In this study of the Trinity of God, I want to focus on the glory of God, which is seen in each Person of the Trinity. The glory of God refers to His Divine nature, with all His glorious attributes that belong only to Him. The fact that the Bible refers to the glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is enough to demonstrate that God exists as a Triune God. The glory of God shines from each Person of the Trinity to reveal the one Divine nature of the three. To speak of the glory of one is to speak of the glory of the others as one glory of the three.
Scriptures that refer to the glory of each Person of the Trinity
Note 1: All words in bold mark which Person or Persons of the Trinity that is being referred to.
Note 2: Where it refers to the glory of God, it’s referring to the glory of the Father or of the glory of God in His Triune nature—depending on the context.
Note 3: The glory of the one true God is first revealed in the Old Testament as the Yahweh (YHWH/LORD) of Israel. Yahweh is a Triune God.
Note 4: I will make a brief comment after some of the passages.
Old Testament
(Psalm 19:1 – BSB) – The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
(Exodus 3:13-15 – BSB) – [13] Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” [14] God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” [15] God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
The God of Israel (YHWH – Yahweh) is the God of Christianity. In the NT Jesus reveals Himself as the “I AM” of Israel (Jn 8:58), declaring His glory among the people as the Son of God. God told Israel that “this is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.” Since Jesus revealed Himself and His glory as the “I AM” of Israel, God is to be remembered in Christ, the Son of God. To speak of one is to speak of the other. We see this in the following NT passage:
(Philippians 2:9-11 – BSB) – [90] Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Lord Jesus can be given the “the name above all names,” because He is the “I AM” of Israel, who alone is to be worshipped as we see in the words “every knee should bow.”
(Exodus 33:17-23 – BSB) – [17] So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.” [18] Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.” [19] “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” [20] But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” [21] The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, [22] and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. [23] Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
(Exodus 34:5-8 – BSB) – [5] And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD. [6] Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, [7] maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” [8] Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped.
Here we see God’s glory displayed via His attributes that are underlined in this passage.
(Exodus 24:15-17 – BSB) – [15] When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, [16] and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. [17] And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.
(Exodus 40:34-35 – BSB) – [34] Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. [35] Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
(Numbers 14:10 – BSB) – But the whole congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting.
(Numbers 20:6-7 – BSB) – Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. [7] And the LORD said to Moses,
(Psalm 104:31 – BSB) – May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works.
(Isaiah 35:2 – BSB) – It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.
(Isaiah 40:3-5 – BSB) – [3] A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. [4] Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. [5] And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
(Isaiah 60:1-3 – BSB) – [1] Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. [2] For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. [3] Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
(Ezekiel 1:28 – BSB) – The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
We see this same “brilliant light” displayed in Christ in the following NT passage:
(2 Corinthians 4:4-6 – BSB) — [4] The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [5] For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. [6] For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(Ezekiel 3:12 – BSB) – Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: ‘Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!’
Here “the Spirit” is in the context of the “glory of the LORD.”
(Ezekiel 10:4 – BSB) – Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
(Habakkuk 2:14 – BSB) — For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
New Testament
(Luke 2:8-9 – BSB) – [8] And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. [9] Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
The “glory of the Lord” refers to Yahweh (YHWH) of Israel.
(Hebrews 1:1-2 – BSB) – [1] On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. [2] But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
As the Son of God, Jesus spoke to us as He spoke to the children of Israel through Moses and through other prophets. Jesus not only spoke to the people of His generation as God, but He stood before the people as the very presence of “the LORD” as He did in the days of Moses.
(Hebrews 1:3 – BSB) – The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
(2 Corinthians 3:14-18 – BSB) – [14] But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. [15] And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. [16] But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [17] Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
In this passage the Triune nature of God is clearly revealed, where Father, Son and Holy Spirit are spoken of in the context of the “glory of the Lord.”
(Luke 9:26 – BSB) – If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
(Romans 6:4 – BSB) – We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
(John 17:5 – BSB) – And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.
