The most epic stories in the Bible reference glory, inevitably connected to God Almighty. In fact, they are recorded precisely to display God’s glory and make His name known. To encounter the glory of God (in either noun, adjective, or verb form) is to encounter awe-inducing magnificence. (Even if it is the faintest sliver of it. Because no human could possibly withstand the full force of it!)
I don't think we can comprehend the weight of it. Undoubtedly, contact with such glory brings about transformation. All this brings to mind the glory of the gospel.
The gospel message speaks of the glory of God revealed in His Son. In one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that God made His light shine in hearts to give “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV). The gospel is glorious because it proclaims the King of Glory. Beams of the Lord’s glory shines forth from its red letters like a beacon cutting through the dark.
And the gospel is glorious because it tells of the work it does in the Lord’s people. For the fruit it bears also glorifies God.
The goodness, grandeur, and glory of God undeniably resonates through the Lord and His gospel. May we endeavor to take in that gospel . . . and exclaim, “Glory!”
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth
(Jn 1 14 ESV).
Glory was announced by the hosts of heaven at the Incarnation. For our King has come! And for all eternity they shall exclaim, “To Him who sits on the throne be all glory forever and ever!”
The glory of the Christ was arrayed in His miraculous signs and wonders; and in the Transfiguration, Resurrection, and Ascension—all profoundly revelatory of divine glory!
Peter says that those in Christ are partakers of His glory (2 Peter 1:4). For Christ in us is our glory (Colossians 1:27). It’s positively scandalous, I know!
The Apostle Matthew informs us that the Lord will return in glory (Matthew 25:31). And when He appears we also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). But our lives fall drastically short of glory. And feel anything but glorious. Especially in the face of suffering. But there, too, the gospel gives us the good news that life’s sufferings are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). The sheer gospel-truth of it gives us hope in the valley, so as to lend strength for the journey through it.
If you want to bask in glory, dive into the New Testament—where the glory of God, in the majestic face of Jesus, is on full display.
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