The Glory that Excels

It is not the statement of what man ought to be, but of what God is. He has revealed Himself in His Son, and in a manner blessedly suitable to our need and condition. It is not merely introduced with glory, but it subsists in glory. This is the glory that excels! It is divine testimony to One who having accomplished redemption has gone up into the glory of God. We gaze upon Him with unveiled face, in perfect peace in the presence of infinite holiness.
It is a ministry of righteousness and of the Spirit. It is of righteousness, not in requiring it as under the law, but in revealing it unto all. "Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." Rom. 3:21, 22. God can now maintain His own consistency with Himself, yet holding as righteous every one that believes in Jesus on the ground of redemption. It is not mercy, though He is rich in it and has lavished it upon us, but righteousness. He is perfectly righteous in all His dealings of grace with us through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Here is solid ground for our feet, and resting here peace is sure and settled.
Also it is a ministry of the Spirit. God never even proposed to confer this as the result of law-keeping. The holy anointing oil could not be poured on flesh (Ex. 30:31, 32). The Spirit could not be granted as the reward of man's work.