What is God’s glory? “Glory” is used to describe the manifestation of God’s presence as we perceive it. The Israelites believed they understood God’s glory. The entire Old Testament is a history of God revealing Himself through mighty acts to the Children of Abraham. As He revealed Himself, they perceived God and His glory. They recognized His majesty, power, and justice. They recognized God as the lawgiver, ruler and judge. However the most important aspect of God’s glory they failed to recognize. It was there in every interaction between God and humanity, but humanity either couldn’t or wouldn’t acknowledge it.

Christ became flesh and lived among us in order that his life might reveal the glory of God that the nation of Israel had not recognized. John tells the Jews that the Christians had seen the glory of Jesus, who is God’s one and only son. He tells them that Jesus was full of grace and truth. John wants his fellow Jews to look again at the life of Jesus and acknowledge that the characteristic about him that they rejected is the very characteristic that defines the glory of God.

The defining characteristic of the life of Jesus was not his power. He did not come to conquer. It was not his judgment, He did not come to judge and condemn, but rather, He came to redeem and save the lost. The Jews condemned Jesus for eating with publicans and sinners. They condemned Jesus for associating with the Samaritan woman. They actually saw the primary characteristic of Jesus in action but rather than recognizing it as glorious, they condemned it. They might have believed it was glorious that Jesus came to save them, but they would not accept that it was glorious for him to save their enemies.

God’s glory is his love. Christ’s life was love in action, and his love was so obvious it could not be ignored. Christ’s love demands a choice. We must accept the love of Christ, or reject the glory of God.