Glorification is the culmination of a process of change that believers undergo starting when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and begins with Justification. At that time, we receive salvation. God frees us from the penalty of sin (an eternity spent apart from Him). It’s a one-time event.
The problem, though, is that we still have a sinful nature. So, for the rest of our lives on earth, God works to free us from the power of sin in our everyday lives. This is called Sanctification. We have a job in this process as well, which we can read in Romans 8:12-14: ‘Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by it’s dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.’
The final step of our transformation is the fulfillment of our salvation. It is called Glorification, and we can read in 1 Corinthians 15: 51 when it will occur: ‘But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown (and Christ comes). For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.’ Our old, dying bodies will be replaced with new bodies that will never die. We will be freed from the presence of sin, and thus equipped to live out eternity with God. God will share his glory with us. And Paul reminds us what God is saving for His children. These include 2 Corinthians 4:17: ‘For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!’ and Romans 5:2: Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently look forward to sharing God’s glory.’ So, while life can certainly be a struggle, we’re reminded that our earthly existence is less that the blink of an eye in eternity, and to look forward to that time of unimaginable glory.