Obtaining the Glory of Our Lord, Jesus Christ

Obtaining the Glory of Our Lord, Jesus Christ

The glory of Jesus Christ does not consist of crowns of gold, thrones of gold, and streets of gold, but it consists of His virtues. The virtues of Christ are His glory. Therefore we have been chosen to proclaim His virtues, which are His glory. 1 Pet. 2:9.

Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians, that He had chosen them for salvation. They were called through the gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess. 2:13-14. To be chosen for such a salvation is greater than we can understand, but we have to see it as great if it is to succeed for us.

As we can see, we have been chosen for salvation. We have to be chosen—chosen from the glory of the world and from among people so we, as free and unhindered, can do what the Spirit speaks in our hearts. Only then can we see the glory of the virtues of Christ.

The fall was great, and sin in the flesh is very powerful. Vices characterize our human nature, and the corruption in the world is great. We have been chosen for salvation—“so great a salvation”—that we partake of divine nature: patience and mercy instead of impatience and mercilessness, etc. Stop and think about the misery that will then vanish and the glory that will come as a result.

We cannot sit at a meeting and partake of this glory, but we can sit there and listen to the gospel and receive faith for this glorious salvation. We have to go out into life’s difficulties to partake of salvation. We have received a certain amount of time in our life, and during this time we meet the opportunities we need that give us the chance to obtain the virtues of Christ. When we encounter evil from people, it is a God-given opportunity for us to obtain glory, to surrender our own nature into the death of Christ so that the life of Christ can shine from us.

Life will pass us by if we do not avail ourselves of these opportunities. We cannot partake of divine nature by way of a blessing or an experience. We must, in the difficulties of life, put to death our own nature by the Spirit in order to partake of divine nature. Rom. 8:13. We must be faithful on this point and make use of the opportunities. We don’t have too many of them. It is a slow process for Christ’s virtues to become our nature. We will not obtain the glory of His virtues if we are not apprehended of them.

The deciding factor in all this is what we use our body for. God jealously desires the spirit He let dwell in us. Jas. 4:5. He wants it purified from all sin in the flesh. My spirit cannot be cleansed from evil and be sanctified, if I use my body in the service of anger. Not at all! My spirit is permeated by whatever my body does. Therefore I need to receive power through the Holy Spirit to put to death the members that are on the earth (Col. 3:5), and I have opportunity to do that through the difficulties that life has to offer. If I do not make use of them, I will not obtain the glory of Jesus Christ. I have to be apprehended of the virtues so I can avail myself of the opportunities.

A person can on his deathbed receive eternal life through the forgiveness of sins, but he has not thereby obtained the glory of Jesus Christ. You also cannot gather treasures in heaven on your deathbed. The glory of Christ has to be obtained through obedience in life. Jesus, in the days of His flesh, also had to learn obedience through suffering. We have to go the same way He went. The fruit of presenting our body in the ministry of righteousness is sanctification. Rom. 6:22. My spirit is cleansed from sin in the flesh and is filled with the virtues of Christ.

Paul considered this glory so great that he endured not only all kinds of sufferings himself in order to partake of it, but he also endured all kinds of sufferings for the others that they, too, might partake of it. 2 Tim. 2:10.