"For
God having spoken “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our
hearts,
Jesus is the Word, which was with God and was God, who created all things in the beginning. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men."4 He came in the fullness of God and that fullness we have received, grace upon grace. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his
glory, a glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and
truth."3 As per custom of a first born male to be consecrated to the Lord, Jesus was taken to Jerusalem, there Simeon saw Jesus and said he was "as a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”32 The Glory of God came among men, in the
face of Jesus Christ.
"And we all, unveiled in face the glory of God beholding as in a mirror the same image..."4 At the time of John men beheld the glory of the only begotten of God in the flesh, he came among men. We today behold His glory in Truth, He is "... Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty. This Spirit guides us into truth. Under the principle of liberty, we look into the truth, "The one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so..."6 Such a person sees the same glory as in a mirror, of Christ. If we abide or continue in the truth, not a hearer only, but a doer, we are being transformed into His glory. As a "... Paul writes neither being under the law or not under the law counts for anything, but faith working through love. In the new covenant we find that His grace is sufficient as His power is being perfected in us, in love. James writes we are to "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom."8 This is not the Law of Moses, no "for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."17 It is the principle or law of the Spirit of life that sets men free, "For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Therefore the new is a ministry of the Spirit, righteousness, reconciliation, and not of the letter which brings condemnation and death. "If the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that Moses had to veil His face..." "... The glory of the new covenant surpasses that of the old, the old had a glory that Paul writes was passing. He was writing before the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, foreseeing the passing of its glory. The old had only a temporary glory as it was a shadow of things to come. We stand before God in grace, which we have access to by faith, and we receive a Spirit of adoption. Such is a glorious thing, as children of God, to boldly approach the Father. It is a ministry of Spirit and Truth, a double edged sword transforming us from glory to glory. Because of such hope we have in the Spirit, and because we receive by faith in Christ, grace and truth, we are very bold to approach God. "Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as the Lord's Spirit."8 Unlike the glory of Moses, a servant of God with a veiled face, we are sons with unveiled face, for God "has shone in our hearts light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." This is the Liberty we have in Christ, as we are beholding the glory of God, the only begotten Son of God, the Word and Truth, as if we are looking in a mirror at the same image. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is raising us into newness of Life, we are being transformed by His words and by the Spirit of God. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."8c This unity and fellowship of the Spirit we should have in the Church, such is to the praise of the glory of God. We have fellowship in the faith, as to this sanctification into truth.8a And in the gospel so that others will hear the truth.8b We have fellowship with the Spirit, comfort and nurturing love.8c And we have fellowship with the Son, encouragement and love of a brother.8b And we have fellowship with the Father, whose glory we seek to honor and value Him.8c
"I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the
world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have
loved Me"9
Jesus said to the Father, "I glorified you on earth..." How did he glorify the Father? He did the will of the Father, "having accomplished the work that you gave me to do."10 He gave them the name and words of the Father, “I have manifested your name to the people whom you
gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and
they have kept your word."11 His name and His Word is synonymous, "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one."12
"For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me."14
John writes Jesus is the Word, who came in the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth. We know from Paul's writings Jesus is the author of faith and that faith comes by hearing His words, thus we are saved "by grace through faith." The Word of God is a double edge sword of Spirit and truth. It is the Spirit that draws men to Christ and it is the Word that
authors faith and salvation, thus true worshippers worship Him in Spirit
and Truth. It is flesh and blood, bread from heaven and living water, word and spirit that gives eternal life. The words of God through Christ author salvation, faith, and His words sanctify, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.16
"For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me."15 When someone hears the words of Christ and believes, Christ is glorified in them, and when others receive the truth we proclaim, the words of Christ through us, we give glory to Christ and the Father. It is to the praise of his glory, when we and others put hope in Christ.17a But we see a another glory in Christ, as Paul writes this is our reasonable service. It is to be transformed into the image of Christ. This is as we look into the perfect law of liberty, "with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory" It glorifies the Father that we are conformed to the image of His Son. "And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth."17b "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed."18
Though obedient to the Father, Jesus longed for a greater glory, he longed for the glory before the world was created. He being the Word which was with God and was God, in the beginning who created all things, this oneness with the Father he desired to have and give to others. "The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I
in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the
world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."19 So this glory he received he gives to us.
