by Arthur W. Pink
by Arthur W. Pink
Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org
by Arthur W. Pink
November, 1936
Union and Communion.
9. GloryThis present life, with is continual mixture of good and evil, joy and sorrow, with its constant fluctuations and disappointments, naturally prompts a reflecting mind to the belief and hope of a future life that will be more perfect and permanent; yet that is as far as the unaided intellect can project us. A Divine revelation is indispensable if we are to learn how Heaven is to be reached, and of what its blessedness consists. By the fall of the first Adam paradise was lost, and only through the last Adam can sinners be restored unto God, and only by the supernatural operations of the Spirit can the hearts of depraved men be fitted for and their steps be directed along the sole way which conducts to the mansions in the Father's House. Vain is human reasoning, worthless the efforts of imagination, when it comes to obtaining a knowledge of that antitypical Canaan which flows with spiritual milk and honey. How thankful, then, should we be for the Word of Prophecy and the light it supplies while we are in this dark world.
That blessed light has been enjoyed by God's elect from earliest times. “As for me (said the Psalmist), I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness” (Psa. 17:15). Here was the blessed sequel to Jehovah's response unto Moses: “show me Thy glory” had been his request, “thou canst not see My face (in this life), for there shall no man see Me, and live” was the Divine response (Exo. 33:18-20). But what is, necessarily, denied the saints now, shall be granted them in the future. While in this world indwelling sin raises an insuperable barrier, incapacitating the soul to discern more than a few broken rays of the Divine splendour. But when we “awake,” on the Resurrection-morn, and sin and the grave are left behind, then will the soul be fitted for the beatific vision, for “the pure in heart shall see God” (Matt. 5:8), see Him then as they cannot now.
When David said “I will behold Thy face” he had reference to an objective glory, and that, in its most perfect representation; for the “face” is the principal part of our persons wherein physical beauty and moral dignity are displayed. When he added “I shall be satisfied with Thy likeness,” a different concept is before him, another factor is introduced - one which must necessarily enter into the equation of soul satisfaction. The most vivid display of the Divine glory, so far from satisfying, will only terrify those who are not in inward harmony therewith, as is evident from Revelation 6:16, etc. No sight of God can satisfy any one unless and until his soul be conformed to the Divine image and attempered thereto. Thus we understand the Psalmist to mean, “Hereafter I shall behold the blessed face of God, and be regaled thereby; not only by the vision itself, but because of its transfusing itself upon me, transforming me.” It is a Divine glory both revealed and received.
The same wondrous truth is set forth in the New Testament. “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” (Rom. 8:18); “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). The future glory of the saints, then, is not only a realm of light and bliss into which they are yet to be conducted, and an objective (outward) splendour which will rejoice their hearts, but it is also a glory to be “revealed in them,” a “weight of glory” upon them. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18); the final and perfect degree of this occurring in their resurrection state, at their glorification. All of this is summed up in “When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
There is a most striking and blessed parallel between the last-quoted verse and our opening Scripture. The Psalmist said, “When I awake,” the Apostle declares “when He shall appear” - the same time-mark or occasion. “I will behold Thy face in righteousness” (i.e., none but a righteous person will enjoy this holy privilege): “we shall see Him” - the same persons, namely, the “sons of God,” of whom it is said in the context “every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:29)! “I will behold Thy face” says David, “We shall see Him as He is” says John - the same blessed Object. “I shall be satisfied with Thy (transforming) likeness....we shall be like He” - the same blessed assimilation. What an example of the perfect unity of the Scriptures! What a proof that the Old Testament saints were favoured with the same light as we are!
Yet notwithstanding the revelation God has vouchsafed us of the life to come, how feebly do we grasp that revelation, how dimly do we comprehend its details; how infinitely it transcends the highest conceptions we can form of it. What we now know of God and His Christ is as nothing to what we shall yet know of Him, yea, in comparison with that it scarcely deserves to be called “knowledge”: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12). The fact is that mere language cannot convey to us in our present state any adequate idea of the glory which God has provided for His people. But though a full discovery thereof is reserved till the time of actual possession, yet enough is hinted at to nourish our hopes and gladden our hearts. To make this the more evident unto the reader, let us endeavour to amplify our statement by a presentation of some considerations. We may now form some conception of the Church's future glory.
From the contrast pointed by our present afflictions. That the future bliss of believers is exceedingly great is clear from “For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). Now we know that the sufferings of God's people in this world are, considered in themselves, heavy afflictions, yea, to some of them, grievously heavy. If, then, the trials and sorrows of the most afflicted among the saints are “light” when contrasted with their future happiness, how great must that happiness be! The paucity of human language to express the ineffable joys and pleasures awaiting us at God's right hand, is seen in the piling up of one term upon another: it is a “weight,” it is an “exceeding weight,” it is a “far more exceeding weight,” it is an “eternal weight of glory.”
