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—Romans 8:18

INTRODUCTION

Glorification is the final step in our salvation: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). Glorification is the final step because there is nothing after it: when we are glorified, our salvation will be complete and we will have reached the goal that God ordained for us. Paul sets glorification before us, especially as we suffer, as an incentive for us to persevere. There is suffering in the Christian life, but continue to hope because there is glory at the end.

WHAT IT IS

Glorification is the final salvation of the elect sinner and his reception into eternal life. There are several aspects to glorification. First, glorification is final salvation: it is the perfection of salvation. Second, glorification is the enjoyment of eternal life, which is perfect, unending life, which consists in knowing God through Jesus Christ forever. Third, glorification is the perfection of sanctification: only those whom God has begun to make holy in this life are perfectly sanctified, and therefore glorified, in the world to come. Glorification, then, is freedom from all sin (its guilt, its power, its pollution, and even its presence) and perfect conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.

Glorification occurs in three stages in the child of God. First, we receive the gift of eternal life at the point of regeneration. In a certain sense, we have received the whole of salvation already in seed form or as a beginning. The Christian life really consists of the blossoming of the life contained within that seed. If in this life the seed is planted, glorification is the final blooming of the rose, except that the rose will never wilt or fade away. That is why Jesus says that believers “have passed from death to life” (John 5:24). That is why Paul says that we already “sit in heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6). And that is why Paul says, “Your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Thus we confess in Heidelberg Catechism, A. 58: “Since I now feel in my heart the beginning of eternal joy.”

Second, we are glorified in the soul at the point of death. When the Christian dies, the struggle with sin comes to an end, the soul is immediately taken up to Christ its Head, and the child of God enters conscious bliss in heavenly glory. “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24).

Third, we are glorified in the body in the final resurrection on the Last Day. Most believers, unless they live until the second coming of the Lord, will die. While the soul is immediately glorified, the body will be buried and it shall see corruption. Therefore, it too must share in the glory of salvation: “So also is the resurrection of the dead: it is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (1 Cor. 15:42-43).

The creeds speak of glorification: “He shall translate me with all His chosen ones to Himself into heavenly joys and glory” (Heidelberg Catechism, A. 52). “My body, being raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul, and made like unto the glorious body of Christ” (HC, A. 57). “After this life I shall inherit perfect salvation” (HC, A. 58). “And for a gracious reward the Lord will cause them to possess such a glory as never entered into the heart of man to conceive” (Belgic Confession, Art. 37). “And having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of His Son finally to glorify them for the demonstration of His mercy and for the praise of His glorious grace” (Canons 1.7).

The Bible calls this future blessedness, this final salvation, “glory.” Glory is an important biblical word. The Hebrew word for glory is chabod. We are familiar with the name Ichabod: if chabod is glory, Ichabod is “no glory.” When the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant, the wife of Phinehas the priest cried out, “Ichabod: the glory of the Lord is departed,” or no glory. The word chabod or glory means “heavy or weighty.” The idea is that something glorious has weight, significance, or substance. Paul expresses this idea in 2 Corinthians 4:17 when he speaks of a “weight of glory.”

The Greek word for glory is doxa. We are familiar with the word “doxology,” a word of glory, usually a song of praise. The word doxa means brightness or shining: the sun has glory, the stars have glory— they shine. God has glory—He shines. Jesus is “the brightness of God’s glory” (Heb. 1:3)—He shines. Glory, then, is the splendor, the brightness, the magnificence, the excellence of God, according to which He is weighty or significant. He shines forth as the sum of all perfections. God’s glory is the shining forth of His holiness, righteousness, wisdom, power, goodness, and truth.

God is glorious. Christ is glorious. One day, we will be glorious—that is glorification. This does not mean that we will be glorious of ourselves or that we will be worshiped or adored, but it means that we will forever, and perfectly reflect the glory of God. Romans 8 is only one of many passages of the Word of God that teaches this truth. In verses 14-18 the subject is the privileges of the children of God: we are led by the Spirit of God (v. 14); we have received the Spirit of adoption (v. 15) so that we are assured of our adoption; we are heirs (v. 17).

