1. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How should we understand the reference to glory?

1 Thessalonians 2:12 (ESV)

12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Glory is an important concept in Paul’s thinking. Indeed, Richard Gaffin states that the whole of Paul's gospel, centered in Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 1:3–4; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4), may be viewed as a message of restored and consummated glory.1 The idea of God’s glory has its roots in the Old Testament, where God’s glory is his visible and active presence in creation; God’s glory is closely related to his grandeur and power as Creator and Redeemer. Because of sin, mankind refuses to honour God, and exchanges his glory for idols (Romans 1:20–23). As a result, the entire human race is cut off from the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The marvel of the gospel is that, in Christ, human beings can be restored to fellowship with God (Romans 5:1–2). This leads to a life in which God’s children pursue glory, honour, and immortality; ultimately, they will share in the eternal glory of God (Romans 2:7–10; Romans 8:17–18, Romans 8:30).2