We Have the Glory of God
The glory of God was given to us from Jesus (John 17:21-23) which says “that
they all may be one; as You Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be
one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And the glory which
You gave Me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one. I in
them, and You in Me, that they be made perfect in one; and that the world may
know that You have sent Me, and have loved them, as You have loved Me”.
The glory of God has been shown mainly in Christ Jesus (John 1:14) says “the
word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the
only Son. Jesus was the new tabernacle for God’s lasting glory. In Jesus, God
dwelt among people, since Christ was (and is) the very image of God, to see the
light of His face was to know the glory of God; the devil is the one that tries to
keep people from seeing His face (II Corinthians 4:4-7) “in whom the god of this
world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, less the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them. For we
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for
Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”. To see Jesus was to see
a “light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel”.
Simeon, a just and devout man, was waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the
Holy Spirit revealed to him that he should not see death, before he had seen the
Lord’s Christ and he being led by the Spirit came into the temple, where the
parents brought in the child Jesus, to circumcise Him (Luke 2:28-32) Simeon said
“then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said. Lord now let You,
Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen
Your salvation. Which You have prepared before the face of all people. A light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel”.
The disciples who witnessed the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8), saw His glory in
a marvelous way (II Peter 1:16-17) “for we have not followed cunningly devised
fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He (Jesus) received from God
the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the
excellent glory. This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. For it was a
glory that burst out of His body. This outburst of glory was a shadow of the
glorification Christ would experience in resurrection and ascension.
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is filled with comments on the glory of Christ. He affirmed
that the disciples of the Lord would share in that glory. The glory of God is also
revealed in the members of His body. Christ now shares His divine glory with His
followers (John 17:5-8,22) “and now O Father, glorify You Me with Your own self
with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your
name to the men which You gave Me out of the world; Yours they were, and You
gave them Me; and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all
things whatsoever You have given Me are of You. For I have given to them the
words which You gave Me; and they have received them, and have known surely
that I came out from You, and they have believed that You did send Me. And the
glory which You gave Me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as We
are one”. So that in their lives Christians are being transformed into the glorious
image of God .
Glory is beauty, power, or honor; a quality of God’s character that emphasizes His
greatness and authority.
Jesus glorified His Father through His perfect obedience and His sacrificial death
on our behalf (John 17:1-4) “these words spoke Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to
heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son also
may glorify You. As You have given Him power over all flesh, that He should give
eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is life eternal, that they
might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have
glorified You on the earth; I have finished the work which You gave Me to do”. On
the cross, Jesus cried out “it is finished”, indicating that God’s plan for redemption
was completed.
The people of God have experienced the glory of the presence of God. The glory
cloud of the Old Testament shines upon Israel. Christ came in bodily form as the
glory of God. God was in the midst of His people.
When Christ ascended, He sent His Spirit to the believers (John 16:7, 13-14)
“nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go
not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for
He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak;
and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of
Mine, and shall show it to you”. This way God could live in the midst of His
people. The Spirit of glory rests on those who suffer for the name of Christ (I
Peter 4:12-14) “beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to
try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice, inasmuch as
you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, you
may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Chirst,
happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you; on their part He
is evil spoken of; but on your part He is glorified”.
God has given to His people the hope of glory (Romans 5:2) “by whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God”; (Colossians 1:25-27) “whereof I am made a minister, according to
the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God.
Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is
made manifest to His saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory”. God glorify those whom He has chosen (Romans 8:29-30; 9:23-24) “for
whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also
justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified. And that He might make
known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore
prepared to glory. Even us, whom He has called, not of the Jews only, but also of
the Gentiles”?
We share in the glory of Christ (Colossians 3:3-4) “for you are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you
also appear with Him in glory”. And in (II Thessalonians 2:14-15) “whereto He
called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been
taught, whether by word, or our epistle”.
The world of creation longs to see the glorious freedom of the children of God
(Romans 8:21). This hope of glory is certain. As partakers in the glory of Christ,
the church is called to glorify God. Because of the hope that is in them, they
purify themselves (I John 3:2-3) “beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we
shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope
in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure”.
The apostle Paul called Jesus the Lord of glory (I Corinthians 2:8), he added that
the glory of God radiated from His face (II Corinthians 3:18) “but we all, with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. Spiritual
transformation is described as a changing from glory to glory. Ephesians 5:27 is
a good example. In that passage Paul wrote about presenting the church to
Christ. What he says of the church is true of each Christian. Jesus will present
the church to Himself in “splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that
she (the church) might be holy and without blemish”.
