Glorification – An Introduction

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Article Title: Glorification Introduction

Glorification

Although the focus of this article is on the glorification of the Saints, it is important that I first distinguish the difference between glorification of the saints and glorification of God.

• Of God:

When we speak of the “glory of God” or “God’s glory” we are speaking to God’s inherent perfection in the wholeness of what and who He is. When we speak of the glorification of God, the term “glorification” refers to the fulfillment of glorifying, as His glory is manifested, recognized and honored in creation. In other words, in both the act of glorifying God and the result of His glorification, we as believers – when abiding in accordance to His word –  make visible the glory of our invisible God, to those around us. 

In glorification of God, we do not give God more glory God Himself does not change. Rather, glorification is the natural and realized result of glorifying. Thus, God being glorified results in God’s glorification. Not because God has become more glorious, entered a glorified state, or undergone any change in His nature. Rather, His eternal glory has been brought to its intended manifestation and acknowledgment within creation.

• Of the Saints

When we speak of the glorification of the Saints (believers), the term “glorification” refers to a future event when believers will be adorned, glorified, perfected, and presented in splendor. In this usage, glorification is perhaps among the most profound theological and doctrinal topics and yet it is also one of the most overlooked of Biblical truths.  In this context, glorification, in its simplest of terms refers the wedding day of Christ – the groom – and the Church – His bride.  As with most wedding days, the focus of Biblical glorification of Saints (believers) is not so much about glorifying the groom, as it is on the glorification of the bride. It is the moment when everything that God has prepared and planned before creation itself finally comes into focus. The focus of the groom and the wedding day is on the bride being revealed, adorned, glorified, perfected, and presented in splendor. 

Glorification of the saints is essentially the final state of perfected humanity. Glorification is not just honor or exaltation; it is the completion of salvation, where believers are fully conformed to Christ. That includes things like:

• freedom from sin (no remaining corruption)
• full moral and spiritual perfection
• resurrection of the body in incorruptibility
• perfect knowledge of God as far as a creature can possess it
• complete communion with God without hindrance

In this framework, glorification includes perfection. It is not glorification without perfection; perfection is part of what makes it glorification.

However, a nuance matters:

1. Perfection does not mean “becoming God”

Even in glorification, saints are not perfect in the sense of becoming infinite, omniscient, or equal with God. They remain creatures. Their perfection is creaturely perfection—wholeness, maturity, and freedom from sin.

2. Some traditions distinguish “positional” vs “moral” glory

Some theological systems might speak of believers being “glorified” in terms of status (e.g., being honored, raised, or declared righteous) in a more forensic sense. But even there, the final eschatological glorification still assumes transformation into a perfected state.

3. Biblical framing

Texts like Romans 8:30 (“those whom He justified He also glorified”) and 1 John 3:2 (“we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”) link glorification directly with transformation into Christlikeness. That “likeness” is typically understood as moral and spiritual completion.

Glorification of the saints is not of the saints glory but is instead of Christ’s glory  (John 12:23-24,  Acts 1:9-11, Philippians 2:9-11, Hebrews 1:3 and Revelation 5:12-13 which envisions a future where all creation will acknowledge Christ’s glory). This is His glory that He by His grace and by His good pleasure, shares with us (Romans 8:17). This is the heartbeat of glorification – the profound mystery – as it pertains to Christ and His Church (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5:31-32).

There is so much more to glorification than I have included in this introductory summary. Our comprehension – of what God has progressively revealed of it in Scripture – requires immersing ourselves in Scripture. However, the concept of Glorification is not beyond our understanding as God has revealed it to us. I cannot do justice to this subject by attempting to summarize it to single page, but I will try to break it into parts so that those who are interested in this subject – a glorious and exciting subject – can read the things I have found enlightening.

As with all that I write and share, I remind each and every person to take an active role in their faith. While I sincerely appreciate the listening ear, I beg that no one take my word for these things but instead test them to Scripture for themselves.  Only God’s word is worthy of your complete trust.