From the reward promised the saints. This is frequently exhibited under the animating figure of the crowns bestowed upon the victors in the Grecian games and upon the military conquerors when they arrived back home in triumph. In those games the great men of the times entered as competitors for the glory of victory, and even kings thought themselves honoured by obtaining the prize. The victor was rewarded with a crown of leaves, and was received with unbounded honour by the vast multitudes assembled. Now, after all the self-denials in their training, the unwearied diligence in preparatory exercises, the toils and dangers endured in the arduous struggle, they deemed this reward a rich recompense, for it raised them to a pinnacle of glory to be viewed with admiration by all their fellows. Yet, they had in view “a corruptible crown,” whereas we are striving for an “incorruptible” one (1 Cor. 9:24, 25). Their crown was the greatest honour this world could bestow, and soon faded and withered. But the Christian's crown shall be bestowed by God, and bloom with unfading freshness throughout eternity; and its glory will be viewed by all the principalities of Heaven.
From the scattered hints of Scripture. These are numerous: from them we select two: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever” (Dan. 12:3). O ye despised followers of the Lamb, groaning under the reproach of the Cross, lift up your eyes and view this glorious prospect. Behold the heavens studded with their scintillating gems; see those bright orbs darting forth their light; and that is but a faint image of your future glory! “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13: 43). What object in nature is so glorious as the sun? Who can look on the brightness of his beams? Who can measure the extent and distance of his shining? Such shall be your glory, ye servants of the Lord, who despise the tinsel glory of this world through faith in the Word.
From our relationship to God. We may surely be assisted in estimating the future glory of Christians by the titles bestowed upon them from that connection. They are called the children and heirs of God, and it is not possible for the Almighty to invest created beings with a higher honour than that. There is a sense in which both angels and man are, by creation, the sons of God; but it is in a far more intimate and precious sense that believers are called God's children. He hath “begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3); “We are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26). We are the children of God, then, as we are the brethren of His only begotten Son, and that places us above the highest of the angels. And because we are children, we are the “heirs of God” (Rom. 8:17). O ye tried and troubled saints, who are having such a sore struggle to make ends meet, it shall not always be thus with you. Estimate the inheritance of saints by the riches of God Himself!
From what is said in Ephesians 2:6, 7. “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” - “show” to the heavenly hierarchies. If, then, God intends to make a lavish display of the wealth of His love toward His people, how surpassingly glorious will be such an exhibition! “When the Monarch of the Universe, the God of power and wisdom, declares His purpose of showing how much He loves His people, the utmost stretch of imagination will in vain struggle to form even a slight conception of their glory. All the thrones of Heaven will be filled with wonder, when they behold in their glory 'the men whom their King delights to honour'” (Alex Carson to whom we are also indebted for part of the above).
From the love of Christ for them. Surely that will enable us to form some estimate of the future condition of the saints in glory. Of His immeasurably great love for His people we have the fullest proof in His humiliation and death. Read the history of it, ponder the depths of degradation and ignominy into which the Lord of Glory descended, behold Him despised and rejected of men, an outcast from society, and at last a willing sacrifice for His people's sins, and that, even while they were enemies; and then ask yourself, what is the extent of His love? It defies description; it is beyond comprehension. Now if He loved us so while enemies, what will He not confer on us as His friends and brethren! Paul taught us to pray that we “might be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.” If, then, it is a matter of such importance to know His love, and if the extent of it is beyond knowledge, what is likely to be the height of glory to which its objects are elevated!
From the reward bestowed on Christ. In John 17:22 we hear Him speak of “the glory which Thou hast given Me.” What is the “glory” which the Father bestows upon the Mediator? It is the Divine reward for His stupendous achievements. It is that whereby His infinite merits shall be suitably recompensed throughout eternity. And what a glory that must be: answerable to the dignity of His Person, answerable to the revenue of honour and praise which He has brought unto God, commensurate with the unspeakable sacrifice which He made and with the worth of Him that made it! And when God gives, He does so in accordance with who He is. O what a “glory,” then, must it be with which the Father has rewarded His beloved Son: a transcendent and supernal glory. And that “glory” Christ shares with His redeemed: “And the glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given them” (John 17:22). Thus, there is a union in glory between the Church and its Head.
This it is which is the most wondrous and blessed aspect of our many-sided subject. This it is which is the grand goal which all the other unions between the Redeemer and the redeemed had in view, namely, an everlasting union in glory. And this it is which best enables us to conceive of and estimate the marvel, the grandeur, the uniqueness, of this glory union, namely, that it is the very glory which the Father had given to the Darling of His bosom, and which Christ will share with those whom He loved with a love that was stronger than death. “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of (not simply “glory,” but) the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:13, 14) - that was what God had in mind for His people in eternity past: nothing less would satisfy His heart.
