Some time ago, someone left a comment on one of my Facebook posts. I think it may have been a quote from Bill Johnson that I shared. This guy was ranting against Bill Johnson and several other people he considered “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” It was really just a lot of general accusations without anything specific, so I asked him to be specific about what he disagreed with and why. (Check out the article “How to discern other people’s discernment.”)

I didn’t get very far with finding out exactly what he thought Bill Johnson said or did that was wrong. However, one of his main accusations was that Bill and several others teach “man-glorifying doctrine.”

When I read that I felt the Holy Spirit stirring my heart with this phrase: “Yes, we do teach man-glorifying doctrine. It’s called the incarnation. And whoever denies the incarnation is an antichrist.” The reason this guy would make such as accusation was that he was operating in an antichrist spirit.

God’s Will Is To Glorify You!

This truth is offensive to so many religious sentiments that are simply not based on Scripture. But this “man-glorifying doctrine” that we teach isn’t man attempting to take God’s glory. It is man being glorified with God, and God being glorified through man!

The incarnation is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. It’s one of the major differences between Christianity and several other religions that teach Jesus was a prophet or a good spirit, but deny His deity and humanity as one. God chose to glorify man by sending Jesus as a man. God highly exalted Jesus and gave him the name that’s above every other name, and he joined us to Jesus. God has chosen to glorify men by putting his Spirit in us.

Some may be offended by this point, but scripture is clear. Jesus’ glorification means our glorification.

Romans 8:30 (NRSV)  And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

John 17:22 (NRSV) The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one

Romans 8:17 (NRSV) and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Hebrews 2:6-8 (NRSV) But someone has testified somewhere, “What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor,  subjecting all things under their feet.” Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control…

Let God Glorify You So He Is Glorified!

Scripture says God has crowned us with glory and honor, so we should not think it’s humble to resist him. He has glorified us, and he will continue to be glorified through us!

We are the body of Christ, we are in Christ, and Christ is in us. We’ve often cited the scriptures for these truths, and anybody with a basic understanding of the New Testament should know them. So how can Jesus be glorified without the church being glorified? When we resist the glorification of the church, we are resisting Jesus receiving the glory that belongs to him!

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

As I’ve often heard Bill Johnson say “God will not give his glory to another—but you are not another.”

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NRSV) But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.