The Glory

John 17: 22 “I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one’’.

The Holy Bible contains not only the stories of hundreds of prayer warriors but their prayers also--about 800 of them. Among them, the most magnificent, the mother of all prayers is Jesus’ prayer found in John 17.  Striking among Jesus’ many utterances made in it, the most outstanding in it is the fact that Jesus had shared God’s glory with the believers. See verse 10 (“All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine, and in them, I have been glorified “) and verse 22 (“I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one”).

God's glory is the result of His nature and acts. He is glorious in His character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from His character are also glorious; but while He intends that they should manifest to His creatures His goodness, and mercy, and justice, He is equally concerned that the glory associated with them should be given only to Him. Without Christ, there is no glory in us. We don’t possess anything we did not receive from God. We ought to be very careful to walk humbly before the Lord always praising Him!

II Corinthians 3:18 “So all of us who have had that veil removed, can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image”.

What does the word "glory" mean in this verse? It refers to something that is resplendent with beauty and magnificence. It refers to something that is worthy of great praise and honor. It is nobody, but the Lord alone who is glorious. He is resplendent with beauty and magnificence and He is worthy of great praise and honor. The glory of the Lord is the supreme instance of glory.

We who are in Christ Jesus reflect the Lord's glory. That is, we have been changed to reflect the glory of the Lord. We now reflect the beauty and magnificence of the Lord and we are now worthy of great praise and honor. See Acts 4:13: “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.  It was, of course, because they had reflected the Lord’s glory. There was nothing “glorious” about us before we came into the Lord. Outside of Christ, we were not glorious at all and we were not worthy of any praise and honor. Instead, we reflected the ugliness and inferiority of Satan. We were only worthy of condemnation and disdain.

Further, in Christ, the change in us is bringing us more and more glory. God knew us before he made the world and He decided at that time that we would become like Jesus (Romans 8:29). As time goes by, the reality of who we are in Christ Jesus becomes more and more evident for all to see. The beauty and magnificence of who we are become more apparent and we become worthy of ever-greater praise and honor. Thus, there is something beautiful and magnificent about us. Each of us in our own unique way is reflecting the glory of the Lord. And this glory is increasing day by day. We all reveal the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings more and more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Holy Spirit. (2Corinth 3.18)

The change at work in us is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is one with Jesus Christ and the Almighty Himself. Whenever we live in a way that gives meaning to our salvation, with all due fear and respect for the Lord, it is the Lord Himself through the Spirit who is working in us (Philippians 2:12-13). He began this good work in us and He will see it to its completion (Philippians 1:6).

The moment we glorify ourselves since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. Can an insect an hour old set up itself against the sun in whose warmth it received its life? Can a potsherd exalt itself above the man who fashioned it upon the wheel? Shall the dust of the desert compete with the whirlwind?

All those who are righteous, give unto the Lord glory and strength; give unto Him the honor that is due unto His name. Yet it is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence--"Not unto us, God, not unto us, but unto thy name be the glory." It is a lesson that God is ever teaching us and teaching us sometimes through painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, "I can do all things," without adding "through Christ which strengthens me," and before long he will realize and groan, "I can do nothing," and humble himself in the dust.

The phrase “entered into glory” is often used as a euphemism for death. But the truth is you don’t have to die to be glorified. There are countless references in the scripture as evidence that believers are glorified in this very life. They are too numerous to reproduce here; I have given a sample below:

1.    Romans  2:6, 7  For he will repay everyone according to what that person has done:   eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good;

2.    Romans  2:10  But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well…

3.    Romans  8:17 Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiah—if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

4.    Colossians 2:7 Instead, we speak about God's wisdom in a hidden secret, which God destined before the world began for our glory.

5.    Colossians 4:17 This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison…

6.    1Thes 2:20 Yes, you are our glory and joy!

7.    1Peter 5:1 … I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in His glory when He is revealed to the whole world. 

Acts 2:37, 38 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do? Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

When you repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation in God. You are justified (made right with God), anointed, and grow in Him day after day (sanctified), you receive eternal life starting right in this life, and above all you are GLORIFIED! 

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