What, then, do we inherit? In a word, we inherit “glory.” In verse 18 Paul speaks of the “glory which shall be revealed in us.” That glory—that chabod (that weightiness or heaviness), that doxa (that brightness or shining forth of God’s perfections)—shall be revealed in us. In our soul and in our body God’s glory shall shine forth, reflected in thousands of ways in us, through us, and by us. That glory shall be the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom we are united by the Spirit. That will be a complete and utter transformation. Now we are mean, base, and shameful; our souls are polluted, our minds are defiled, and our bodies are affected by the infirmities of the flesh. One day we shall be glorious: Jesus “shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). In a word, “glory” for us is holiness, which is separation from sin, consecration to God, deliverance from the power, filth, pollution, and even the presence of sin; and holiness is perfect devotion to God in love. That is glory.

The glory that we inherit is the glory of Jesus Christ. Indeed, explains Paul, “we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (v. 17). What Christ inherits, we also inherit. In verse 17 the apostle teaches that we will be “glorified together.” The word is literally co-glorified. Our glorification is inseparably connected to Christ’s glorification: glorified with Christ; glorified together; co-glorified. Jesus Christ has already received His glory. He has glory as the eternal Son of God, which is His essential glory, the glory of His person. He has glory also as the incarnate Mediator, as the man Jesus; that glory is given to Him: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). In John 17:24 Jesus prays, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me.”

That glory shall be revealed or publicly unveiled. Presently, the glory is hidden, but one day every eye shall see the glory, not only of Jesus, but also of the children of God, the glory that we have in Jesus Christ. That glory shall be revealed in us: we will not only witness it, but we will partake of the glory. We will be glorified body and soul, so that our whole being will shine with the glory of God in Jesus Christ. That is not because we deserve it—God forbid that we should think that—but because we are in Jesus Christ: chosen in Christ, redeemed by Christ, united to Christ. He, the Head, is glorified; we, the members, will be glorified with Him.

OUR PREPARATION FOR IT

Not everyone will be glorified. Glorification is final salvation. Therefore, only those who are regenerated, called, converted, have saving faith, are justified, sanctified, and preserved will be glorified. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you will be glorified. The Bible gives a description of those who will be glorified and those who will not be glorified in Daniel 12:2-3: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Those who are called “wise” and who “turn many to righteousness” shall be glorified. Others, who are the wicked, will suffer “shame and everlasting contempt.” Similar is Matthew 13:43: “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” It is the righteous, not the unrighteous, who shall be glorified. The same parable speaks of “them which do iniquity.” They shall not be glorified, but cast into a furnace of fire. Or Romans 8:30, “Whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Unbelievers, who are never justified, will also not be glorified.

There is also a path to glory, a way by which God brings us to glory, the way of suffering. In verse 17 we read, “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” The sufferings of which Paul writes are sufferings with Him, sufferings with Christ. These are sufferings that we endure because of our connection to Jesus Christ: the mockery, the ridicule, and the opposition of the world; the hatred of friends and family; the loss of place, position, and honor in the world because of our confession of the gospel. Do not confuse these with the sufferings that we might encounter as consequences for our sins and folly. “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully; for what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye bear it patiently? But if when ye do well, and suffer for it, this is acceptable with God” (1 Pet. 2:19-20). “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed: but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Pet. 4:14-16).

These sufferings come upon all true Christians; they differ in frequency and in severity, but they will certainly come. Unless you choose not to suffer— unless you refuse to suffer—then they will not come. But the only way to avoid suffering is by denying Christ, and by persisting in that denial until the end: then you will not suffer, but you will also not be glorified. That is Paul’s meaning in verse 17: “And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” What Paul means is this: “If we do not suffer with him, we are not the children of God, the heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” If we do not suffer with Him, we will not be glorified with Him.

There is, then, an inseparable connection between present suffering and future glory. Paul describes the connection with the word “that” in verse 17: “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.”

God’s purpose in bringing us through suffering is to prepare us for glory. Gold does not shine as brightly as it otherwise would unless it is refined in fire. Likewise, we will shine all the more brightly in heavenly glory when we are refined through suffering. That was true for Jesus Christ, and since we will be glorified with Him (co-glorified), it is fitting that we are glorified in the same way. Christ entered His glory through suffering; we do too. “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?” Jesus asks in Luke 24:26. Jesus’ sufferings are, of course, unique. By them He has satisfied for our sins. Our sufferings cannot satisfy for our sins. Nevertheless, God promises glory in no other way than along the path of suffering. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12).

