April 22

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” —JOHN 1:14

The term “glory of God” is used in the Bible with slight variation of meaning. Whatever the precise meaning within different contexts, it primarily speaks of the nature and acts of God in self-manifestation; that is what God essentially is and does.

Paul tells us in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The word ‘sin’ comes from the ancient world of archery, and literally means ‘to miss the target’. Whether we miss the target by a millimeter or a mile is irrelevant. James 2:10 says, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” The law James refers to is the Ten Commandments, which reveal the moral character of God. Therefore, the moral character of God is the glory of God, and the target we fall short of. This immediately rings true, because it was to express the character of God that human beings were created in the first place. It is in our failure to fulfill that purpose which constitutes our sin. 

Because the target which sin is measured against is the glory of God, it is only as we discover how we can be what God created us to be that we can deal with sin. Goodness is an absolute in which we were created, and goodness is the moral character of God. It is not an arbitrary notion in that each person has equal right to decide what is good and bad. Neither is good and bad determined by consensus. Jesus declared what is good when a rich young ruler asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good - except God alone” (Mark 10:17-18). Something is only good because it is consistent with God, and conversely, something is only bad because it conflicts with God. 

In contrast to the failure of mankind, it was the constant hitting of the target that made Jesus Christ the perfect Man. In everything He did; work, leisure, family and interactions with others, Jesus portrayed accurately and consistently what God is like. The writer of Hebrews says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of his being…” (Hebrews 1:3). What God is the Son radiated. What God does, the Son represented. And in God’s love for us, He has offered us the ultimate blessing and privilege of having the life of His Son indwell us, not simply to forgive our sin with the promise of heaven, but so that something of the glory of God may be revealed in us. 

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the incredible blessing of Jesus in my life. I pray for His Spirit to fill me completely. 

TO REFLECT UPON: Do I have an accurate understanding of the glory of God?