Glory Goal

The Christian Hope is supposed to be obtaining glory! That’s what Christians should long for and strive for. Christians are supposedly believers in the Resurrection. That Hope is the Hope of glory!

… God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the Hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). 

But what is the Resurrection? Is it not to rise victoriously from the Dead with the divine nature in glorified bodies? Is it not the acquisition of glory? Yes, it is! Paul says in the verse above that God is making known the glorious riches of this Hope.

You're mistaken if you think that the Resurrection is only glory for our bodies. It's also the glory of being invested with authority. We have been promised by God that we will rule on the Earth forever with Christ.

We will be greater than angels! That's glorious. We will rule over them.

We have this certain Hope--that after our resurrection, we'll be as Jesus is now. He became what we are that we might become what he is—filled with intelligence, knowledge, wisdom--and authority. We will be immortal, resurrected with the divine nature, and filled with glory.

Jesus' resurrection gives us the confidence that we will, like him, be eternally young—so Christ in us is the Hope of glory! It's the Hope of being immortal. It's the belief that we will become eternally strong, healthy, young, and powerful. It's the guarantee of Kingdom authority.

God's Mandate to Adam

We believe that the mandate God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was intended for us. God commanded our forefather and foremother, those first two human beings, to rule. He gave them authority. He delivered the Earth and its abundance to them.

‘… fill the Earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’

Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole Earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food’ (Genesis 1:28-29).

God has always intended for mankind to subdue the Earth. We are designed to rule over fish, birds, and every land-dwelling animal. We are made in God's likeness and image. When Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6 and said 'you are gods' (John 10:34), he was reminding us that God designed us to rule with him.

God intends for us to benefit from the Earth’s trees and plants—and to enjoy ‘all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds’ (Acts 10:12) for food. Jesus reinforced this truth by commanding Peter to ‘kill and eat’ (Acts 10:13). And Paul affirms that all things are ours to enjoy.

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving... (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

... God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17; NASB).

The experience of being resurrected, becoming immortal, and being made rulers over the Earth can be summed up in one word: glory. Christ in us is the Hope of glory. We are confident that we will accomplish the goal of glory for the reason that Christ is in us.

We don't just wish for it. We believe that we'll get glory because Christ is in us.

You Must Be Born Again

“Christ in us” is not a cute expression. It's not a sweet epitaph. It's a concrete reality.

If Christ is in you, it's the result of Holy Spirit-baptism. Christ begins to dwell in us once we’re baptized by the Holy Spirit. Anyone who has experienced the new birth [being born again, rebirth, or regeneration] has Christ is in them because the Holy Spirit is in them, and the Holy Spirit is sent by Jesus.

Once he comes to you, the Holy Spirit seals you for salvation.

In him you also trusted, after you heard the word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14; NKJV).

With You or In You

You may have been in church for a long time, and you may have decades reading the Bible. The Holy Spirit may have anointed you many times, like he did with the apostles before Pentecost. That's not a big deal. The Spirit has been with you.

… the Spirit of Truth… you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (John 14:17).

The Holy Spirit may have been with you but not in you. If that's the case, then you must be born again. You must figure out a way to get the Holy Spirit to dwell within you. That's the challenge Jesus gave to Nicodemus.

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3:6-8).

Because Jesus assigned the Spirit the mission of revealing Jesus to us, the Spirit becomes “Christ in you” once you’re born again. Do you get that? Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit.

Something Better

So, having the Spirit with us is like having Jesus with us—but it's even better! Is it possible for something to be better than having Jesus with you? Yes, because the Spirit, whose primary task is to remind us of everything Jesus taught us, has the capability of living within each one of us individually. Jesus said:

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7).

Jesus, if he were physically with us now, would only be with us on the outside. He would sit with us, eat with us, walk with us. And all that would be great, but the Holy Spirit—who testifies to everything Jesus taught and said—can be with us on the inside, spiritually.

The Spirit can dwell within us. That's something Jesus didn't do with the disciples. But he does it with us now--through the Spirit he sent!

Jesus Sent the Holy Spirit

The fact that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us means that you should receive the Holy Spirit as you would receive Jesus himself. The Spirit comes to us as a Helper, a Witness, a Teacher, and Transmitter of Truth—until the Kingdom. That’s what Jesus means by his expression to the age in the next verse.

I will ask the Father, and another Comforter he will give to you, that he may remain with you--to the age (John 14:16; YLT).

Here are more verses where Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit. We have already highlighted these in another post, click here to see them in One Spirit #22.