Glorification of the Saints – the Bride – Is Where:

1. The bride is prepared

Just as a bride is made ready, Scripture says believers are made ready for Christ.

• “His bride has made herself ready”
• “Clothed in fine linen, bright and pure”

Glorification is the moment when God completes that preparation.

2. The bride is revealed

A wedding day is the unveiling — the moment the bride steps into the room and everyone rises. Glorification is the unveiling of the sons and daughters of God. Creation has been waiting for that moment.

3. The bride is adorned

A bride doesn’t adorn herself with her own beauty — she is given beauty. Likewise, glorification is not self‑improvement. It is God adorning His people with:

• immortality
• incorruptibility
• perfect righteousness
• perfect union

5. The day is about the bride’s glorification

This is the part most people miss. The wedding day is not about the groom being glorified for He is already glorified. It is about the bride being glorified by the groom’s love. Likewise, glorification is God placing His glory on His people. Not because they earned it. But because He loves them.

A simple way to say it: Glorification is the moment when God dresses His people in the fullness of His beauty, just as a groom delights to present his bride in splendor.

In holy union with Christ, the believer will be perfected. The believer will not be imputed with perfection but will instead be conformed to it. We will need not hide in the crevice of a rock or cover our eyes at the sight of God’s full glory, but instead we will see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Through Christ’s sharing of His glory, His spirit, never again will we be capable of falling short of the glory of God. Never again will we sin and be separated from Him. What glorious wonders  await those whom He glorified.

Scripture is shockingly explicit about this, and when we take it seriously, it reshapes how we understand salvation, creation, and the destiny of humanity. It is nothing short of glorious.

Although, Glorification is often taught as being about restoration (as if God will restore believers to a pre-fallen state), Glorification is instead about transformation. It is about a transformation so profound that the Apostle Paul himself could only describe it as becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new creation however, is not created ex nihilo. This new creation is created in Christ, meaning it is a participation in His resurrected humanity and holy matrimony between our spirit and His. This distinction is essential for understanding glorification, perfection, and the destiny of redeemed humanity.

Entropy: The Inevitable Fall of Man

The fall of man was an inevitable consequence of God giving man free will. This is not because God caused it to be so, but instead it is because God cannot create that which is equal to – little lone greater – than Himself ex nihilo (Nehemiah 9:6, 2 Samuel 22:32). Not even the greatest angel – that God created ex nihilo – could truthfully claim equality to God. Only God in His perfection is without entropy. Only God’s promises and teachings are flawless and proven true. Only His ways are just, free from injustice or partiality, and always consistent with His nature. God’s nature is love, mercy, and truth (in mention of but only a few), qualities that are not merely attributes of God but His very essence of perfection. God alone is unchanging perfection. (Numbers 23:19, Mark 10:18, Psalm 18:30, 2 Samuel 22:31, Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Corinthians 1:9, etc…)

Perfect Purpose and Perfect Plan

God is Omniscient, He does not guess or anticipate but instead He knows all things past, present and future. He knows all possible realities, both created and uncreated. God knew when, where, how, and why Man would fall to sin. God is a God of purpose, a God of plans and – before creation itself – God had both a purpose and a plan for:

1. The creation of Man (created ex nihilo, created very good but not perfect as per God is perfect)
2. The fall of Man
3. The redemption of Man (through faith in Christ)
4. The glorification of Man (the perfection of man through unification and conforming of believers in Christ. Christ becomes our perfection)

With all this said however, it is not to say that what God creates ex nihilo is flawed or that it is not perfect in accordance with His purposes and plans.