(1 Peter 4:13-14 – BSB) – [13] But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory. [14] If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
“of God” – This refers either to the Father or to the whole Trinity.
First we see the glory of the Son (Christ). Then we see within the phrase “the Spirit of glory,” glory refers to the glory of God and His presence among His people. The Holy Spirit is clearly associated with the glory of God, and the presence of God is via the Holy Spirit who dwells within each believer in Christ. Thus, we see all three Persons of the Trinity clearly revealed here.
(2 Corinthians 8:23 – CSB) – As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 8:23 – ASV) – Whether any inquire about Titus, he is my partner and my fellow-worker to you-ward; or our brethren, they are the messengers of the churches, they are the glory of Christ.
The italicized words “they are” are not in the original writings. Thus, the following translations reflect that fact:
“The churches – the glory of Christ” (CSB, NASB2020, ESV, NKJV, LEB, WEB)
(Acts 7:55-56 -BSB) – [55] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. [56] “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Here the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the same context of God the Father and Jesus the Son. Thus, the glory of the Holy Spirit is implied in the context of this shared glory.
(Revelation 21:9-11- BSB) – [9] Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” [10] And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, [11] shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.
All three Persons of the Trinity are seen here.
(Revelation 21:23 – BSB) – And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Discussion: All these passages regarding the glory that is attributed to either the Father, Son or Holy Spirit (or implies it in some cases), reveal the Triune nature of God. The glory that is spoken of in these passages is unique to God and His glorious attributes. Nowhere in Scripture do we see the same glory attributed to anyone else, except the glory of God that shines through us (which we’ll talk about in a bit). God Himself said that He would not “give or share His glory with anyone:”
(Isaiah 42:8 – CSB) — I am the LORD. That is my name, and I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
(Isaiah 48:11 – NET) – For my sake alone I will act, for how can I allow my name to be defiled? I will not share my glory with anyone else!
In other words, the glory that is unique to the one true God (YHWH – Yahweh) belongs to Him alone. For someone to have the same glory (glorious nature) would make that person God. However, in all the passages above we see that this same glory of God is attributed to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There’s only one true God, yet, God’s glory is attributed to each Person.
All of this reveals that God exists eternally as three Persons. This reveals the glorious nature of the Triune God. Three Persons, yet one God. They are distinct Persons, but not separate. They are one in essence (nature), co-eternal, co-equal, and do all things in perfect unity. In the Trinity of God, there is one will and one authority and one center of consciousness, for the three are one in essence. Thus, the Trinity does all things as a single operation. This is commonly referred to as “inseparable operations.”
This is the God of the Christian faith. Christianity is Trinitarian. So if someone claims to be a Christian, but rejects the Trinity, they are not Christian. Case in point, Oneness Pentecostals reject the Trinity. They’re modalists (three modes of God), which means they believe that the Father is God alone, and that Jesus (the Son) is actually the Father. Likewise, they believe that the Holy Spirit is actually the Father. They don’t believe the Son of God existed until He came into this world in the person of Jesus. In their view, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are merely different modes in which God reveals Himself. Their position is total heresy. Oneness Pentecostals are no less than a cult, and Christians shouldn’t have anything to do with them. They’re imposters.
No one else has or displays this same glory
I raise this point because there are people who claim to be Christians, but believe some very far out things about God. Mormons, for example, believe that they will become gods in the next life. I happen to know one man who claims to be a Christian, but believes that God is more than a Trinity. He believes that God divided Himself up to where all created beings (including human beings and angels) in combination are God, that we all have the same Divine nature (and will have all the same powers and attributes of God in the next life). Just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God and share the same glory, he believes that all of us together are one God and share the same Divine glory. If there is one person who believes in such a god under the banner of Christianity, there are probably others who believe similar things.
That’s why it’s so important for pastors to teach their people about God, because people come from a lot of different religions and backgrounds, and they need to know the truth about who God really is.
