On the heels of yesterday’s post, here is an excerpt from John Frame on intra-Trinitarian glory to compliment the data on intra-Trinitarian love (emphasis mine).
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There is a [also] a circle of glorification within the Trinity itself. The Father glorifies the Son (John 8:50, 54; 13:32; 14:13; 17:1, 5), and the Son glorifies the Father (John 7:18; 13:31; 17:4). The Spirit glorifies the Son (John 16:14), and therefore glorifies the Father through the Son. In this context, we learn also that Christian believers glorify Christ (John 17:10), and he gives glory to believers: ‘I have given them the glory that you have me, that they may be one as we are one’ (John 17:22).
There is great mystery here as we gain a glimpse of the intra-Trinitarian being of God. . . . At least we can say that in the Trinity there is a mutual glorification, in which each person glorifies the others. As we explore the mysterious inwardness of the Godhead, we are no longer talking about a glory-light in a literal sense. Rather, each member of the Trinity speaks and acts in such a way to enhance the reputations of the other two, to bring praise and honor to the other persons. There is here a mutual deference, a willingness to serve one another. That is the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5) that motivated the Son of God to become a sacrifice for the sins of men.
The Father does glorify himself (John 12:28), but he does this by glorifying the Son and the Spirit and by glorifying his people. Although he deserves all glory and praise, he serves others and thereby attracts even more glory to himself.
– John M. Frame, The Doctrine of God: A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 2002), 594-95.
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In this intra-Trinitarian perspective, we see that the Father is glorified in the Son, the Son glorified in the Father, and the Spirit glorifying the Father and Son. We see one person in the trinity glorifying another, and yet the Triune God is glorifying Himself through the mutual glorification of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Indeed, there is much mystery to this, but can the implications of this lead us to believe that God is not passionate about His own glory? Or is He understood to be even more passionate since each person makes it their objective to glorify one another? Is God being too inward, selfish, and narcissistic?