Beholding the Beauty of the Lord

The historic doctrine of the beatific vision, also known as visio Dei, has been making something of a comeback after falling into obscurity among modern evangelicals (for examples, see here, here and here). I think this is a welcome development for several reasons (one which I experienced first-hand and something I will share later in the article). Recovering this ancient doctrine not only enriches a contemporary church that is all-too-often guilty of what C.S. Lewis labeled “chronological snobbery,” but it also supplies a powerful lens to read our Bibles with sharper focus as R.B. Jamieson and Tyler R. Wittman have compellingly shown.  

The beatific vision isn’t just a relic of historical theology; it is vital, biblical theology. From Moses’ personal encounter with Yahweh on Mt. Sinai, to the transfiguration of Christ on “the holy mountain” with Peter, James and John, to the apostolic promise that “we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2), the intriguing prospect of beholding God is an astonishing dimension of our hope in Jesus Christ.  

The promise of the beatific vision is more than just one among many of the “spiritual blessings” God has given us in Christ. It is the consummate blessing of the coming age, “the quintessence of happiness.” As Jesus pronounced in the beatitudes (note the common root in “beatific”): “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God” (Matt 5:8). To see God, to behold His glory, to look intently into His face—the awe and delight of all God’s children—is our great aim and telos as those made to mirror His glorious image in face-to-face intimacy. 

As Gavin Ortlund explains, “one reason that the beatific vision has dropped out somewhat in the modern era is that we have lost any sense of teleology and purpose to the material world.” 

Relatedly, we might add, the West has immanentized the biblical view of redemptive history into a secular “progressivism,” and so collapsed the transcendent vision of God’s coming reign into the now ambiguous hope of a techno-utopia.

As a result, we’ve replaced the beatific vision for technicolor vision. And modern Christians are now caught between the “upward call” of beholding God and the allure of glowing screens, ever beckoning us to an endless stream of words and images.  

Whatever the cause of its recent neglect, I fully agree with Ortlund that the beatific vision is “ripe for retrieval.” 

Historical precedent 

Through the centuries, many theological giants have ably expounded on the doctrine–– from the early fathers, through the formidable medieval scholastics, to the 16th century reformers and their immediate heirs. But from my limited readings, none have so powerfully articulated it––especially from an evangelical and deeply devotional place––as the Puritans. And among these, none have so thrilled my heart as the writings of John Owen, particularly his last book, The Glory of Christ. 

For Owen, the visio Dei is tantamount to a visio Christi. In other words, the beatific vision is fully realized only in our perfected union with the incarnate Son, who by joining His nature to ours has united us to the divine…forever. To see Jesus is not only to see the Father now (John 14:9) but to behold the face of God in our glorified bodies.     

But what does that mean? 

In the fourth century, Gregory of Nyssa argued that the visio Dei will not be a static state of eternal contemplation but a dynamic and perpetual progression, or epektasis. The more we “see” God with our redeemed bodies and souls, the more deeply satisfied, or “beatified,” we will be. The deeper our delight in His glory, the greater will be our capacity to behold divine beauty. The more of Him we see, the more we will want to see, with an ever-increasing capacity to behold more and more. And on and on it will go, “further up and further in,” to cite Lewis’ evocative refrain. According to both Gregory and Owen, this progressive “seeing” of God has already begun among those “with eyes to see.” As the apostle Paul wrote: 

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). 

Now we see Him “as in a mirror” (cf. 2 Cor 3:18a NKJV). Then we will see Him “face to face.” In both states, we behold the same visage: the face of Christ. Now by faith, then by sight. Now in part, then in full. John writes, “we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). But Paul says this transformation is currently underway: “And 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” (2 Cor 3:18).  

Our capacity to behold His face is being reinforced now as we see (if only dimly) and delight in His reflected glory. As Gregory wrote, “This truly is the vision of God: never to be satisfied in the desire to see him. But one must always, by looking at what he can see, rekindle his desire to see more.”

How to see God 

How do we presently behold the glory of the Lord? How do we see Jesus, in whose face shines “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:6), if He is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father? Paul’s answer: Read your Bible (2 Cor 3:12-17). More specifically, behold Jesus Christ in the gospel announced by the apostles and anticipated by the Law and the Prophets (2 Cor 4:3-4).

Augustine of Hippo famously called the sacred Scriptures “the face of God for now,” (Sermon 22.7). Isn’t that a wonderful description of our Bibles? Similarly, John Calvin wrote, “the Scriptures set before us various representations, which show to us the face of God” (Commentary on Hosea, 12:10).  

Do you want to see God? Behold the beautifying face of Jesus in Scripture! This calls for not only careful reading of our Bibles but contemplative reading as well. Consider Jamieson and Wittman’s definition: “Contemplation is a spiritual perception of Scripture's deepest truths relating to Christ's glory, in a manner that stirs up delight and conform us to Christ.” It also calls for deeper prayer as we commune with God intimately through our union with Christ in quiet meditation, in praise, in lament, in supplication and in confession.    

Such spiritual practices are not only necessary means by which we come to our blessed end, but in beholding the glory of the Lord through them now, they become ends in and of themselves. In The Glory of Christ, John Owen writes, “no man will ever become 'like him' by trying to imitate his behavior and life if they know nothing of the transforming power of beholding his glory.” 

How I explored the beatific vision 

During my sabbatical in the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to devote myself to this very pursuit: beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ through a regiment of biblical reflection and daily rhythms of prayer and worship. It was incredibly enriching and soul-refreshing. I experienced Gregory’s description of the visio Dei. The more of Christ I contemplated in Scripture, in theological reflection, in quiet worship and prayer, the more I delighted in Him.   

And the more I delighted in His beauty, His excellence, His majesty, His meekness, His glory, the more of Him I wanted to behold. As Owen wrote, “If we regularly beheld the glory of Christ our Christian walk with God would become more sweet and pleasant, our spiritual light and strength would grow daily stronger and our lives would more gloriously represent the glory of Christ...Does the sight of his glory which we have here increase our desire for that perfect sight of it we shall one day have it above?”

I’ve learned that I don’t need to wait until my next sabbatical to regularly and intentionally enjoy the visio Dei now. Seeing the face of God in Christ now not only impels a life of ever-increasing delight in Jesus, but it also prepares us for our death.  

Owen is so bold as to claim that by seeing God’s face, death even becomes “most welcome to us.” This proved to be no empty claim. On the morning of August 24, 1683, the day he passed away, Owen’s friend and fellow minister, William Payne, announced that his final book, The Glory of Christ, was in the process of publication. Owen responded: 

“I am glad to hear it; but, O brother Payne! The long wished for day is come at last, in which I shall see that glory in another manner than I have ever done, or was capable of doing, in this world!”

You can hear the elated anticipation in his weakened voice, can’t you? Yes, I’ve long adored His visage in the mirror of Scripture, in prayer and in earthly worship. And I’ve written about it at length. But soon, I will see Him face to face … and I cannot wait!