Gifted with Glorification

Glorification is God going "over the top." All we really needed Him to do was "save" us from our earthly hells that bound us and from the hell we were inevitably earning by our accumulated sins. Just let us escape either one of those hells and God could have our praises into eternity! So He did; and so we shall. And still there is more…

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

A Further Surprise down the Road

Not content with stopping there, our Loving Father has not only opened a way to heaven, He has made a way for us to become fully like Jesus in heaven.[1] Let me hasten to clarify that we will most definitely not be like Jesus in being Sovereign Lord or in having any of the unique attributes of the Godhead such as omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere at once).

In fact, nothing we will ever "have" will ever be anything other than a pure, unending gift of the Father's grace. God is the source of all life, all wisdom, all power—everything that is good, praiseworthy and enduring. Yet He pours it out upon us so freely that it seems to be completely ours: We say "My life, my face, my hands, my friends, my family, my abilities, my ideas..." These are all "borrowed" things, given to us with unstinting liberality by the Master Giver!

What He Said He Would Never Do

Glorification is, perhaps, the ultimate marvel. He will give to us what He swore in the Hebrew Scriptures that He would never share with anyone: His glory![2] The same glory that He revealed to Moses at Sinai will be shared with us.[3] That same glory that John and the other disciples saw covering Jesus, will be covering us.[4]

One aspect of this will be the glorified bodies that will be ours. Jesus displayed some of the curious qualities of a glorified body during His post-resurrection visits to His friends.[5] Apparently He could eat and speak, walk through walls and ascend “bodily” into heaven. Can’t wait to test drive one of those babies! Even so, by far the greater side of the glory will be the glorious inward nature of our beautiful Lord brought to fullness within us. That’s the glory that God revealed to Moses at Sinai.[6] It will be heavenly to be filled to overflowing with the very nature of God inside of us!

Next "Free Gift" to Open

Gifted with Holy Spirit  Adding the divine Person of the Holy Spirit to this list of gifts is like adding the sun to a bag of marbles. He is so far above and beyond any mere thing we can be given, even so great a thing as eternal salvation. Yet, Holy Spirit is truly one of the "gifts" of saving grace we received from the Father when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. The Holy Spirit came immediately to live within us! Oh, but there is so much more to this gift than even that stupendous display of Self-giving love.

Free Downloads

pdf Saved by the Free Gifts (eBook) (847 KB)

pdf Gifted with Glorification (this article) (300 KB)

Glorification Scriptures

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. Isaiah 48:11

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. John 1:14

And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. John 17:5

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:30

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you,  the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Colossians 1:27-28

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3