22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
22 And the glory which You gave Me
The “glory” of the believer is a derived glory from Jesus. The glory of our Lord is the revelation of His being, character, and action. Jesus manifested His glory in life and on the cross. This is the glory of the incarnate Word, not the glory of the eternal Word. This is His glory of His work both on earth and the cross/resurrection.
The “glory” of which Jesus spoke particularly here was the glory of the cross. It was not His preexistent glory as God Almighty. It was the glory that came from His mission on earth.
I [emphatic] have given them,
The “glory” that Jesus gave His disciples was the revelation of Himself that He had already given them during His ministry on earth (perfect tense). By understanding this revelation, they shared in His glory. This was the essence of oneness with the Father and Jesus.
Jesus wanted His followers to share in the glory of His mission. This glory is not something innate in believers. He manifested His mission glory in His disciples. Jesus mediated the glory of God by revelation in His mission on earth.
that [purpose] they may be one just as We are one:
The purpose behind Jesus giving His followers “glory” was unity among believers that is similar to the unity of the Father and Son. The bond of believers comes from unity of the Father and Son’s mission. The glory that the Father gave the Son found expression in love between believers.
PRINCIPLE:
The glory of Christ facilitates unity.
APPLICATION:
Genuine unity is grounded in the one God. The oneness of God is the cornerstone of oneness among believers. It makes oneness of the church possible. This oneness is patterned after the Father and Son’s oneness, but it is not identical with it.
There is no unity among believers without God generating it. Christian unity comes from the truth and purpose that God gives. It also turns on the mutual indwelling we have with God and with other believers.
We find the oneness of believers in the oneness of the Father and Son. However, the point of contact in all relationships is in the Son (Jn 14:6). Believers are to be one in love, purpose, and action. They are to demonstrate the oneness between the Father and Son. They can do this by demonstrating the glory of Jesus in them (2 Co 3:18).
Christians share in a supernatural unity, a unity with the Father and Son. It is participation in the revealed glory of Christ.
There is both a basis and purpose to unity among God’s people. The basis rests on our bond with and relationship to Christ. It is akin to the relationship the Son and the Father had together. We are the same family. The church is a family that is found in many denominations throughout the world.
The purpose of unity is to win the world to Christ. It presents a common front to those without Christ. Strife and discord tear down that testimony. The world will see many testimonies rather than one. The unbelieving world needs to see that the church is the product of God indwelling it.
Hi Grant, just look at the things I have been taught on this scripture: https://www.affirmation-train.org/his-glory-in-you-pastor-chris-oyakhilome/
Just another question – what is the difference in the “glory” used in Heb 1:3 vs the “glory” used in this verse?
I’m trying to look up the Greek myself, but I’m not getting a proper answer. Can you help?
I have read you commentary, which makes perfect sense. I’m just looking for the direct translation of the Greek words used in both of these instances. I found the one to be doxēs and the other one doxan.
C, the Greek word δόξα (doxa) is the same word in both passages. The definition of God’s glory is the sum total of his attributes (as it is used in Heb 1:3). That, however, is God’s glory, not man’s. The issue is not the meaning of the term but how it is used. There are many different uses of doxa in the NT. In some cases, it refers to God but in others, it refers to man. Root meanings of words is a very dangerous way to understand Greek words. Every NT scholar warns against this. It is the context that determines the meaning of a word. In John 17:22 Jesus shares the wonder of who He is; He cannot or would not share His divine essence as God. Eternity cannot be shared with finite men. Neither can omniscience, omnipresence, etc. The word doxa refers to the manifestation of God’s glory (in some cases it is the manifestation of His essence as God, which can be seen by man such as creation itself; at other times the word simply means the resulting effect of having observed the manifestation of His glory, such as the transfiguration experience).
C, the different spelling of the root word δόξα is used with two different cases in the Greek, one in the genitive, singular feminine (Heb 1:3) and the other in the accusative, singular, feminine (Jn 17:22).
Wow thank you for explaining!