“…to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ“
for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ
The third basis of Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving is that Christians will share in the eternal glory of Christ. The word “obtaining” is literally a making around. It denotes obtaining our salvation in its completeness by God’s call through the gospel. Since Jesus acquired our salvation, He gets the glory. He acquired our salvation at a great cost. This is why He should receive great glory.
The gospel obtains eternal glory for the Christian as well. Christians will obtain that glory through Christ. It is by God’s grace that we get glory. We will share in the glory of Christ’s victory in His Second Coming (not the Rapture).
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:16-18).
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
Principle:
Believers have a grand and glorious future because God will bathe them in His very own glory.
Application:
The Christian has a glory in time and a glory in eternity. The glory in time is progressively becoming more like the Lord Jesus.
“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 [progressive sanctification], just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The glory in eternity never fades. It is eternal (1 Peter 5:10). God will clothe us with the wonder of His character, plan, and actions. This glory transcends the glory of time.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
In eternal glory, God will take away believers’ sin capacity. They will never face temptation again. Our bodies will never submit to cancer or any other illness. No one will ever enter depression again.
