Romans 8: 18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
The glory that shall be revealed in us is the earnest expectation of the believers, with the manifestation of the sons of God. This is the Spirit of prayer for which we groan and long for. The Spirit of God in us likewise groans with us for the revelation of this glory in us and to make us accounted worthy of it. Though the glory is what we hoped for, the scripture, however, makes it clear that what we hoped for is not anything we have seen. Romans 8: 24: “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?” Meaning, the glory that shall be revealed in us is not anything that we have seen. The bible says in Isaiah 64 verse 4: “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” But the Spirit of God knows the mind of God and earnestly pray for us with groaning which cannot be uttered in plain speech. Like Apostle Paul said of the divine revelation he had, “things not lawful to be uttered (2 Corinthians 12: 4),” because it is not yet the appointed time. Our Lord Jesus also made intercession regarding this glory in John 17: 22 and still makes intercession for the saints, showing the primacy of the revelation and the manifestation of this glory.
To remember our Lord Jesus only in the flesh dulls our minds to the glory which the Father had purposed in Christ for the believers who have been justified through faith in Christ. Apostle John in the gospel of John chapter 1 verse 14 talks of this glory, “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The glory which John talks about and which they saw for a fleeting moment was the glory they saw in the transfiguration of Christ. It was the glory which our Lord had of the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17: 24) and which the Father had restored unto Him after His resurrection and ascension.
We should not mistake gifts for glory. While gifts are glorious, because they are divine, it is not the glory that is to be revealed in us. Apostle Paul said, “Why do we yet hope for that which we can see?” We have seen gifts in manifestation so they cannot be what we hope for in our groan and for which the Holy Spirit likewise help our infirmity to groan for. Our Lord Jesus prayed for it before His departure in John chapter 17, and the bible affirms that He still makes intercession for the saints (Hebrews 7: 25).
God the Father said in Isaiah 42:8 “And my glory I will not give to another.” It is the exclusive preserve of God, and we see this glory shared with Christ before the foundation of the world because our Lord Jesus is one with the Father. This is the glory that God had in hope for man and which man fell short of (Romans 3: 23). Had man not fall into disobedience in the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God forbade him not to eat, we would be partakers of this glory without the knowledge of sin. But then sin came, and man fell short of this glory and also lost the knowledge of this glory. But thanks be to God for the riches of His grace and goodwill towards men, with sin now abolished in Christ who was made the propitiation for our sin, man is now justified to be glorified. The Holy Spirit is given us to nurture the life of Christ in us awaiting the revelation of this glory, for Christ in us is our hope for this glory (Colossians1: 27). Without Christ in us, we cannot be glorified. This is why the Holy Spirit is our earnest inheritance. Without Him, we have not the Spirit of Christ and cannot receive the awaited revelation and manifestation of the glory. For this reason, we are to mind the things of the Spirit. For this reason, we are to yield to the Holy Spirit and allowed to be led by the Holy Spirit daily.
We are a living soul by the Holy Spirit now that we are born again through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, awaiting the revelation of glory in us. Being born again but yet in the tabernacle of the flesh, we groan within ourselves for our adoption and the redemption of our body into the glorious liberty of children of God. The Holy Spirit likewise makes intercession for us for Christ to be born in us and dwell richly in us, and so for the revelation of glory made certain in us. This is the Spirit of prayer. It is also the essence of our living, to live after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Not to be carnally minded any more, but to be led by the Holy Spirit.
It does not yet appear what we shall be when this glory is revealed in us, but Apostle John in the epistle 1 John 3: 2 says “we shall be like Him” like Christ, not as we once knew Him in the flesh, but as He is now, in the Spirit. When our Lord Jesus was made manifest in the flesh, Apostle John in the gospel of John chapter 1 verse 14 summed Him as full of grace and truth. So we also, while in this fleshly tabernacle, should be full of grace and truth. We are to know the truth and be set free from the bondage of the flesh, though we live in the fleshly tabernacle. We are also to be full of grace, living righteous and not found guilty of the law as those who have been saved. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11)
Apostle Paul in Galatians 4: 19 prayed: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” We also should travail in prayer by the Holy Spirit that Christ be formed in us, and we be one with Him, “made conformable to His death” (Philippians 3:10). That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that we, be rooted and grounded in His love; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The crux of the matter of the awaited glory to be revealed in us is expressed in Romans chapter 8 verse 21: “Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” And also in verse 19: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” This is the hope which God had subjected every man into. The awaited glory, which is to be revealed in them who have Christ, is their deliverance from the bondage of corruption and manifestation as children of God. They are the ones who will be true heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ for all eternity. Those who will be one with the Father and with Jesus Christ to fulfil the ultimate desire of God in Genesis 1 verse 26: “Let us make man in our own image and after our likeness.” They are the ones spoken of in Revelation chapter 3 verse 12: “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” They are pillars set that will never be separated from God.
