God's Glory

Doctrine

Lexham Survey of Theology (God’s Glory)

The glory of God is the splendor and brilliant beauty that shines through all of the divine attributes but is especially evident in the crucified and risen Christ.

In Scripture God is said to be clothed with glory and majesty

1 Chronicles 16:27 ESV

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.

Psalm 29:4 ESV

The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

Psalm 96:6 ESV

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Psalm 104:1 ESV

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

Psalm 113:4 ESV

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!

Scripture declares that creation manifests the glory of God

Psalm 8 ESV

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 19:1–2 ESV

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Isaiah 6:3 ESV

And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

But God’s glory is most clearly seen through divine grace. Ancient Hebrews saw experienced Gods glory and majesty in the deliverance from Egypt (Exod 16:7, 10; 33:18–34:8; Lev 9:23; Deut 5:24), in meeting places like the temple (1 Kgs 8:10–11) and tabernacle (Exod 40:34).

New Testament people experienced Gods glory in the person of Jesus Christ and through the Spirit

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

1 Peter 4:14 ESV

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

God’s glory fills the church.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

John 17:10 ESV

All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

Idolatry, therefore, is not acknowledging Gods glory and worshipping the creation and not the Creator

Lexham Survey of Theology God’s Glory

Similarly, the prophet Isaiah, in the eighth century BC, predicted that there is coming a day when God will be “a garland of glory and a diadem of beauty” to his people (Isa 28:5 NRSV). This prophecy found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose beauty and glory was preeminently displayed in his crucifixion and death for sinners, manifesting perfectly the love and justice of God, and in his resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of God (John 7:39; 17:5; Heb 1:6).

Doxology

As we read all of this Scripture, we come to a point where we have to ask ourselves what our response to God’s Word should be...

Here are five different ways I thought about how I can respond to God’s glory:

I will never be able to understand how brilliant, majestic, splendid, or strong God truly is. This both terrifies me and brings me immense peace as I get to be in relationship with a glorified God.

My prayers should magnify His glory, so that every time I pray privately or publicly both myself and others are reminded that no God is greater than the one true God.

His Word should hold the utmost importance and meaning to me. By His Word the universe is held together.

Being insulted for my faith in Christ is a blessing, I need to remind myself daily that any fear or embarrassment I have by “doing” Christians things is not of God but of this world. I need to have boldness and confidence in my faith, so much so that everyone that is not a Christian should witness that I am.

I am being transformed from on degree of glory to another. If I, or others, aren’t recognizing that transformation there is a sin issue in my life that must be addressed. I should surround myself with people who can recognize transformation or lack there of.

Discipleship

What do you understand about God’s glory and how do you define it now?

What is your response to God’s glory, in other words, how do the Scriptures about God’s glory shape how you live and who you are as a follower of Christ?

Reflect on what you glorify day to day more than God. Be bold and share this with your group. A good starting point for thinking about this is to answer the question, what do I promote or what do I submit to?