“The glorious Father sends the glorious Son, who voluntarily humbles Himself and glorifies the Father through His incarnation, obedient life, and substitutionary death (Phil. 2:5-11; cf. John 1:18; 7:18; 10:1-30; 14:13).
In response the Father glorifies the Son, resurrecting Him from the dead and exalting Him to the highest place (Acts 3:13-15; Rom. 6:4; Phil 2:9-11). The Father sends the glorious Spirit who glorifies the Son. And this all takes place to the glory of the Father (Phil. 2:11).
Each member of the Trinity gives to the others as a display of love and as a way of accomplishing cosmic redemption. The Son says to the Father, ‘I love You and the people You have given Me, so I will undergo humiliation and suffering for You and them.’
And then the Father responds to the Son, ‘I love You and these people, so for Your sake and theirs, I want to raise and exalt You to the highest place and reputation.’
Amazingly, through serving the Father, the Son is glorified, and through blessing the Son, the Father is glorified (Phil. 2:5-11). Further, the Father blesses the Son with people to save, depicted as love gifts from the Father.
The Son, in turn, saves and keeps all of these love gifts, giving them back to the Father (John 6, 10, 17). The Father blesses the Son with gifts (us!), and the Son blesses the Father by giving the gifts in return.
Plus, the Spirit communicates the gifts, disclosing what belongs to the Father and the Son to believers (John 16:14-15).”
–Christopher W. Morgan, “Toward a Theology of the Glory of God” in The Glory of God, Eds. Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 178.
