Growing up in church I often heard that God doesn’t share His glory (Isaiah) 42:8). But this statement is only partly true. As I started to read scripture for myself, I was confronted with a bit of a contradiction to this in the New Testament. In fact multiple New Testament writers would encourage us with the idea of the day that is coming when we will be able to share in the glory that is to come in Jesus.
The reason behind this encouragement is that the single English word “glory” is multifaceted in Hebrew and Greek (which the Bible was written in). In fact the word “glory” can mean credit and praise, but it can also mean brightness, splendor, excellence – essentially God’s image. When we share in God’s glory it is when we reflect His image. Like the moon reflecting the sun, we share and reflect the face of God. It is the process in which we transform more and more into the image, likeness and essence of God.
He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 2:14
Now this idea is typically tied to some sort of suffering or hardship by the Bible writers. As much as I’d love the thought of God saving us from any more hard times, that honestly isn’t true. Like exfoliating our egos, God uses the suffering of life to scrape away the dead layers of selfishness and pride so that His image can shine through.
So go, be glorious! Shine forth. You are an image bearer of God himself and it is lying just beneath the surface. Perhaps that day that is to come, is today!