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me (John 15:26; ESV).

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26 ESV).

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7 ESV).

The Holy Spirit testifies to us about Christ. That is, he testifies of all the things the Lord Jesus said during his earthly ministry. So Jesus and the Holy Spirit become almost indistinguishable--with the difference being that the Spirit teaches us from within and Jesus teaches from without. The content of their message is the same.

Christ in You

Having the Holy Spirit in you is having Christ within you. We’ve already examined Colossians 1:27 which says that the Hope of glory is Christ in you. Having the Holy Spirit live in us is the seal of our salvation--it guarantees our eternal life. And we’ll get the promised eternal life in the Kingdom if the Holy Spirit has sealed us.

Below are six more verses that substantiate the Christ in you truth. These affirm that the new birth, Holy Spirit baptism, leads to the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, and that’s Christ in you. [If you click on the red text, you can see this same topic covered in One Spirit #24].

Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you (2 Corinthians 13:5)?

... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17).

I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19).

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

... if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness (Romans 8:10).

Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20; LEB).

When the Bible affirms that Christ is in us, it means that he is in us through the Holy Spirit. Don’t forget to understand the expression Christ in you in that light. Christ is in us through the Holy Spirit, the One Jesus calls Another Comforter. Jesus is the Comforter, but the Holy Spirit is Another Comforter, very similar to Jesus.

Legit and Illegit

There’s an illegitimate way to get glory and a legitimate way. The Devil sought glory illegitimately. Of course, supplanting God is the farthest thing from the mind of a follower of Jesus. Far be it from us to imagine stealing God’s glory. That’s the thought of the Devil.

You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the Heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the Mount of Assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’ (Isaiah 14:13-14).

When the Devil prepared to steal God’s place he repeated “I will” five times! Christians never say “I will exalt myself.” Rather, we affirm that God will exalt us.

In spite of Lucifer’s hatred for God, his arrogance, and his selfish desire for glory, we continue to seek glory. We seek the rewards God has promised to those who love him. We persist in our belief in the Father, who can do great things in us.

Our approach to glory is not to impulsively grab glory or to steal it, but to wait patiently for God to resurrect us—because glory is a Hope. Lucifer said ‘I will make myself like the Most High,’ demonstrating self-confidence. He had no trust in God. We do. We trust in his love.

Unlike the Devil, we seek a better resurrection (Hebrews 11:35), a wide entry into the Kingdom (2 Peter 1:11), glory, honor, and immortality (Romans 2:7). We seek them because we trust God to do these things in us. We are so distant from the illegitimate desires of the Devil!

We will not let Satan’s misguided and evil lust for power scare us away from manifesting a well-guided pure desire for glory. Our desire is, after all, inspired by God’s promises.

We want to get glory legitimately, just like Jesus got it. Did he not obtain the glory of God legitimately? Yes, he did. And doesn’t Jesus want to share that glory with us? Yes, he does. He said it in his Upper Room prayer to God:

I have given them [the disciples] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one… Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me… (John 17:22-24)

The Role of the Spirit

Now, if the Spirit is in us, and by suffering in Jesus’ name we get greater anointings from the Holy Spirit—our Kingdom glory will also increase. An increased degree of glory is ours based on experiences, and not just on degrees of faith. You have to earn this Hope of glory.

But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the Dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the Dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you…

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him (Romans 8:11, 15-17).

Take note: We are only heirs of the Kingdom ‘if indeed we suffer with’ Jesus. And if we truly suffer with Jesus, then we will ‘also be glorified with him.’ That’s the deal. If you bear a cross, you get a crown. If you are rejected by man, you’ll be accepted by God.

God Establishes Us

Don’t worry about how to be born again. You don’t get a new birth any more from your own involvement than a baby decides to be born. God is the one who determines when someone will be born again. God determines who gets established in Christ and who gets anointed.

Now the one who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anoints us is God, who also sealed us and gave the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; LEB).

If you have read the words of Paul carefully, you’ll see that God establishes us by sealing us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a guarantee or ‘down payment’ of the glory of the resurrection to come. That’s what it tells us in the next passage too.

For indeed we who are in this tent [the mortal body] groan, being burdened for this reason, that we do not want to be unclothed [ashamed], but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Now the One who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the down payment, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:4-5; LEB)

Again, God is the one who does this in us. And he desires to do it in us. He’s very willing to give us the Holy Spirit. He longs for it more than you imagine.

So ask for God to give you Christ in you. Ask for the Spirit. God will deliver, and the Hope of glory will become your strength!

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13; NKJV)!