When we behold His glory, we should see in Him the full beauty of grace and truth standing together.

We Should See the Glory of the Father Revealed

Jesus did not come only to draw attention to Himself in isolation. He came to reveal the Father.

So when we behold His glory, we should see the character of God made known. In Christ, the compassion of God is revealed. The holiness of God is revealed. The patience of God is revealed. The justice of God is revealed. The truth of God is revealed. The mercy of God is revealed.

This is one of the great blessings of the incarnation. Men no longer have to imagine what God might be like in their own minds. They can look at Christ. His words, His character, His works, and His ways show the Father as He truly is.

To behold the glory of Christ, then, is to behold the revelation of God in the clearest and fullest form ever given to man.

We Should See the Glory of Perfect Obedience

The glory of Christ is also seen in His obedience.

He did not live by self-will. He did not speak from self-interest. He did not drift from the purpose of the Father. His life was one of complete submission. He came to do the will of the One who sent Him, and He carried that purpose through without failure.

This too is glory. The world often admires self-assertion, independence, and defiance. But in Jesus, we see the glory of perfect obedience. We see the beauty of a life entirely yielded to the Father. We see holiness expressed not merely in words, but in unbroken faithfulness.

That obedience reached its highest expression at the cross. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death. When we behold His glory, we should not miss that the path of obedience is one of the clearest displays of His divine beauty.

We Should See the Glory of the Cross

At first thought, many would not connect glory with the cross. The cross was a place of shame, suffering, rejection, and death. Yet in Scripture, the cross becomes one of the clearest revelations of Christ’s glory.

There, His love shines. There, His obedience is completed. There, the justice and grace of God meet. There, the Lamb of God bears the burden of sin. There, the Son gives Himself for the guilty.

The world sees shame in the cross. Faith sees glory. It sees the glory of holy love. It sees the glory of self-giving mercy. It sees the glory of a Savior who did not save from a distance, but entered suffering for the redemption of sinners.

If we behold His glory rightly, we must see that Calvary is not the hiding of His beauty, but one of its clearest unveilings.

We Should See the Glory of the Risen Christ

The glory of Christ is also seen in His resurrection.

The tomb could not hold Him. Death could not keep its claim. The One who had humbled Himself in obedience was raised in victory. The resurrection openly declares what had always been true: Jesus is the Son of God with power, the victorious Savior, the living Lord.

This is part of what John means when he speaks of beholding His glory. The glory of Christ is not confined to Bethlehem or even to the earthly ministry alone. It extends through the resurrection and exaltation. The One who was crucified is now risen. The One who was rejected by men is vindicated by God.

When we behold His glory, we should see not a defeated figure of the past, but the living Christ who conquered death and now reigns.

We Should See the Glory of His Present Reign

Christ’s glory is not only historical. It is present.

He is now exalted at the right hand of God. He reigns over His church. He intercedes for His people. He rules with all authority. He is not waiting to become Lord. He is Lord now.

This matters because the glory of Christ is not only something to admire in the Gospel records. It is something believers live under now. The same Christ who came in humility is now enthroned in majesty. The same Savior who washed feet is now crowned with honor. The same Lamb who was slain now reigns in glory.

When we behold His glory, we should lift our eyes beyond the earth and remember that Jesus Christ is alive, exalted, and active now.

We Should See the Glory That Changes Us

Beholding the glory of Christ is not meant to leave us unchanged.

His glory is not given merely to stir admiration. It is meant to call forth worship, repentance, faith, obedience, and transformation. When we truly see Him, we cannot remain content with pride, worldliness, coldness, and spiritual shallowness. His glory exposes what is false and draws the heart toward what is holy.

This is why beholding Christ matters so much. The more clearly His glory is seen, the more clearly everything else is put in its proper place. Human boasting fades. Earthly glory looks thin. Sin appears darker. Grace appears sweeter. Holiness becomes more beautiful.

To behold His glory is to be called upward.

We Should See the Glory Yet to Be Revealed

There is one more thing believers should see when they behold His glory: they should see that more is still to come.

Christ’s glory has been revealed in His incarnation, ministry, cross, resurrection, and reign. But it has not yet been seen in its final public fullness by the world. There is a day coming when He will appear openly, and every eye will see Him. The hiddenness that now marks so much of the Christian life will give way to open revelation.

For believers, this means the beholding of His glory now is real, but partial. We know Him by faith. We see His beauty in Scripture. We know His power in grace. But one day the veil will be fully drawn back, and the redeemed will behold Him in the fullness of His majesty.

That future hope should deepen present worship. The glory we behold now by faith prepares us for the day when faith will give way to sight.

Why This Matters So Much

This matters because many people look at Jesus and see too little.

Some see only a teacher. Some see only a moral example. Some see only kindness. Some see only suffering. Some see only a figure from history. But to behold His glory rightly is to see the whole Christ: the eternal Son, the humble servant, the perfect revelation of the Father, the obedient Lamb, the crucified Savior, the risen Lord, the reigning King, and the coming Judge.

Anything less than that falls short.

And for believers, this matters because what we behold shapes what we become. If we give our attention chiefly to the empty glories of this world, our hearts will be formed by them. But if we behold Christ, His beauty, truth, holiness, grace, and majesty begin to reshape us.

Conclusion

What should we see when we behold His glory?

We should see the glory of the eternal Son. We should see the glory of humility, grace, truth, obedience, the cross, the resurrection, and His present reign. We should see the Father revealed in Him. We should see the beauty that changes lives. And we should see the promise of the fuller glory yet to come.

To behold Christ rightly is to see that His glory is unlike every earthly glory. It is holier, deeper, gentler, stronger, and more beautiful than anything this world can offer.

And once a person truly begins to behold His glory, he will never again be satisfied with lesser things.

Reflection Questions

1. Why is Christ’s glory deeper than outward brightness or visible splendor?

2. How does the humility of Jesus reveal His glory?

3. In what ways do grace and truth together display the beauty of Christ?

4. Why must the cross and resurrection both be included when we think about Christ’s glory?

5. How should beholding the glory of Christ shape the daily life of a believer?