In addition to the religious concepts that veil people, every person is veiled by certain natural concepts or ideas. Often these veils are related to the kind of people we are by our natural constitution. If you are a quiet person, you may prefer to worship God in a cathedral that has a high ceiling and stained glass windows and is dimly lit. Upon entering such a building, you immediately act in a reverent way. The atmosphere spontaneously causes you to be quiet and solemn. You want to be silent and not even speak to the person next to you. Because you were born a quiet person, you appreciate a quiet atmosphere in a cathedral. If this kind of person attends a church meeting in which the saints are praising the Lord, he would be very bothered and wonder how anyone could worship God in this way. He would not be able to appreciate anything of value in the meeting. On the contrary, he would feel that he could not worship God in such a place.
Paul’s word about beholding and reflecting the glory of the Lord with an unveiled face was written with his background in Judaism in mind. Paul knew from his experience that the Jews were veiled by their religion. Paul himself had once been veiled in this way. In particular, many Jews were veiled by their concept concerning the law, especially circumcision. Because Paul taught that the law was over and that circumcision was no longer necessary, many Jews were not willing to listen to him. Their doctrine regarding the law and circumcision was a veil that kept them from seeing the Christ preached by Paul.
In addition to religious veils and the veils of our natural concepts, we are also veiled by our racial and national character. For example, the Japanese character may prefer one thing, whereas the German character may prefer something absolutely different. Differences of national character can make it difficult for believers from different countries to worship together. The various national characters, dispositions, habits, and customs are veils that keep us from beholding and reflecting the Lord. Those who are veiled by their racial, national, or cultural characteristics are not able to receive the Christ ministered by one of a different race, nationality, or culture. They may hear a word concerning the glorious, resurrected, blossoming Christ, but it does not penetrate them. Because they are veiled, they cannot see anything of such a wonderful Christ. The light of the truth cannot shine into them. Those who are veiled in this way can be compared to cameras that have a cover over the lens. When the lens of a camera is covered, no light can come in, and no image can be impressed on the film.
We should not assume that we do not have any veils. Instead of taking it for granted that we are fully unveiled, we need to look to the Lord and pray for mercy that all the veils will be taken away that we may behold and reflect the Lord.
Some who have been in the church life in the Lord’s recovery for many years may be veiled by their concept of what is the best way to meet. Suppose someone who has been in the church life in the Far East moves to the United States and says, “The churches in the United States meet in a way very different from the way we met in the Far East. I cannot tolerate this way of meeting. The way we practiced before was certainly the best.” This also is a veil keeping us from seeing the light of the truth.
If we would behold and reflect the glory of the Lord with an unveiled face, we need to pray like this: “Lord, I don’t care if the meeting is quiet or noisy. Lord, I don’t care about the way to meet. I am not concerned whether the church meeting in this place is different from what I have been accustomed to in the past. I care only for Christ.” If this is our attitude when we come to a church meeting, then we truly have been unveiled. We have a heart, a spirit, and a mind without any coverings.
If we are still veiled in some way, we shall be like a camera with the lens covered. No light will be able to penetrate our inner being. If we want to be unveiled, we need to say to the Lord, “Lord, take away anything that is covering me. Lord, remove my veils. Take away any opinions that are veils to me. Lord, I want to be completely open, absolutely unveiled.” Then with an unveiled face we shall behold and reflect the glory of the Lord and be transformed into His image from glory to glory.
Today the glory is the resurrected Christ, and this Christ is the Spirit. This means that the Lord as the glory is the Spirit living in us and dwelling in our spirit. Now that we have the Spirit indwelling our spirit, we need to exercise our spirit more and more by praying, reading the Word, and calling on the name of the Lord. The more we exercise our spirit with an unveiled face, the more we shall behold the Lord. As we are gazing on Him, we shall also reflect Him. While we are beholding and reflecting Him in this way, His element, His essence, will be added into our being. This new element will replace and discharge the element of our old, natural life. Then we shall experience transformation, a metabolic change. We shall be transformed into the Lord’s image.