Of old it was revealed “the LORD will give grace and glory” (Psa. 84:11). Here upon earth the saints enjoy Christ in a way of real fellowship, but in Heaven they shall enjoy Him in another and higher manner. Here Christ communicates Himself to them in a way of grace, so that their present communion with Him and communications from Him are suited to them as they are sinners in themselves. As thus considered, the Redeemer in His infinite goodness holds fellowship with His feeble and constantly-failing people, and as their Head of grace He ministers out of His fullness (John 1:16) every needed supply. But in Heaven He will be our Head of Glory, communicating to us that which will be suited to our resurrection and sinless state. We shall be as dependent on Him then for glory, as we now are for grace: all will be received from Him. The elect are “vessels of mercy” which God hath “afore prepared unto glory” (Rom. 9:23), and it is out of Christ's fullness they will be filled, so as to be perfectly blessed.
It is to be noted that in John 17:22 Christ employed the past tense: “the glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given (not “will give”) them.” This may be understood as follows. First, Christ has given the Church an unimpeachable title to the glory which has been bestowed upon Him. He has acquired the right of this glory for His people: “whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus” (Heb. 6:20): thus it is as surely ours now as if we were in actual possession of it. Second, He has given His people the knowledge of it: here in John 17:22, and in such declarations as Colossians 3:4, etc. - “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” The promises Christ has given us in His Gospel are the root of our future blessings, and in those promises we have a lease to show for it. Third, He has given us an earnest of the same, for by the indwelling Spirit we have received the “firstfruits” of our inheritance. This it was which enabled the Apostle to say I am “a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1). Fourth, He gives an actual enjoyment of it to each of the saints as soon as they are absent from the body and present with Himself.
Finally, Christ in this remarkable verse (John 17:22) gives as the reason why He shares with His people the glory which the Father hath bestowed upon Himself: “that they may be one even as We are.” Here our thoughts are directed to such a height that our poor minds turn dizzy. The very reading of those words should fill our hearts with holy amazement, as the actualization of them will fill us with admiration to all eternity. The oneness between the Father and the Son is such that They partake of the same ineffable blessedness, Each enjoying it equally with and like the Other. And that is the pattern and likeness, by way of similitude, of the glory union between the Redeemer and the redeemed! Ours will be like Theirs! As the union between the Father and the Son is a real one, a spiritual one, a holy one, an indestructible one, an inexpressibly glorious one, so will be that between Christ and His Church in Heaven.
As we showed in our discussion on Divine union, there is a real union of Persons in the Godhead and a communion amongst Them, for the mutual converse between the eternal Three are recorded again and again. Now just as the essential happiness of the Three in Jehovah consists in the holy fellowship which They have with each other, so it will be by the Church's heavenly communion with the Father, the Son and the Spirit, in and by the Person of the Mediator, that all true blessedness will be enjoyed by us throughout eternity. Even now the saints are admitted unto access to the Father, by the Spirit, through Christ (Eph. 2:18); yet in our glory union with Christ this will be exalted to a far higher degree and we shall be advanced unto much closer and fuller communion with the triune God. “And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one” (John 17:22).
“I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me” (John 17:23). In these words the nature and blessedness of the glory union between Christ and the Church are further opened to us, its blessedness being indicated by the several effects and fruits which flow from the same. Three of these are here noted. First, as that union will affect believers themselves: they are “made perfect in one” Body. Then will all the redeemed “come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). All differences of opinion, all animosities, all jealousies, shall have vanished forever, and there shall be perfect oneness between them in knowledge, love, and holiness. Second, as this union affects the Church, in connection with the triune God. Being united to Christ, the elect are necessarily united to and interested in all the Persons in Jehovah and as they now have a grace union with Them, they shall yet have a glory union with Them, which will issue in a communion that will constitute the fullness of their blessedness for ever and ever.
Third, as it affects “the world of the ungodly.” Those who have no part or lot in this glory union shall, nevertheless, be given a glimpse of the same, as Dives (for the augmenting of his torment) was permitted to see “Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:23). The sight of Christ's “Queen,” standing at His right hand (Psa. 45:9 and cf. Matt. 25:34) “in gold of Ophir” - figure of His glory - will be self-convicting to the reprobate that Christ is what He declared Himself to be; and as they behold the honour which God has put upon the Church, it will openly appear that He has loved them as He loved their Head. And for having despised and rejected Christ, and reproached and persecuted His people, they will be filled with confusion and everlasting shame (Dan. 12:2). But the Church shall be filled with joy unspeakable and have everlasting proof of the wondrous love of God for them. - A.W.P.
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