I believe false ideas about God as I’ve described, are based on passages like these:
(John 17:11,21-23 – BSB) — [11] I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. [21] that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. [22] I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— [23] I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
(2 Peter 1:3-4 – CSB) – [3] His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
In regard to “sharing in the divine nature,” this refers to the fact that we have God dwelling in us via the Holy Spirit. When we’re saved we’re given a new nature (born-again), where we become new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Our new nature is pure and sinless and lasts forever, as it is with God. Thus, with this new nature and God living within us, we share in “the divine nature.” But it DOES NOT mean that we become God!
(1 John 3:2 – BSB) – Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.
As “children of God” we have a pure and sinless nature, as God’s nature is pure and sinless. When the Lord Jesus returns in His glory (“appears”), we will be resurrected in our immortal bodies, like the immortal body that Jesus was raised in. It DOES NOT mean that we become God.
The idea that we have or will have all the Divine attributes of God, is a damnable heresy. Such an idea is completely contrary to what God Himself said about Himself, that He “would not share His glory with anyone” (Is 42:8) God’s glory belongs to Him alone as the one true God. Such people who believe we will be as God is, are not content to be “mere” worshipers of God or servants of Christ. They want to be God. They want His glory. If being a Christian is anything, it’s a life of humility before God, devoted to the God and Savior who created us and saved us from well-deserving punishment. As James and Peter both said, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Ja 4:6; 1 Pe 5:5).
Inherent glory vs. applied glory (reflected, fills, imputed, ascribed, given, representative, administered, assigned, transmitted, transferred, bestowed)
God’s glory refers to His Divine nature, as the one true God, who fills the universe with the light of His glory. This glory is inherent with God. Since God lives within us, we merely reflect that glory, but dimly in comparison. He fills us with His own glory, which we reflect in a limited and dim form until the fullness of God’s glory will be fully reflected through us (His Church) in the Eternal Kingdom.
Therefore, WE HAVE NO GLORY OF OUR OWN!
God’s glory is in us because He dwells in us and in His Church. It’s not our glory, but God’s glory dwelling in us and shining through us. It’s God revealing Himself through us. But this in no way means that we are made to be as God is in His Divine nature.
Such teaching does not come from God. When God reveals Himself to His people, He doesn’t reveal Himself in different ways to different people! He reveals Himself to all of His redeemed as who He really is, as the Apostle Paul reveals here:
(2 Corinthians 4:4-6 – BSB) — [4] The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [5] For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. [6] For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Of all things, the “Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:17; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:13) will reveal the truth about Himself to His people. And He surely does. Those who don’t accept the teaching of the Trinity, refuse to listen to the Apostles and writers of the NT Scriptures. Nor do they listen to the leaders and teachers of orthodox Christianity since that time. The Apostle John refers to such here:
(1 John 4:5-6 – BSB) – [5] They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
Here is the “Spirit of truth:” Jesus gave us His glory (as individuals and as the Church) in the sense that we are filled with His presence and glory, which shines through us, as it shined in the Temple (and tabernacle) of Israel (2 Chr 7:13; Ex 40:34-35), which was a type of the Church and His people, for we are the temple of God (2 Cor 6:16; 1 Cor 6:19).
Giving us His glory DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE TRANSFORMED INTO GOD. It’s tragic that we even need to talk about this. However, as I mentioned, there are some who actually believe that we are given the very nature of God, with all of His Divine attributes. Paul addressed those with these types of beliefs in places like these:
(2 Timothy 4:3-4 – BSB) – [3] For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. [4] So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
(2 Corinthians 11:13-15 – BSB) – [13] For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. [14] And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. [15] It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.
The Divine nature belongs to the Triune God alone, as the one true God.
The idea that we can become as God is, cannot be the beliefs of true born-again Christians. Such beliefs are not the fruit of truth or of light or of salvation:
(Ephesians 5:8-11 – BSB) – [8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, [9] for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. [10] Test and prove what pleases the Lord. [11] Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
WE MUST GIVE GOD THE GLORY THAT IS DUE HIS HOLY NAME, AS THE TRIUNE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE.
