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J. N. Darby.
(Notes and Comments Vol. 1.)
The connection of life, the sanctifying word, and glory is very interesting in Scripture. Connect the following passages: "the truth shall make you free," and "the Son shall make you free" - and that in contrast with being the servant of sin; then, "Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy Word is truth" - "For their sakes I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth" - for the Spirit takes of the things of Christ, and shows them to us; but this is the heavenly glory, especially of His Person, into which He is entered in following the path of life - hence, "we, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." This is particularly brought out also in the Lord's work, and our aspirations, in Ephesians 5 and Philippians 3. In Ephesians 5 we find the Lord having loved the Church, and given Himself for it, sanctifies and cleanses it by the washing of water by the Word, that He may present it to Himself, a glorious Church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Now, one would say, the cleansing has nothing to do with glory - yes, it is the realising in a life, already given - which, spiritually speaking, is Christ - all that is in Christ thus glorified; we are changed into His image; in living principle, and nature it is there. It is objectively realised, and the life formed into it, and all inconsistent removed by the communications from a glorified Christ to the soul - we grow up to Him who is the Head in all things.
Then comes the physical change, by change or resurrection, so that the body also partakes of it, according to its nature, see 2 Corinthians 5, and Romans 8:11. So in 1 John 3, "we know that we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And everyone that hath this hope in him, purifies himself, even as he is pure." So the course of the Christian - Paul would know the power of His resurrection - go through anything for it - having the excellency of the knowledge of the glory of Christ, and his hope being to be raised up from among the dead - he has not yet attained, nor is already perfect, but, forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forth to the things which are before, he presses towards the mark of the high prize of his calling in Christ Jesus - the calling ano (above). When Christ comes, the vile body will be fashioned like His glorious body - but all tended, in one laid hold of for it, towards the result of the calling above. This gives a true character to the whole Christian life; it flows from this, "which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is now past, and the true light now shineth," and is expressed with power in Hebrews 11:5, "Enoch was translated that he should not see death; for God took him, for before he was translated he had the testimony, that he pleased God." So indeed of Christ, only it was always perfection, "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." This, then, is our life.
190 Note the extremely full and elaborate development of the Christian's character, walk and spirit, as partaker of the new life, in Colossians 3.