In the Bible glory is God expressed. Whenever God is expressed, that is glory. But whenever God is hidden, concealed, there is no glory expressed. When God is seen, there is glory. You can never see God without seeing His glory. While the unseen God is God, the seen God is glory. God’s glory was seen as the children of Israel journeyed from Egypt to the good land (Exo. 13:21). During the day God was seen as the cloud, and during the night He was seen as the pillar of fire-that was glory. In the Gospel of John we read that the Word was God, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and that we all beheld His glory (John 1:1, 14). John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” There is glory in the declaration of God. When we see God, we see glory.
In Acts 7:2, as Stephen was testifying before the Sanhedrin, he said, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham....” The glory here might have been visible glory, as when the cloud and the fire appeared to Israel (Exo. 16:10; 24:16-17; Lev. 9:23; Num. 14:10; 16:19; 20:6; Deut. 5:24) and filled the tabernacle and temple (Exo. 40:35; 1 Kings 8:11). It was the God of such glory who appeared to Abraham and called him. His glory was a great attraction to Abraham. It separated, sanctified, him from the world unto God (Exo. 29:43), and it was a great encouragement and strength which enabled him to follow God (Gen. 12:1, 4).
Stephen’s word about the God of glory fits in with God’s New Testament economy. In his second Epistle Peter tells us that God has called us by His glory and to His glory (2 Pet. 1:3). Because we were called by the glory of God our Savior (2 Pet. 1:1), we eventually received the Lord Jesus, realizing that He is better than anything and anyone else.
The God of glory called Abraham, and Abraham was attracted and caught by that glory. The principle is the same with us today. We all have been caught by the Lord in His glory. We have been captured by His glory. One day the God of glory came to us through the preaching of the gospel, and we were attracted and convinced and began to appreciate Him. During that time, the God of glory transfused some element of His being into us, and we believed in Him spontaneously. To be attracted by the God of glory means that God transfused Himself into His called ones without their realizing it or being conscious of it. This can be compared to radium treatment practiced in modem medicine. The patient is placed under the X ray, unconscious of the beams that are penetrating him. We may say that God is the strongest “radium.” If we stay with Him for a period of time, He will transfuse Himself into us. This transfusion will cause infusion, saturation, and permeation. Once God has transfused Himself into us, we cannot escape; we must believe in Him.
In Ephesians 1:17 Paul uses the term “the Father of glory.” As we have pointed out, glory is God expressed. Hence, the Father of glory is God expressed through His many sons. The title “Father” implies regeneration, and the word “glory” implies expression. Therefore, the title “Father of glory” implies regeneration and expression. We have been regenerated by God, and we are His expression.
We have already been regenerated, but in the future we shall be glorified and express God’s glory (Rom. 8:30). The regeneration of many sons and the expression of God are the consummation of the divine economy. Through His crucifixion the Lord Jesus accomplished redemption for us. As a result, we, the fallen creatures, have been redeemed. Then we were regenerated to become sons of God the Father so that we may express Him. On the day we are glorified, God will be fully expressed from within us. In this way we shall become His expression in full.
Hebrews 2:10 says that God is leading many sons into glory. 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 through His predestination, calling, and justification and will end with His glorification (vv. 29-30). Romans 8 tells us that the whole creation eagerly expects the revelation, the glorification, of the sons of God, hoping that the creation itself will enter into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (vv. 19-20). This will be accomplished by the Lord’s coming back (Phil. 3:21), at which time we shall appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4). This is our hope (Col. 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 fullness in the New Jerusalem for eternity (Rev. 21:11, 23).
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