King David in Psalm 17 verse 15 says: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” This is the quest of every living soul created by God after His own image and likeness. We can only be satisfied when we become like Him, when we awake from this mortal flesh that had come short of God’s glory because of sin. Awakening into His likeness, that is, being as He is, this is glory that no eyes have seen or ear heard, for no man has yet seen the LORD. It is like a light that shines out of darkness, it cannot be explained, for it cannot be conceived by the heart of man because darkness cannot comprehend it. The physical cannot comprehend the Spirit. Likewise, we cannot comprehend this glory though we talked about it, though we wait for it in hope, though we groan inwardly for it. We however will only see His face in righteousness, we must live to have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21: 27) and for this the LORD Holy Spirit groan on our behalf as He works in us to vouchsafe us worthy for the Lamb’s Book of Life. He is our earnest inheritance, He is the power that keeps us, He is our guarantee till the redemption of our bodies as purchased possessions of Christ. Our Lord Jesus, in the days of His flesh, depended entirely on the LORD Holy Spirit and earnestly prayed with strong crying and reverence to Him that is able to save His soul from death (Hebrews 5: 7) as a pattern for us. Our hope for the awaited glory of being in God’s likeness is guaranteed only in the LORD Holy Spirit.
In the days of His flesh, when the Lord Jesus sent out the disciples to the towns and villages to announce the kingdom. He gave them authority, saying, “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10: 9). The disciples returned with joy to Him, saying in verse 17 of Luke chapter 10, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. “But the Lord responded to them in verse 20: “Yet do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subjected to you; but rejoice that your names are written in the heavens.” Our Lord Jesus pointedly told the disciples that healing the sick, casting out demons, and the like is not the bus stop. So also in these last days, there will be a manifestation of signs greater than the days of the Apostles, and we must prepare ourselves for it. The purpose of these manifestations is to announce to nations that the kingdom of God is here and to draw men into the kingdom, but this is not the awaited glory. These are signs. They are concurrent of the awaited glory, and we should be careful that we do not see it as the ultimate and let down our guard or become puffed up and not have our eyes on the ultimate glory. We shall only see God’s face in righteousness. Christ must remain in us. His character, His purity, His righteousness, His life must be evident in us and remain in us, because anyone not having the Spirit of Christ is none of His. To perform miracles is one, but to have the Spirit of Christ is another. This distinction is made lucid in the gospel of Mathew chapter 7 verse 22 and 23: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’. We should never forget from where the LORD picked us from: “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died.” (2 Corinthians 5: 14). We were all dead because the wages of sin is death, and we all have sinned. We must also remind ourselves of the hope of glory being awaited.
So, how are we to ensure that we do not fall short of this awaited glory? How do we like our Lord Jesus endure to the end for it was written of Him in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2: “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.” The hope of glory set before us is worth living for while we are still in this tabernacle of the flesh. How do we ensure that Christ remains in us. This has to be by the word of God, by the Spirit of God, and by prayer. We must have the word of God dwell richly in us, and we live by it. We must lean on the LORD Holy Spirit, acknowledge Him in our journey of faith, and yield to Him to lead us, for He makes intercession for us with groaning, which cannot be uttered. We also must give ourselves to prayer that God should vouchsafe us worthy to be partakers of His glory. Like Daniel of old we must be intentional and consistent, like Joseph, we must flee from every appearances of evil and like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, we must never turn back from the profession of our faith and love not our lives so much as to shrink from death.
