“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
(John 17:5)
The Christ of Scripture is not rightly known unless He is known as the One who is eternal with God the Father, without origin and without cause. As He told those who challenged His authority, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
Christ Jesus came into the world, took on a body of flesh, walked among men, suffered, and died. Yet the immovable foundation of Christianity is that He is far more than man; Scripture verifies that He is “God over all, blessed forever” (Romans 9:5).
The names that belong to God alone are freely and deliberately also ascribed to Christ. Job speaks of a Redeemer whom he would see as God. Jacob references the Angel who redeemed him from all adversity and calls Him God. John calls Him the true God. Paul calls Him the great God. Isaiah names Him the mighty God. Even when Christ walked in sorrow, rejection, and suffering, His divine identity was not diminished. As the language of Isaiah affirms, He was God suffering in the flesh.
The attributes that belong to God alone also belong to Christ. Eternity belongs to Him, for He speaks of glory shared with the Father before the world existed. Omnipresence belongs to Him, for He promises to be present wherever His people gather in His name. Omniscience belongs to Him, for He declares that He searches the hearts and inner thoughts of all people. Only God possesses such attributes.
The works of God are likewise the works of Christ. Creation is God’s work, yet all things were made by Christ. Preservation and rule belong to God, yet Christ upholds all things by the word of His power. Forgiveness of sins belongs to God alone, yet Christ forgives sins with authority. Sending the Holy Spirit belongs to God, yet Christ sends the Comforter. His miracles confirm this truth. He healed, raised the dead, cast out devils, and did so in His own name, as the divine Redeemer acting with sovereign authority.
Worship belongs to God alone, yet all are commanded to honor the Son as they honor the Father. Prayer belongs to God alone, yet Stephen called upon the Lord Jesus as he died. Faith belongs to God alone, yet the Gentiles are said to trust in Christ. Baptism is administered in His name, marking Him as God to His people.[1]
These truths call us to search our hearts as believers. For to know these things and yet remain unchanged and unaffected by them is to disregard a seminal doctrine of Scripture and incur the displeasure of God the Father.
Contemplations:
- Neglecting eternal glory. I confess that I often treat eternal things lightly. I speak of Christ’s glory before the world was, yet I allow daily distractions to crowd out serious meditation on who Christ truly is. Forgive me, Lord, for living as though the eternal Son of God were a distant truth instead of the center of my life.
- A small view of Christ. I am ashamed of how often I think of Christ only in terms of what He gives me rather than who He is. I want His help, His comfort, His forgiveness, yet I fail to adore Him as God over all. My prayers reduce Him to usefulness instead of glory. Teach me to behold Him as eternal, almighty, and worthy of everything I am.
- Delayed allegiance. I see how I postpone full obedience. I tell myself there will be time later to give myself more fully to Christ. Yet He had glory with the Father before the world was, and I owe Him my allegiance now. Anything less is disobedience. Lord, expose my sin and give me grace to repent and follow You fully.
- The fear of being found wanting. I cannot escape the seriousness of this truth. If Christ is God, then to know Him falsely or lightly is deadly. I fear being found among those who heard much but loved little. I fear a profession without possession. Let this fear drive me to true repentance and real faith, so that I may honor the Son as I should.
Prayer (Confession)
Eternal Father, I come before You humbled and exposed by the glory of Your Son. I confess that my thoughts of Jesus Christ have been far too small. I speak of Him often, yet I have not honored Him as God over all. I confess that I have known truths about His eternity, His power, His divine glory, and yet have lived as though these things were distant and theoretical. My heart has not trembled as it should. My worship has not risen as it ought.
I confess my neglect and my distractions. I have allowed lesser things to take the place that belongs to Christ alone. I have delayed obedience. I have excused coldness and settled for familiarity instead of reverence. Forgive me for treating lightly the One who had glory with You before the world was.
I confess that I have often sought Christ for relief rather than for submission. I have wanted His benefits without yielding fully to His lordship. I have spoken of faith while holding back areas of my life. This is pride and fear, and I ask You to cleanse me from this sin.
I confess that I deserve to be among those who are despised at the last day, for I have not loved Christ as He deserves. If You were to measure me by my devotion rather than by Your mercy, I would be undone. I have no defense. I have no excuse. I can only appeal to Your grace.
Father, forgive me for every slight thought of Your Son. Forgive me for every delay, every divided affection, every moment when I preferred the world over Him. Grant me true repentance, not shallow regret. Give me a heart that bows willingly before Christ as eternal God.
And teach me to honor the Son as I honor You, not in words only, but in every day of my life. Let Christ be magnified in me, because He is worthy of all I have and all I am.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for John 17:5:
John 1:1; John 8:58; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:15
[1] Cotton Mather, Addresses to Old Men, and Young Men, and Little Children, (Boston: R. Pierce, for Nicholas Buttolph, at the corner shop, next to Gutteridge’s Coffee-House, 1690), 13–19.
