Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:1-5, CSB).

The glorification of Jesus through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection and ascension to be seated at the right hand of God forever is explained again in John 17. Jesus first framed His explanation of His glorification around the betrayal of Judas when the betrayal was exposed during the Last Supper as told in John 13.

After Jesus finished instructing His disciples at the last supper, Jesus then prayed for them. When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He didn’t mention the specifics of the events about to take place. But, He did indicate the result of what these events would produce—His and the Father’s glorification.

God the Father was glorified by the person and work of Christ on Earth. While His and the Father’s glorification was based on inglorious death of Christ on a cross, it was glorious from God’s perspective because it fulfilled God’s covenant with humanity. Specifically, God’s law and justice were satisfied and the salvation of His people was accomplished through Christ’s death on the cross.

The glorification of Christ provides for the glorification of the Christian. So, understanding the glorification of Christ helps us understand the glorification of the Christian, which Christ bestows on those He saves. Because, it happens for us like it first happened for Jesus.

Christian glorification begins with understanding the glory of God–that state of incomparable greatness in which God dwells and through which he is perceived by his creatures. Then, as Christ died on the cross, the Christian dies to sin in this life and eventually experiences the death of the body. As Christ was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, so shall the Christian be raised to new life and a new body with Christ in the new heavens and new earth.

The glorification of the Christian is that in our resurrected bodies we will live with God eternally and share in His glory forever and enjoy deeper fellowship with Him in His creation.

This glory does not become our own but always remains God’s own glory. The glory of God dwells on us and we share in His glory when we dwell in His eternal light.

So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. (I Corinthians 15:42-44, CSB)