33. What is meant by communing with God?
Communing with God is beholding of the glory of the Triune God, directly and indirectly, in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 3:18-4:4) as the Holy Spirit illuminates our imagination with truth, resulting in a desire to bless and magnify that glory, and become more like it in character.
34. Why is the glory of God seen in the face of Jesus Christ?
The Son has always been the radiance of God’s glory and the perfect expression of God (Heb 1:3; John 1:18, 14:9), and the Father has chosen to make Him the focal point of salvation and worship (Eph 1:10-12; Phil 2:9-10; Col 1:16-20).
35. How is the Spirit the means of communion?
The Spirit is Himself the communion between Father and Son, and His indwelling enables us to behold as the Father does, become as the Son is, and beautify as He does. The Spirit’s primary way of revealing Christ in this age has been to inspire the Scriptures (2 Pet 1:21; 2 Tim 3:16), indwell believers (1 Cor 6:19) and then illuminate hearts to understand God’s mind in Christ (1 Cor 2:1-14).
36. How do we behold the glory of God directly?
We behold God’s glory directly when we seek His revealed presence in the Word of God, through public and private worship: meditation, prayer and praise.
37. How do we behold the glory of God indirectly?
We behold God’s glory indirectly when we seek His reflected presence in His works of creation, redemption and providence, through perpetual worship: obedience, gratitude, service, discernment and stewardship of our various vocations.
38. What is meant by illumination?
Illumination is the Holy Spirit’s work of opening the eyes of our affections (Eph 1:18) to recognize and experience the reality and beauty of truth about God.
About David de Bruyn
David de Bruyn pastors New Covenant Baptist Church in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a graduate of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minnesota and the University of South Africa (D.Th.). Since 1999, he has presented a weekly radio program that is heard throughout much of central South Africa. He also blogs at Churches Without Chests.