Paul describes the relation between suffering and glory in other places. One striking text is 2 Corinthians 4:17: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The important word in that text is “worketh”: “affliction worketh glory.” That word describes the relation: it is more than “glory follows affliction” and it is more than “affliction precedes glory.” It means that affliction produces glory, affliction brings glory about, affliction results in glory, or affliction accomplishes or prepares for glory. The same idea appears in Romans 5:3: “Tribulation worketh patience.” It is important to understand the relation. It is not that we merit glory by our enduring suffering and it is not that by our suffering we pay for our sins. Yet affliction works glory.

The working of glory by affliction is, however, not automatic. Not all affliction works glory. Certainly it does not work glory for the wicked. When the wicked are afflicted, they are hardened and become bitter and angry against God. But it is also not automatic for us, for without God’s grace affliction produces also in us bitterness, anger, self-pity, and even despair. Such tribulation does not work glory without God’s grace, and often the flesh reacts first before we see the evidence of God’s grace in us. Therefore, as James puts it, “let patience have her perfect work” (Jam. 1:4).

How does affliction work glory? It does so by preparing us for glory and by preparing glory for us. First, affliction makes the world bitter to us so that we long for our heavenly home. The world is a constant threat to our sanctification. Through affliction, which God sends upon us, we love the world less than we would otherwise be tempted to do. Second, affliction makes us acutely aware that there is no comfort for us in the things of the world, so that we draw closer to God. If the world is too comfortable, we seek it rather than God. Third, affliction exercises us in spiritual graces. We learn patience, we learn hope, we learn faith, we learn love through the enduring of affliction. We should view affliction as a spiritual gymnasium in which we flex our spiritual muscles, without which we are weak and flabby. Fourth, affliction corrects, chastens, and purges us; it is like a bitter medicine that is good for us. Through affliction God purges us of pride, selfishness, and other sins. Finally, by affliction God conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ. If Christ suffered and entered into glory, do you expect to enter glory in any other way? Affliction works glory.

ITS INCOMPARABLE GREATNESS

The glory that awaits us and which shall be revealed in us is incomparably great. That is what Paul teaches in verse 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.” Paul does not discount or even minimize the sufferings of this present time: they are great. Paul knew personally what it meant to suffer for Jesus Christ; and if suffering does not hurt, if affliction does not squeeze, and if tribulation does not make us feel pressure, it is not really suffering, affliction, or tribulation. But when compared with the future glory, our sufferings are nothing. When we come to glory, and when that glory is revealed, we will say, “I reckon that they were not worthy to be compared.” Even now we should say: “I reckon that they are not worthy to be compared.”

Just try to imagine what that glory will be like. When we are perfectly holy in body and soul, we will look back on our lives and wonder why we made such a fuss about our sufferings here below. When we see what we enjoy in heaven, we will wonder why we mourned so much about the loss of earthly possessions. When we enjoy everlasting life, we will wonder why we were so afraid of death. When we receive the crown of glory that Christ graciously gives us, we will wonder why we were so reluctant at times to take up our cross, to deny ourselves, and to follow Him. We will say, “There is no comparison between this glory and the sufferings that I endured on the way here.”

Second Corinthians 4:17 makes a twofold comparison between affliction and glory. In Romans 8:18 Paul asserts that they are not worthy to be compared; in 2 Corinthians 4:17 Paul makes an attempt to compare them. First, Paul compares the various weights: remember that the Hebrew word for “glory” (chabod) means weightiness or heaviness. Paul speaks of “a…weight of glory.” In contrast, the apostle calls our afflictions “light”: “our light affliction….” Something light is insignificant like a feather or a speck of dust; it hardly registers on the balance. Our afflictions are not light in themselves, but relative to our future glory they are light. The glory is called “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Compare a feather to a mountain of gold. There is no comparison. Compare light affliction to the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” There is no comparison.

Second, Paul compares the various lengths of time. He writes of “an eternal weight of glory.” Our affliction, says Paul, is “but for a moment.” It passes in the blink of an eye. From our perspective our afflictions last for years, maybe a lifetime, but relative to eternity they pass in the blink of an eye: A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory is glory that we shall enjoy forever without end. Compare a second to eternity; compare one hundred years, one thousand years, one million years to eternity. There is no comparison.

That is the wonder of salvation: chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; redeemed by the blood of the cross; and given life by the Holy Spirit. We are sinners saved by grace: regenerated, called, converted by grace; given the gift of faith by grace; justified, sanctified, and preserved by grace; and when our earthly sojourn is finished, we will be glorified by grace. Grace from beginning to end, to the glory of the God of all grace.