22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” John 17:22-23
The works that Jesus did, the words that he spoke, were outward manifestations of God’s glory. The Greek word for “glory” here is doxa, used more than 90 times in the New Testament. It’s always tied to the many attributes of God on display. Jesus was a walking exhibition of God’s glory. Everything he said and did gave glory to God. And to think the discussion here is about us getting to partake in God’s glory!
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
As did Jesus, we by our words and deeds, by our attitudes toward Almighty God, by our expressions of his love, by our resilient faith, give glory to God. We are simply conduits of God’s glory. We allow it to shine forth through us unabated. We deflect whatever “glory” directed our way in whole back to him. We exist to give glory to God.
The first question posed in the “shorter” Westminster Catechism is this: “What is the chief end of man?”
The answer, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
We know from reading on in scripture that his followers exuded the same glory in their ministries, irrefutable and undeniable evidence of this transfer of which Jesus spoke. All who manifest God’s glory, who exhibit his character, are in the same club, and are therefore unified. The world sees these undeniable actions and hears this common message and is confounded by it. They are either compelled to join in and receive the fruit of the Lord’s request here, or they are antagonistic and lost.
Every word and act motivated by God’s spirit within us clearly demonstrates the glory of God. Most of all, the supreme act of God, his most telling attribute, his love, is put on display. The Father’s love offered to the world through his obedient Son declared by his unified witnesses down through the ages was the plan Jesus prayed over. You’d have to admit we were the weakest link, but that’s what makes the story so remarkable, that his glory was successfully channeled through ordinary people filled with God’s power! If you’re looking to authenticate the workings of God, look for a committed group of people with unwavering love for Jesus and each other who never take credit for the good they’ve done. To God be the glory.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
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