"The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,"20
We see Christ glorified the Father by doing the will of the Father and by
making known the Father's name and His word, but we see he longed for a greater glory, and this glory he gives us. We have more insight into this glory, "that they may be one even as we are one, I
in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the
world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." So we see the glory Christ longed for, the oneness with the Father. We see Paul write of such; a Spirit of unity, bond of peace, brotherly love, and fellowship that perfecting the Church, in love. "I
made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known,
that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in
them.”21
“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify the Son in Himself—and will glorify Him at once."22 The Son glorified the Father by laying down His life, a propitiation or atoning sacrifice for sin, He took the place of man. This was the will of God for the Son, the Son glorified the Father in obedience, the Father loved the Son and the Son loved the Father. The Father so loved the world he gave His only begotten Son, the glory of the Father, he gave. And this is how the Father is glorified through the Son, that we lay down our lives for one another, that we love one another. "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”23
"In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have
confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like
Him."24
Such is the greatest glory, that we become perfectly one, as the Father and the Son are. How do we know we have been perfected? "whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected."24a We see the love of God perfects us into obedience. We do not adhere to the Law, as it is a ministry of condemnation which involves fear and punishment, "whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us."24b We know we being perfected because we are becoming like Jesus. "By this we may know that we are in him: Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked."25 We know that we have been perfected in love when we have such Oneness in the Church. We give God glory when we become like His Son, this is how we know we have been perfected in love, we walk like Jesus, we are His image, "in this world we are just like Him"25a As Jesus said, "I have set you an example..."25b "For now we see in a mirror an enigma, but face to face now I know in part; then for I will know fully also as I have been fully known."26 This word for enigma, means a saying, question, picture... containing a hidden meaning; riddle. It is derived from ainos, "praise." In the face of Christ we see the glory of God, when we look into the Truth, beholding as in a mirror the same image, are being transformed from glory to glory. In context we see faith working through love. Love never fails, knowledge and prophecy fails for we only know these in part, "but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away."26a A child in Christ is an enigma, he sees dimly his identity though he is fully known by Christ. A child is being perfected in love, as love never fails. A young man is strong as John writes because the Word abides in him, he sees in a mirror Christ face to face, he fully knows as he is fully known. He abides in the fullness of God, "now abides faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."27 It brings glory that we are obedient to the Father, and it glorifies the Father that we believe in His words and that we proclaim his word and name to others so they can believe also. But there is a greater glory. What is obedience without relationship? what is faith without love? it is nothing. Jesus desired a greater glory, to be in the presence of the Father, the complete fullness of the Father as when he was one with Him before the world was created. This glory He gives us, so that we too may be One with the Father. We receive a Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father! To the praise of His glory until the full redemption of the possession. We are being transformed from glory to glory. The Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts, the riches of God's glory we receive in Christ and by such unity and love in His people, the world will know Jesus is from the Father and that we are his disciples. |
Blessed! the one whose lawless deeds are forgiven and the one whose sins are covered over, blessed is the man whom sin, the Lord will not consider . * Paul writes David foresaw and spoke " blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered . * Blessed, is the one whom sin is not considered, this word considered means "to credit, count, reckon, to set down as a matter of account; regard, think, consider." This blessing comes through faith and according to grace, " also David speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God considers righteousness apart from works ." * The word for lawless deeds speaks of the violation of the Law and the word for sin speaks of missing the mark of God's righteousness. Blessed are those who (by faith in Christ according to grace) have been forgiven. In Him receiving the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses according to the riches of His grace . * This fundamental ...