Spiritual Growth #6 – The Glory of One

In Part or Full?

 

courtesy D. Mam, 2014

We often hear in the churches “…that no flesh should glory in his Presence” (1 Cor. 1:29). So, Christians try to avoid having anything to do with God’s glory. This is an “in part” belief.

The “full” portion is as the apostle Paul indicated—that to God “be glory in the church by Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 3:21). For the church to approach God’s glory is done “by Christ Jesus”. For instance, Jesus gave his followers God’s glory that we might be “one”:

• And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one (John 17:22);

In referencing John 10:30, Vine’s Expository Dictionary defined one (hĕis) as the “union and concord” that exists between the Father and the Son. Likewise, the glory Jesus gave us is meant to bring about that same “union and concord” among brothers and sisters in Christ!

However, children (tĕknŏn) of God often take faith for God’s future glory; so it is unlikely they will apply the present glory in the here and now. In the meantime, sons (huiŏs) of God take faith for the present glory, and accompany our faith with works. Otherwise, our faith is dead (James 2:17, 26).

Today, among the fellowship of huiŏs-sons, the “glory of one” can be seen in operation by our conduct, which gives evidence of the dignity of our relationship and likeness to God’s character*. Thus, when the “glory of one” is displayed among believers, the world sits up and takes notice. The result is, they come to know, recognize, and understand that the Father loves them in the same way he loves Jesus (John 17:23).

The Captain of our salvation continues to bring many huiŏs-sons to glory (Heb. 2:10; 2 Cor. 3:18) that the world might have a life-saving knowledge of Jesus—not just by our words—but by our deeds!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Greek definitions from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1981) *and with respect to John 10:30, metaphorically, hĕis stands for “union and concord”.