6/19/77; 7/23/76

DOCTRINE OF GLORY

A. Definition.

1. The glory of God refers to the sum total of His divine essence or to some part of divine essence.

2. The Greek word DOXZA means brightness, radiance, splendor, magnificence, fame, renown, honor, or glory.

3. The Hebrew word KABOD means honor, glory, riches, nobility, splendor, and majesty.

4. Glory always has the connotation of honor inherent in a person, distinction, greatness, renown, fame, nobility, or majesty. In Rom 5:2, glory refers to the integrity of God.

B. Glory is used for the attributes of God in total or in part.

1. David in recognizing God’s grace and rulership over Israel states the principle of the glory of God in Ps 21:5.

2. There is a point at which we see God for the first time. Deut 5:24, “Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness.” Glory refers to His integrity; greatness refers to His other attributes.

3. You cannot see the greatness of God until you can see the glory of God. Seeing the glory of God is seeing the integrity of God through pertinent Bible doctrine.

4. The glory of God has many applications.

a. Rom 3:23 says that to fall short of the glory of God is to fall short of His integrity. God’s perfect righteousness rejects sin.

b. Eph 1:17, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom even from the source of revelation by means of epignosis knowledge from Him.” The integrity of God refers to His righteousness and justice. God’s glory is the source of the epignosis doctrine in our right lobes which causes occupation with Christ.

C. Other Uses of Glory.

1. Glory is used for the indwelling of Christ and its implications. Col 1:27, “To whom the God decreed to make known what is the wealth of the glory of the mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the confidence of glory.”

a. We have Jesus Christ indwelling us, as well as God’s perfect righteousness imputed to us.

b. The indwelling of Jesus Christ is the guarantee of our escrow blessings from the justice of God the Father, since these blessings are deposited in Christ, the escrow officer.

2. Glory is used to describe the maturity of the believer. Mature believers form the basis for the recognition of God’s glory. Eph 1:5-6, “Having predesigned us with the result of the appointment of adult sons for Himself through Jesus Christ, according to the benevolent purpose of His will, resulting in the recognition of glory from the source of grace, from which He has pursued us with grace in the Beloved.”

a. We recognize the glory of God through the perception of doctrine.

b. The integrity of God pursues us in grace for the purpose of blessing us.

3. The riches of maturity are from the glory of God.

a. Eph 1:17-18, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom even from the source of revelation by means of knowledge from Him..., that the eyes of your right lobe may be enlightened, in order that you all may have a permanent knowledge, knowing what is the hope of His calling [maximum blessing], and what is the riches from the source of the glory, the inheritance of His saints.”

b. Eph 3:16, “In order that He might give you according to the riches from His glory, to become strong by means of power through His Spirit with reference to the inner man.”

c. Phil 4:19, “Now my God shall fill up the deficiency of all your needs according to the standard of His riches in glory by means of Christ Jesus.”

4. The mature believer has received this glory, 1 Pet 1:7-8. Receiving glory is blessing from the integrity of God to the mature believer.

5. Glory is used to describe the strategic victory of Christ in the angelic conflict.

a. Heb 2:10, “To have led to glory many sons.” God brings many sons to glory by judging our sins, so that, when we believe in Christ, we enter into a relationship with His glory. We receive the imputation of God’s perfect righteousness, which is the potential for blessing from the integrity of God.

b. 1 Tim 3:16, “Christ taken up into the place of glory” refers to the third heaven, the location of the integrity of God.

6. The royal family is called to eternal glory since Christ is seated in the place of glory. The formation of the royal family comes under the phrase, “being called to eternal glory,” 1 Pet 5:10; 2 Pet 1:3. This is the status of the royal family being called into eternal relationship with the integrity of God.

7. The resurrection body is described in terms of glory, 1 Cor 15:43. Our resurrection body is raised in glory because we are in the status quo of everlasting life. We will live forever in a state of glory. In 2 Thes 2:14, “the attainment of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” refers to having a resurrection body exactly like His.

8. The right woman is called the glory of the right man, 1 Cor 11:6,7, 14-15. Her long hair is a glory to the woman. Long hair on the male is dishonorable.

9. Additional uses of glory in the Bible.

a. For the wonders of the universe, 1 Cor 15:40-41.

b. For human glamor, 1 Pet 1:24; Phil 3:19.

10. God is glorified and receives glory forever in the function of ultimate sanctification and the deliverance of the ultra supergrace believer, 2 Tim 4:18.

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