September 22

Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. — John 17:24 BSB

How great and beyond description is the glory of Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love! Christ is not only glorious in His essential deity as the Son of God but also in His holy and spotless humanity, which He assumed in the womb of the Virgin Mary. His human nature, though made of flesh and blood like ours, was “that Holy One” conceived by the Holy Spirit, united with His eternal deity to become “Immanuel, God with us.” His humanity, in all its purity and perfection, is exceedingly glorious. But its greatest glory comes from its union with His divine nature. The human nature of Jesus veils His deity, yet through this veil, the deity shines forth, filling His humanity with unutterable brightness and glory.

Each nature—divine and human—retains its own distinct glory, for humanity can never become deity, nor can deity become humanity. Yet the union of these two natures in the person of the God-man is in itself a glorious mystery. The wisdom, grace, and love revealed in this union uphold and maintain the work of salvation, from its first fruits of grace to its ultimate fruits of glory.

Through this union of humanity with deity, the Church is brought into an intimate relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Christ, who is God, became one with man, uniting man with God. This is the fulfillment of the profound truth expressed in His prayer: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us.” The glory of Christ shines in His deity, in His humanity, and in His role as the God-man. This threefold glory reflects His preexistence with the Father, His life in the world as the Son of Man, and now, as He reigns in heaven, His mediatorial glory as the God-man.

This mediatorial glory of Christ is seen by faith in this life and will be fully revealed in the life to come. The disciples saw a glimpse of it on the Mount of Transfiguration; Stephen saw it as he was martyred; Paul experienced it when he was caught up into the third heaven; and John beheld it on the Isle of Patmos. But for most believers, Christ’s glory is revealed in a quieter, more gradual way. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by revealing Him to the soul, removing the veil of ignorance and unbelief, and enabling the believer to see Christ with the eyes of faith. In this way, we behold His beauty and glory, though not with our physical eyes, yet with a spiritual understanding that brings joy unspeakable and full of glory.

When we view Christ through faith, everything about Him becomes precious and glorious. His miracles, His words of wisdom and truth, His deeds of goodness and mercy, His perfect example of patience and meekness, His suffering and death, His atoning blood and justifying righteousness—all these divine realities shine forth with beauty when seen in the light of faith. Christ’s glory is not only in what He did but in who He is—our living, reigning Savior, seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us as the great High Priest over the house of God. In Christ, all these divine realities become a precious and living truth for those who behold Him by faith.