THE GLORY OF GOD by T. E. Bowen

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 11, 1893

THE GLORY OF GOD.

By T. E. Bowen

BY T. E. BOWEN.

INASMUCH as all who are permitted to pass the pearly portals will be glorified beings, made capable of living in the gloriously bright presence of an eternal God, it may not be out of place to study carefully of what this glory consists, as revealed to us in God's Holy word.

Keeping the thought before us, as we study this subject, that, precisely as the Father sent Christ into the world, so Jesus has sent us, it is plain that as we study Christ and what he was while here and what went to make him glorious, we are virtually studying our duty. Most professed Christians make the fatal mistake of supposing that the life of Jesus here in the flesh was a life infinitely beyond and above their grasp, even despairing of ever attaining to such living. Let us see if God makes such excuses for us. "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:6. "As the Father hath loved me, so I have loved you; continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments [the same ten words which he spoke himself from Sinai], ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments [the same code of love], and abide in his love." John 15:9, 10. "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." Eph. 1:4. By these texts we learn that it is as Christ was related to his Father, so he enjoins and expects of us to be united to him. This is by love, and this love is shown by our keeping the same commandments which he kept, through the same mighty power working in us as was in him, viz., the Holy Spirit.

Now let us turn to the glory of Christ. Satan's work in this world has been to misrepresent and pervert the love and goodness of God the Father, and heap contempt upon his Son. He has known, ever since he knew anything in the downward way, that this was surely accomplished by disregarding, and teaching others to disregard, God's eternal and holy law. This is his work, and that in which he glories. Christ's work being to save the lost, he began by honoring and exalting this holy law—he magnified it. This was, therefore, the work in which he delighted and which was his glory. All heaven was interested in this holy work of restoration, for there God's law is loved and most highly esteemed.

Into the strongholds of Satan, God's Son steadily marched, trusting in the power of his mighty Father to sustain him. The dumb spake, the lame leaped, rejoicing, devils were rebuked and cast out, and the dead were restored to life. Against this rescue work Satan raged and charged with all his hellish power, but calmly he was met with, "It is written." My Father's will is written, and I know it, therefore I shall do his works, and perform his miracles, trusting alone in his power. Against such reasoning, and such living, Satan could not stand. This going about doing good was Christ's glory. It was real glory, too, although invisible to human eyesight. This fact must be thoroughly impressed upon our minds. To show that God's goodness and his loving-kindness to us poor rebels are his glory, one text will suffice, although many can be cited. And Moses said, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he [the Lord] said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." Ex. 33:18, 19.

In all this work Jesus stood precisely upon the same footing with man. That is, he took the same position it was the privilege of man to occupy, but which man did not reach; on account of his love of sin. No man could have become a redeemer, because he had sinned, and had never had bestowed upon him creative power, but all could have lived holy lives. Christ occupied man's privileged place, and because of this became our perfect Redeemer. "For we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. 4:15.

This resisting of Satan, this eternal advance of the Son of God into the kingdom of Satan until he completely spoiled it, was the way, and the only way (after he had laid aside his heavenly glory and identified his interests with ours) that Jesus could glorify his Father, and his Father be glorified in his Son. Let us follow him along through his work, with this thought before us. At his baptism the Father said, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Remember God is no respecter of persons, and this would not have been said had not Jesus up to that time "well pleased" (glorified) his Father. Again, on the holy mount of transfiguration, the same voice speaks again, near the close of his public ministry, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." Jesus plainly said that he spoke not his own words, neither performed any miracle in his own power, but that it was the Father working through him. The Spirit was poured out without measure to him, and he clearly infers in one place that all the devils were cast out by the Spirit of God; therefore the Spirit of God working through him was God in him doing the works. This laying down of himself (see Phil. 2:5-8), thus permitting his Father to work in and through him, was "well pleasing" to the Father, for twice he plainly said so. This was the glorifying of the Father by the Son.

At the close of his work among the people, when he had finished going "about doing good," in his last recorded prayer to that Father are these words: "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." John 17:4. By these words we learn that the doing faithfully, unto the finishing, of the work his Father intrusted into his hand, is identical with glorifying that name on earth. One means the other. They are the same. God has united them, and man cannot separate them.

Let us gather up the points: First, we are sent into the world by Christ, precisely as he was sent here by his Father, to do the same work, until that work be finished. Secondly, he glorified his Father by repulsing Satan on his own ground, with, "It is written." Thirdly, this lifetime work was the first work to be done in the glorifying of that Father in heaven, after Christ's heavenly glory had been laid aside. Fourthly, this glory consisted in Christ's spoiling the kingdom of sin, yet not being defiled with it.

Therefore we learn that Christ expects of us to live as he lived and to work as he worked. And to thus live is bringing glory to the name of Jesus, and is that which constitutes our glory now. Hence none need hope for the "exceeding and eternal weight of glory" who do not attach importance to the doing of the commandments and work now which Christ has intrusted to us here in the world. None need ever expect to hear the glorious sentence from Christ's lips, "Well done, good and faithful servant," unless he has faithfully served him—under persecution, if need be, in this world of sin. None need expect to walk with him in shining light and glory who now shun the cross, shun the hard, soldierly toil along the way. It is enough for the servant to be as his Master, and this was the path the glorious Son of God walked as he left us an example of how we could get to our Father's house. Increased glory follows. That we shall hope to study later.

Newbury, West Virginia.