Glwrification
The time of the resurrection for church saints will be when Christ comes at the rapture (1 Thes. 4:16, 17; 1 Cor. 15:51-53). Those who have gone by way of the grave shall put on incorruption; those who are trans lated without tasting death shall then put on immortality. Together they shall .be glorified. The assurance of our glorification lies in the resurrection of Christ Him self, which miracle has the support of many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3). By resurrection, Christ now shares the glory which He had with the Father before the world was (John, 1,7:5), and declares;, “ Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). “ Christ, be ing raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him” (Rom. 6:9). Note with this the parallel promise that “ He which raised up the Lord Jesus Christ shall raise up us also” (2 Cor. 4:14; cp. 1 Cor. 6:14). The same solid assur ance which undergirds the resurrec tion of our Lord likewise sustains our hope of resurrection and glorification. Space does not permit mention of the various rewards reserved in heaven for faithful service. There are at least five crowns promised to those who run the race of the Christian life faithfully and well. Nor can one, in brief compass, attempt a descrip tion of the glories of heaven, or do else than to suggest the thrill of be ing ushered into the presence of Christ with exceeding great joy. Christ has suffered, been raised and glorified. He is the Pattern; He is the Firstfruit of the completed har vest. They that are Christ’s at His coming shall be in His presence and shall be conformed to His likeness. God the Father can do nothing high er or greater than transform sinners and make them just like His Son. In this age His program is to save all who will put their trust in Christ. Gradually He transforms them; ulti mately, He glorifies them. Thus, “ in bringing many sons into glory” (Heb. 2:10), God Himself is glorified and we share in that glory. END.
nnhere is a logical order to the doc- I trines being discussed in this col umn. Justification (see Jan. col umn) is that act whereby God de clares righteous the sinner who re ceives Christ as his Saviour. Sancti fication in its present aspect deals with the course of the Christian life whereby the saint grows toward ma turity and Christlikeness (see Sanc tification Has Three Tenses, July, 1953). Sanctification, h o w e v e r , though rooted in justification, logic ally ends in glorification, for the doc trine of glorification deals with the end of the Christian journey and en trance into the full possession of life with Christ. Glorification speaks of that happy transformation when the saint leaves behind the sorrows and limitations of earthly existence, to be transported into the presence and likeness of his Saviour. While positionally we are already “ raised with Him,” and “ sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6), at the moment of glorification we shall experimentally enjoy this privilege, and others which are even now positionally ours. We shall then possess our possessions to the full. Since the path to glorifica tion is by way of resurrection, the truth that our bodies shall some day be raised in His likeness must now be considered. The fact of resurrec tion is seen clearly in Romans 8:11, 19 and 23. “ The body, so the Bible teaches us, will come out of the grave changed into immortal strength, never to know weariness, weakness, tears, decay, death, ready for the different and higher uses of the heavenly life” (Edward Bounds). The manner of our resurrection is suggested in Philippians 3:20,21. When we see the Saviour, He shall change these bodies of humiliation and fashion them after the pattern of His own glorified body. Likewise shall our minds, which now see through a glass darkly and under stand only in part, be so transformed that we shall then know even as we are known (1 Cor. 13:12).
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