Before the beginning of time itself, God had elected (chosen) Himself to become flesh and to pay the price that His justice demanded for the sins of the human inhabitants of this world. God’s plan was not merely to restore mankind to a pre-fallen state so that the same inevitable consequence could be repeated.  Instead, God’s plan was to use the fall as the means to create a new creation, to transform that which was created ex nihilo and at its best was very good, into that which will be perfect. A transforming power that is not merely an imputation or putative state of perfection but instead an event of glorification in conforming the bride (the Church) to the image and inseparable love of Christ  – the Bridegroom (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This is the mystery Paul describes in Ephesians 5:31–32: the future union of two free, though unequal, partners and where the two become one in a covenant of love (Romans 8:9). This process of transformation should not be understood as a blending of the divine and the human, nor as the loss of distinction between them. Even the phrase “one flesh” does not imply that either person loses his or her individual identity. A man does not become a woman, nor a woman a man when untied as one in holy matrimony. This transformation does not mean that we will become Christ, that we will become God, gods or goddesses. There is only one God and there will never be another.

While we know that God has created all that has been created, we know not the technical details of how He created, Job 38:2-41.  Likewise, neither may we comprehend – certainly I do not – the technical details of how God will transform believers into a new creation, but God says that He will. Scripture clearly says that which was created very good, that which fell to sin, that which was separated from God, that which was redeemed by Christ, that which is being perfected will become a new creation. A new creation  inseparable from God, perfected and glorified in Christ. This is not a plan B instituted after the fall of man, but instead this is the plan and always has been the plan that God instituted before creation itself. This is the plan, this the why it was necessary, that for a little while, we are created a little lower than the angels. So that there will come a time when we as believers will become greater than the angels. Where we will have a perfection that will allow us to draw closer to our perfect God than would otherwise be possible – even for the angels. In our glorification, we will experience the glory of God beyond anything even the angels could begin to imagine.

What is Perfection?

The English word “perfection” found in some translations of the New Testament (see Ephesians 4:13 ESV vs Ephesians 4:13 KJV) is translated from the Greek word “telios”, identified in the Strong’s Concordance as G5046. The Strong’s concordance defines the word as: complete (in various applications of labor growth mental and moral character etc.); neuter (as noun with G3588) completeness: – of full age man perfect.

Thayer’s Definition includes: brought to its end, finished. Wanting nothing necessary to completeness (Lacking nothing) . Perfect, that which is perfect, consummate human integrity and virtue of men, full grown, adult, of full age, mature. 

When God saw everything that He had made, He said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God did not say it was perfect and this is because it was created ex nihilo and could not be perfect. If Adam and Eve were perfect then they would have wanted nothing necessary to completeness – perfection. However, when Eve saw the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate (Genesis 3:6 ESV). Eve was therefore wanting something necessary to completeness, to perfection. Now it was not a sin for Eve to desire to be like God, else we would have to say Eve sinned even before eating the forbidden fruit. Furthermore, if desiring to be like God is a sin then every Christian that desires to be like Christ must too be guilty of sin. Disobedience in eating of the forbidden fruit that God had commanded Adam and Eve not eat of, was the sin. A wrongful act that a perfect being would not engage in, because a perfect being would be unable to do anything unrighteous.    

In its classical sense, the English word “perfect” also means “complete” or “lacking nothing.” We can understand perfection conceptually, but we may not be able to measure it fully in practice. It is easier to recognize imperfection by imagining something better; but if we cannot imagine an improvement, how can we know whether the object is truly perfect or whether our imagination is simply limited? In nearly every complex case, only God has the necessary middle knowledge—the full range of “what ifs”—to declare something perfect with certainty.

Perfection of the Saints in Glorification

Both the Old and New Testaments teach that God is the God of glory, that Jesus Christ is the Lord of glory, and that God will share His glory with His children through glorification. Salvation, already begun in the present, will reach its fulfillment in eschatological glory.

One important New Testament theme is perfection, though it is often neglected. Several related Greek terms—teleiotes, teleiosis, teleo, and teleios—help frame this idea. In brief, the motif of perfection may be outlined as follows:

• God has an intended goal (telos) for His people.
• That goal includes the perfection (teleios) of the individual believer.
• This requires a perfecter (teleiotes) who must Himself be perfected and so become perfect.
• In this way, He can perfect (teleo) those who come to God and bring them to perfection (teleios).

