Experiencing, Enjoying,
and Expressing Christ (1) – Week 10
Glory and Glorification
as Revealed in the Gospel of John
Related Verses
Col. 1:27
27 To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,
Heb. 2:10
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Rev. 21:11
11 Having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.
Rom. 8:17, 23
17 And if children, heirs also; on the one hand, heirs of God; on the other, joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified with Him.
23 And not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body.
Phil. 3:21
21 Who will transfigure the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory, according to His operation by which He is able even to subject all things to Himself.
Heb. 6:20
20 Where the Forerunner, Jesus, has entered for us, having become forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedec.
1 Thes. 2:12
12 So that you might walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Related Reading
Christ can be our hope of glory because He dwells in our spirit to be our life and our person. According to Colossians 3:4, when Christ our life is manifested, we shall be manifested with Him in glory. He will appear to be glorified in our redeemed and transfigured body (Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:21; 2 Thes. 1:10). When Christ comes, we shall be glorified in Him, and He will be glorified in us. This indicates that the indwelling Christ will saturate our entire being, including our physical body. This will cause our body to be transfigured and to become like His glorious body. At that time Christ will be glorified in us. This is Christ in us as the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27 indicates that the glory with which we shall be glorified dwells in us right now. This glory is not a thing—this glory is a living person, the indwelling Christ, the all-inclusive embodiment of the processed Triune God. This very Christ is now the seed of glory within us…Eventually, the growth of this seed will issue in the “blossom” of the believers’ glorification. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1951)
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As believers, we are being transformed into [God’s] glory (2 Cor. 3:18) and shall be brought into it (Heb. 2:10). Eventually, we shall be glorified with Christ (Rom. 8:17, 30) to bear the glory of God for God’s expression in the New Jerusalem.
God created us as His vessels to contain Him and express Him. God makes known the riches of His glory upon us, His vessels, which He has prepared unto glory [9:23]. We were predestinated by His sovereignty to be His containers, vessels of honor, to express what He is in glory. This will be fully revealed in the New Jerusalem.
An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that it has the glory of God (Rev. 21:11), His expression. The entire city of New Jerusalem will bear the glory of God, which is God Himself shining out through the city. Actually, the glory of God will be the content of the New Jerusalem, for this city will be completely filled with His glory. This indicates that the city is a vessel to contain God and express Him…The fact that the New Jerusalem is full of God’s glory means that God is manifested in this city. The church life today should also have God’s glory, manifesting and expressing Him in this marvelous divine attribute. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 112)
The last step of God’s great salvation is to bring His many sons into glory. Romans 8 tells us that God’s work of grace upon us began with His foreknowing, passed through His predestination, calling, and justification, and will end with His glorification (vv. 29-30). Also, Romans 8 tells us that the whole creation eagerly awaits the revelation (glorification) of the sons of God, in hope that the creation itself will enter into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (vv. 19-21). This will be accomplished by the Lord’s coming back (Phil. 3:21), at which time we will be manifested with Him in glory (Col. 3:4); this is our hope (1:27). This glorification of the sons of God, as the goal of God’s salvation, will last through the millennial kingdom and will be manifested in full in the New Jerusalem for eternity (Rev. 21:11, 23). (Heb. 2:10, footnote 3)
Jesus, as the Pioneer, the Forerunner (Heb. 6:20), took the lead to enter into glory, and we, His followers, are taking the same way to be brought into the same glory, which was ordained by God for us (1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Thes. 2:12). He cut the way, and we are now taking the way. (Heb. 2:10, footnote 4)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 180; Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 4, lsn. 51
Truth Pursuit of Romans
Week 40
WEEK 40 Level 1 – Sequential Study Scripture Reading:Rom. 16:1-27 Assigned Reading:Life-study of Romans, msgs. 68, 69 Level 1 Study Questions 1. What does it
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