Let us meditate on the fact that we have the glory of God, so that that glory can
shine forth out of us to others. After all “for it is God which works in you both to
will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). As we submit ourselves to
God, He does the work in us.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: July 6, 2010
The glory of God was given to us from Jesus (John 17:21-23) which says “that
they all may be one; as You Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be
one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And the glory which
You gave Me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one. I in
them, and You in Me, that they be made perfect in one; and that the world may
know that You have sent Me, and have loved them, as You have loved Me”.
The glory of God has been shown mainly in Christ Jesus (John 1:14) says “the
word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the
only Son. Jesus was the new tabernacle for God’s lasting glory. In Jesus, God
dwelt among people, since Christ was (and is) the very image of God, to see the
light of His face was to know the glory of God; the devil is the one that tries to
keep people from seeing His face (II Corinthians 4:4-7) “in whom the god of this
world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, less the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them. For we
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for
Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”. To see Jesus was to see
a “light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel”.
Simeon, a just and devout man, was waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the
Holy Spirit revealed to him that he should not see death, before he had seen the
Lord’s Christ and he being led by the Spirit came into the temple, where the
parents brought in the child Jesus, to circumcise Him (Luke 2:28-32) Simeon said
“then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said. Lord now let You,
Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen
Your salvation. Which You have prepared before the face of all people. A light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel”.
The disciples who witnessed the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8), saw His glory in
a marvelous way (II Peter 1:16-17) “for we have not followed cunningly devised
fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He (Jesus) received from God
the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the
excellent glory. This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. For it was a
glory that burst out of His body. This outburst of glory was a shadow of the
glorification Christ would experience in resurrection and ascension.
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is filled with comments on the glory of Christ. He affirmed
that the disciples of the Lord would share in that glory. The glory of God is also
revealed in the members of His body. Christ now shares His divine glory with His
followers (John 17:5-8,22) “and now O Father, glorify You Me with Your own self
with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your
name to the men which You gave Me out of the world; Yours they were, and You
gave them Me; and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all
things whatsoever You have given Me are of You. For I have given to them the
words which You gave Me; and they have received them, and have known surely
that I came out from You, and they have believed that You did send Me. And the
glory which You gave Me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as We
are one”. So that in their lives Christians are being transformed into the glorious
image of God .
Glory is beauty, power, or honor; a quality of God’s character that emphasizes His
greatness and authority.
Jesus glorified His Father through His perfect obedience and His sacrificial death
on our behalf (John 17:1-4) “these words spoke Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to
heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son also
may glorify You. As You have given Him power over all flesh, that He should give
eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is life eternal, that they
might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have
glorified You on the earth; I have finished the work which You gave Me to do”. On
the cross, Jesus cried out “it is finished”, indicating that God’s plan for redemption
was completed.
The people of God have experienced the glory of the presence of God. The glory
cloud of the Old Testament shines upon Israel. Christ came in bodily form as the
glory of God. God was in the midst of His people.
When Christ ascended, He sent His Spirit to the believers (John 16:7, 13-14)
“nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go
not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for
He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak;
and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of
Mine, and shall show it to you”. This way God could live in the midst of His
people. The Spirit of glory rests on those who suffer for the name of Christ (I
Peter 4:12-14) “beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to
try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice, inasmuch as
you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, you
may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Chirst,
happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you; on their part He
is evil spoken of; but on your part He is glorified”.
God has given to His people the hope of glory (Romans 5:2) “by whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God”; (Colossians 1:25-27) “whereof I am made a minister, according to
the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God.
Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is
made manifest to His saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory”. God glorify those whom He has chosen (Romans 8:29-30; 9:23-24) “for
whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also
justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified. And that He might make
known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore
prepared to glory. Even us, whom He has called, not of the Jews only, but also of
the Gentiles”?
We share in the glory of Christ (Colossians 3:3-4) “for you are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you
also appear with Him in glory”. And in (II Thessalonians 2:14-15) “whereto He
called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been
taught, whether by word, or our epistle”.
The world of creation longs to see the glorious freedom of the children of God
(Romans 8:21). This hope of glory is certain. As partakers in the glory of Christ,
the church is called to glorify God. Because of the hope that is in them, they
purify themselves (I John 3:2-3) “beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we
shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope
in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure”.
The apostle Paul called Jesus the Lord of glory (I Corinthians 2:8), he added that
the glory of God radiated from His face (II Corinthians 3:18) “but we all, with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. Spiritual
transformation is described as a changing from glory to glory. Ephesians 5:27 is
a good example. In that passage Paul wrote about presenting the church to
Christ. What he says of the church is true of each Christian. Jesus will present
the church to Himself in “splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that
she (the church) might be holy and without blemish”.
Let us meditate on the fact that we have the glory of God, so that that glory can
shine forth out of us to others. After all “for it is God which works in you both to
will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). As we submit ourselves to
God, He does the work in us.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: July 6, 2010
