Glorification

Key Verses

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” — Romans 8:30 (ESV)

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” — Philippians 3:20–21 (ESV)

Definition

δοξάζω (doxazō) — to render glorious; to honor or magnify.

Explanation

We have been saved from sin’s penalty, we are being saved from sin’s power, and one day, when we reach Heaven, we will be saved from sin’s presence. In that moment, God will complete His process of salvation in us as promised.

Glorification is the final stage of redemption—the moment when believers are fully conformed to the image of Christ, body, soul, and spirit, and are freed forever from the presence of sin. It marks the culmination of the ordo salutis—the sequence of salvation that begins with God’s eternal decree and ends with our eternal perfection.

Though justification declared us righteous and sanctification progressively makes us holy, glorification perfects us completely. What began in grace will end in glory. In this final stage, the believer will be raised incorruptible, clothed in immortality, and granted the full likeness of Christ.

Paul writes that the same power by which Christ subdues all things will one day transform our frail, fallen bodies into glorious ones like His own. The glory that was lost in Eden through sin will be restored in full through the Redeemer.

This doctrine reminds us that salvation is not only a rescue from wrath but also a restoration to glory—the glory of God reflected perfectly in redeemed humanity.

Application

The hope of glorification sustains believers through suffering. Our present afflictions, no matter how heavy, are producing “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” The Christian life, therefore, is lived in anticipation—waiting eagerly for that day when faith becomes sight and mortality is swallowed up by life.

Knowing that our future is secure and our transformation certain, we are called to live now as citizens of heaven. Our affections, priorities, and pursuits should reflect the glory to come. We endure not with resignation, but with joy, because the outcome has already been determined: “those whom He justified He also glorified.”

Reflection

Glorification is the believer’s sure and final victory. It is the moment when sin, suffering, and death will be no more, and the redeemed will shine with the radiance of Christ Himself. Until that day, we press on in faith, knowing that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us—shaping, purifying, and preparing us for glory.

Ask Yourself

Do I live each day with the hope and expectation of being made like Christ?
How does the certainty of future glory shape the way I respond to suffering, temptation, and fear?

Prayer

Father, thank You for the promise that one day I will see Christ face to face and be made like Him. Strengthen my heart with this hope when I am weary, and help me to live each day as one who belongs to heaven. May my life reflect Your glory now as I await the fullness of it in eternity. Amen.