THE RADIANCY OF THE GLAD TIDINGS
David H Bailey
2 Corinthians 4: 3-4
John 9: 34 (from “Thou”)
Acts 6: 15; 8: 36-39
I have just a simple impression carried over from what we had in our local meeting at the weekend. This scripture in Corinthians was referred to, and what struck me was the expression towards the end of verse 4: “the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ”; what an expression that is, “the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ”. It is such a full definition, we could say, of what the glad tidings contains, “the radiancy of the glad tidings”, and it raised a challenge with me as to whether or not that is the case with me in relation to the glad tidings. I hear the glad tidings Lord’s day after Lord’s day, but what is the effect on me? Is it this expression that Paul uses here, “the radiancy of the glad tidings”? It means there is a shining forth. It strikes me that there is a sad backdrop to this verse; it says, “should not shine forth for them.” There are those in the world today who know nothing about “the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ”, they do not know anything about it. How privileged we are, dear brethren, to have in our hearts and in our souls this precious thought of the “radiancy of the glad tidings”.
Perhaps we can go back to the day of our conversion, and we can think of a gospel preaching that might have affected us, and then we might think perhaps of this expression and how much we enjoyed the gospel, “the radiancy of the glad tidings”. But does it remain? Does that thought, that experience we may have had when we were converted, that precious thought of the “radiancy of the glad tidings” remain with us? Does it dim, does it grow a little cold? Perhaps it does: in our experience the radiancy of the glad tidings may grow a little cold. It is never the thought that the glad tidings change; it is my appreciation of the glad tidings that may change, but God in His goodness would bring us back to this thought of the “radiancy of the glad tidings”, God shining out in the Person of the Christ towards each one of us.
I thought in relation to the effect of the “radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ” in me. And I have read about this man in John 9, after he had to do with the Lord Jesus: as he speaks to those that were criticising him, it says in that verse that we read, “And they cast him out”. I wonder if that would be one of the consequences perhaps, if I faithfully demonstrate the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ, then I would not have a place in this world: I would be cast out like this man was. Am I prepared to be associated with a rejected Christ, a Christ who was not given a place here but was ultimately crucified and slain? This man was prepared to be associated with Him, and it says they cast him out. But then it goes on to say, that “Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him”. That is a lovely thought: the Lord Jesus would never forget somebody who demonstrated even in some little way the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ. How am I prepared to be associated with that in practical terms?
And then in Acts it says of Stephen that his face shone, “And all who sat in the council, looking fixedly on him, saw his face as the face of an angel”. So not only would my place in the world be finished as I seek to demonstrate something of the glory of the Christ, the radiancy of the glad tidings, but there would be something visible to others, and certainly there was with Stephen. We get that to its full extent later in the book, in chapter 7 when he is stoned, but it says here that they “saw his face as the face of an angel”. He had a link through the Spirit with Christ, and he was prepared to be recognised as having a link with Christ, whatever the cost may be.
I also thought of the eunuch returning from Jerusalem. It has been said before, that he had a book that he did not understand, and Philip, it says, “opening his mouth and beginning from that scripture” - that scripture in Isaiah - “announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him”. I think in that preaching there would be something of “the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ”. What an effect that had on Philip, but what an effect it had on the eunuch. He was prepared, very quickly it would appear, to be associated with a Christ who had been rejected here on earth, and crucified, and given a place in heaven. He said, “what hinders my being baptised?”. It suggests to me perhaps, that he had to be baptised, he had to be disassociated from the world and all that it stood for because he wanted to be associated with something of the glory of the Christ.
These things are just some simple impressions, but what is the effect on me, in my practical life? Do I demonstrate, do I show anything in my bearing as to the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ? May we be encouraged thus.
For His Name’s sake.
Edinburgh
10th August 2021