In this life, “perfection” refers to spiritual, moral, and doctrinal maturity. In the life to come, it also refers to the completion of salvation. In this way, God’s intended purpose (telos) reaches its fulfillment.

Useful material on perfection is relatively scarce, largely because debate over the extent of sanctification in this life often overshadows the subject. As a result, perfection as a dimension of salvation—and as an eschatological theme—is frequently neglected. Yet the theme presents God’s goal (telos) for His people: through the Perfecter, believers grow into spiritual, moral, and doctrinal maturity in this life and reach the completion of salvation in the life to come.

The doctrine of perfection may be summarized as follows:

• Having been perfected through His own experience (see Hebrews), Christ is both the Perfecter of believers and their perfection. He is the leader (arxegos) of believers because He first attained perfection (Hebrews 2:10). He did so by entering fully into the conditions of human existence (Hebrews 2:12–18), learning obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:7–10), and finally enduring death itself. Raised from the dead, He stands as the perfect fulfillment of all that the Old Testament promised: the true and perfect Moses, Aaron, priest, temple, sacrifice for sin, and Savior of all who come to God through Him.
• In this life, Christ gives believers His perfection while also calling them to maturity. His bestowed perfection is equivalent to salvation (soteria; Hebrews 2:10; 5:9), so in this sense Christ Himself is the perfection of believers. As the perfect One present in both the believer and the Church, He leads His people toward glory by calling them to faith and growth in Christian maturity. Yet this present growth points forward to a future, completed perfection. For that reason, passages such as Philippians 3:12 and Hebrews 10:14 anticipate the character of final glorification.
• In the ages to come, maturity gives way to full perfection. This belongs to the structure of glorification, and in that sense perfection and glorification coincide. John 17:23 and Hebrews 2:10 both point to this final completion, in which believers are brought into perfected unity and glory through Christ.

The Pre-fallen State

The body led by the soul, the soul led by the spirit and the spirit led by God

Creation Was Never the Final Goal—It Was the Beginning of a Process

Scripture never presents the original creation as the end of God’s plan. Instead, it presents creation as the starting point of a divine process leading to glorification. Paul writes: “The creation itself will be set free… into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” — Romans 8:21.  Creation was designed to move toward something—the glory of redeemed humanity. This means:

• Eden was not the final state
• Adam was not the final man
• The first creation was not the final creation

Creation was the arena in which God would bring about the perfection of His people in Christ. This aligns with the doctrine of teleology—God creates with an end in mind. 

God Created Man “in His Image,” Not “of His Essence”

Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.  Man is created in God’s image, not of God’s essence. This distinction is crucial:

• God is uncreated, infinite, perfect
• Man is created, finite, and mutable

This aligns with the doctrine of aseity: only God is self‑existent. Thus, Adam was:

• good
• upright
• holy

but Adam was not perfect in the divine sense. Adam reflected God, but he did not share God’s essence. This means Adam had:

• free will
• potentiality
• mutability

And where there is potentiality, there is the possibility of entropy—moral or spiritual decline.

Free Will Introduces Potentiality, and Potentiality Makes the Fall Inevitable

A being with free will must have the capacity to choose. This means such a being has potentiality. Potentiality is the opposite of God’s nature, for God is pure act (actus purus). Adam’s potentiality meant:

• he could choose good
• he could choose evil
• he could grow
• he could fall

Thus, the fall was not an accident—it was a metaphysical possibility inherent in creatureliness. This is why Paul writes: 

“In Adam all die.” — 1 Corinthians 15:22

Adam’s fall was not merely moral; it was the outworking of the fact that created free beings are not perfect.

The Fallen State

The spirit led by the soul, the soul led by the body and the body led by the world

The Fall Was Foreknown and Incorporated Into God’s Redemptive Plan

Scripture teaches that Christ’s redemptive work was planned before creation:

• “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” — Revelation 13:8
• “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” — Ephesians 1:4

This means:

• God knew Adam would fall
• God planned redemption before creation
• Creation was designed with the incarnation in view

The fall did not derail God’s plan—it activated it.

