Many Christians today understand that we are justified by Christ alone. A justified person knows that their sins are forgiven and eternal life is theirs. But, far too few of us really understand that we are also glorified by Christ alone.
In Romans 8:29-30, Paul tells us, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” God’s intent is to restore us to His original created design for humanity. “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him” (see Genesis 1:27). To conform us to the image of His Son, He predestined, He called, He justified and He glorified. Flesh has no part to play in the process. God does it all!
What does it mean to be glorified? The Greek word for “glory”—doxa—does not refer to an outward shining appearance that attracts attention to itself. Rather doxa refers to the innate character—the substance within. To give glory to something actually means to recognize the thing for what it is—for its true worth. When we give glory to God, we attribute to Him His true, innate value. When God gives glory to us, He attributes to us all the worth He created us to have in Him.
On Mount Sinai, Moses asked God, “Please, show me Your glory.” And God replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you”(see Exodus 33:18–19). God showed His glory—by letting Moses see His goodness. God’s glory, God’s goodness and God’s loving nature are one and the same.
God shares His glory with us by sharing His nature with us. Before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father for us, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given to them…. that they may 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” (John17:22–23). We are glorified in relationship with God. A glorified person reflects the image of Christ. Jesus’ nature radiates out of us as we live our lives in one with Him—surrendered to His love.
Something glorious is coming. What God longs to share with us today is much greater than the fading glory He shared with Moses (see 2 Corinthians 3:7–11). Paul spoke of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Christ in us is the hope of glory. But Christ in us is not the actual glory itself. The manifest glory comes when Christ in us pours out of us to the world—when we radiate God’s love.
When we accept Jesus into our heart, we are saved and God lives in our spirit. But He doesn’t just want to live in (and bring His life to) our spirit. He wants to have access to the whole of our heart (the spirit and soul together). God doesn’t want to stay locked up in our spirit, He wants to bring His life to our soul and body as well.
The world does not see what is inside our spirit; it sees what is inside our soul. When others see us, do they sense our love for them, our peace and joy? Or do they sense our displeasure toward them, our anxiety or depression? When God fills our soul, the world will see Jesus through us. God designed the whole of our earthly temples—spirit, soul and body—to be fully His so that we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
As partakers of His nature, God’s nature flows forth from our souls and we bear much fruit. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing…. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:4–5, 9).
Working hard to clothe ourselves in “good” deeds (like loving others) doesn’t make us right with God. Even the gifts of the Spirit won’t make us complete, as God designed. We become right with God simply by abiding in love-relationship. Paul tells us, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23).
Fruit of the Spirit is a natural, outward manifestation of the life God intends. When abiding in Jesus’ love, we come to act right because we are right on the inside. In love-relationship with God, we actually become the people we have tried so hard and unsuccessfully to become. Fruit of the Spirit grows without effort on a branch grafted to Jesus, the Vine. Obedience comes naturally. Walking in the Spirit—with the soul surrendered to the will of God—comes naturally.
In abiding relationship, our soul ceases its independent work and finds rest under the leading of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:10 tells us, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”We don’t do our own work—generated by the efforts of the independent soul. Rather, God accomplishes His loving work through us; we are His hands and feet. He leads us in the “good works [He] prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Our only work is to believe in Jesus and all that He accomplished on the cross. When the crowds came to Jesus with the question, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:28–29).
A glorious time is dawning. The Old Testament speaks of three main feasts: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.1 The church has seen the spiritual fulfillment of Passover and Pentecost. But we have not yet experienced the spiritual fulfillment of Tabernacles—the last and greatest of the three feasts.
In the Old Testament, the Feast of Tabernacles was known as the feast of glory, the feast of the fruit harvest and the feast of rest. It was on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38). In the complete spiritual fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, rivers of living water will flow from our hearts. We will be spirit-soul-body channels through which His life-giving waters flow.
The writers of the New Testament knew that something surpassing the greatness of their time was coming. John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). At this time, God is revealing Himself to us as He really is—as the God of love! And we shall be like Him!
Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:18–19). Creation eagerly awaits. God’s glory—His goodness and nature of love—will be revealed through us as sons and daughters of God. We will radiate God’s love!
Now is the time for transformation.
Reflection Questions:
- Which one or two ideas from this chapter stand out to you?
- Based on what you have read in this chapter, how does God share His glory with the world? How might you allow God to better share His glory with you?
- Reread Jesus’ prayer in John 17:22–23 (as quoted in this chapter). What do these verses mean to you personally?
- How do we bear fruit and become the people God created us to be?
- What does it mean to you to “abide in Christ”? How does abiding in Christ affect your relationship with others?
- George Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles: The Hope of the Church, www.georgewarnock.com/feast-main.html.