THE GOSPEL OF THE GLORY OF THE BLESSED GOD

The glory of God is the outshining of all that He is in His attributes and nature. The attributes of God are those qualities which invariably attach to Him, and are exhibited in all that He does. We may speak of His majesty, power, wisdom, righteousness, faithfulness, mercy, grace, goodness, &c..

In nature He is love. In the cross all His attributes have been conciliated with His nature, have been shewn to be in harmony with His nature. All that He does manifests His glory in some degree.

Creation displayed something of His glory, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork”, Ps 19: 1. What may be known of God by the heathen is manifested in the things which He has made, even His eternal power and divinity, Rom 1: 20. The law and His government in Israel displayed His righteousness and faithfulness. But God could not be fully revealed till Christ came. In the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ God has fully manifested His glory.

There are two ways in which the glory of God is manifested, namely, in the overcoming of evil and in the establishment of His sovereign will in spite of everything which can oppose, every enemy. These two things are seen in the death, resurrection and exaltation of Christ as man to glory. At the cross Satan marshalled all his forces to destroy the Prince of life and to frustrate the will of God. Everything for God and man depended upon the issue of this great conflict. For the moment the enemy seemed to have triumphed. But on the third day God entered the scene and manifested His glory; Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. The victory was complete, sin, death and Satan were annulled for ever. The triumph of God is our salvation. The full effects of this victory are not yet fully seen, but Christ is at the right hand of God. The Spirit has come down, heaven is opened, and a scene filled with the glory is revealed to faith. Stephen looking into the opened heavens saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Paul speaks of His gospel as “the glad tidings of the glory of Christ”, 2 Cor 4: 4. In glorifying Christ as man, God has established and manifested His purpose in regard to men. Thus in Christ we see how God’s will has triumphed over every hostile force, so that God is now free to work out everything according to the counsel of His will. This gives us our present and eternal place before God in Christ. This was what was announced in Paul’s gospel, Ephesians 1. He could speak of the saints of this day as the product of God’s work, being to the praise of His glory. We see then how God has manifested His glory in Christ, so that if it be not yet manifested on earth, it is in heaven.

What a relief it is to look away from all the evil and confusion on the earth and to behold the glory of the Lord in heaven. What is already seen in heaven is about to be manifested on earth, as God said to Moses, “As I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah”, Num 14: 21. We are “awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ”, Tit 2: 13. When it appears it will, on the one hand, consume all that is antagonistic, all that opposes the will of God, and on the other hand establish the kingdom of God, so that His will shall be done on earth even as it is done in heaven. It will be the bringing in of a new world, where lawlessness and the work of Satan will disappear. Then will be the reign of righteousness and peace. Then the knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Thus we see that the salvation and blessing of men is wrapped up with the glory of God, and at the same time the glory of the Son of man, for all has been secured by His death and work. We can understand therefore that the testimony of the glory of God is glad tidings, and that in the highest sense. The day is coming when the whole creation will respond to the glory of God, Ps 22: 22-31; Rev 5: 8-14.

We may well rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

From Goodly Words vol 6 (1928)