The Redeemed State

The body led by the soul, the soul led by the spirit and the spirit led by Holy Spirit

God’s Plan Was to Become Incarnate and Bear Man’s Punishment

The incarnation was not Plan B. It was the centerpiece of God’s eternal purpose.

• “The Word became flesh.” — John 1:14
• “He bore our sins in His body on the tree.” — 1 Peter 2:24

Christ became:

• fully human
• in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3)
• yet without sin

This reveals the harmony of God’s justice and love:

• Justice: sin must be punished
• Love: God Himself bears the punishment

The cross is where God’s attributes meet in perfect unity.

Believers Are Imputed With Christ’s Righteousness in This Life

Justification is imputed righteousness: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21

This righteousness is:

• legal,
• forensic,
• declarative,
• complete

But it is not yet transformative perfection. Believers still sin, still struggle, still groan (Rom 8:23).

Thus, imputation is the beginning, not the end.

The Glorified State of the Saints

The body, the soul and the spirit – not just led – but glorified, perfected and united in Christ

Glorification Is the Final Step—Perfection “In Christ”

At the resurrection or rapture, believers are glorified:  “Those He justified, He also glorified.” — Romans 8:30

Glorification includes:

• removal of the sin nature
• transformation of the body (1 Corinthians 15:52–54)
• perfection of the will (1 John 3:9)
• inability to fall (Jude 24)
• eternal union with Christ (Romans 8:39)

This is not merely imputed righteousness. It is imparted, shared, participatory righteousness.

Believers become:

• incorruptible
• immortal
• sinless
• perfected

Not by nature, but by union with Christ.

Glorification Is Participation in Christ’s Life—Not Creation of a Perfect Creature

God cannot create perfection from nothing. But He can communicate perfection from Himself. However, a being created ex nihilo could never be capable of receiving God’s perfection – His full glory. In order for this to happen God had to create a being capable of natural death so that Christ could become the image of that being and in turn redeemed beings could become in the image of Christ. With this understanding we better grasp why our God – a God of purpose – purposed to do as He has done. This is why glorification is described as: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27

Believers are:

• “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4)
• “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29)
• “like Him” (1 John 3:2)

This is not becoming God. It is sharing in Christ’s resurrected humanity.

Glorified Saints See God in a Way Angels Cannot

Jesus said: “Their angels always behold the face of My Father.” — Matthew 18:10

Angels see God—but not in the same way glorified believers will.

Believers will see:

• “God face to face.” — 1 Corinthians 13:12
• “We shall see Him as He is.” — 1 John 3:2

This is the beatific vision, something angels do not experience in the same mode because:

• angels are not united to Christ
• angels are not redeemed
• angels are not adopted as sons
• angels do not share Christ’s resurrected life

Believers will behold God in Christ, sharing the Son’s own relationship with the Father.

Summary: Creation Was the Beginning of God’s Plan to Perfect Humanity in Christ

Why Glorification Produces True, Eternal Perfection

• God cannot create perfection from nothing.
• But God can perfect a creature by uniting it to Himself in Christ.
• Glorification is not creation; it is participation.
• The believer’s perfection is derivative, dependent, and eternally upheld.
• This perfection removes all potentiality for sin.
• Therefore, glorified believers can never fall, sin, or be separated from God.

This is the only metaphysically coherent way for a creature to become perfect.

Putting it all together:

• God created man in His image, not His essence
• Free will introduced potentiality
• Potentiality made the fall inevitable
• The fall activated God’s eternal plan
• God became incarnate to bear man’s punishment
• Believers are justified by imputation
• Believers are glorified by participation
• Glorification perfects the believer in union with Christ
• This perfection is eternal, sinless
• and unbreakable
• Glorified believers see God in a way angels cannot

Thus: Creation was never the end. Glorification of the Saints in Christ was always the goal.

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