For the Glory of God

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This is the last post in this series of posts focused on each part of the purpose statement of this blog. So, today we focus on “for the glory of God.”

What is God’s glory?

This is a necessary starting point. If we do not understand the glory of God, then we will not understand why we should live our lives for His glory.

Inherit Glory

God inherently possesses glory. The best way to understand God’s inherent glory is to think of the sun. God’s glory is to Him as the light is to the sun. The sun can do nothing else other than give off light. In the same say, God’s inherent glory is the brilliance of His holiness.
God’s holiness is the overarching attribute out of which all His other attributes flow. It is the only attribute of God that is repeated in a pattern of three (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). All the other attributes of God are holy. His love, grace, mercy, justice, and any other attribute you can name is a holy attribute. R.C. Sproul gives a wonderful treatment to the subject of the holiness of God.
If God’s inherent glory is the brilliance of His holiness, how is it observed in the world? The following is not an exhaustive list but will help us understand how His glory is manifested.

  • The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).
  • Israel was guided by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:20-22).
  • God spoke to Moses our of a cloud (Exodus 33).
  • God’s glory is in Christ (John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews ).

Attributed Glory

God’s inherent glory is the manifestation the brilliance of His holiness. Attributed glory is the exaltation of God by others. This is probably most familiar to you in the statement “Give God glory.” It is the recognition of who God is and what He does in our lives.
This is our struggle. Because of the presence of sin, we tend rob God of the glory due to Him. Psalm 106 gives us insight to help us understand how we rob God of glory.

  • Do not consider His wondrous works (Psalm 106:7).
  • Do not remember His abundance of steadfast love (Psalm 106:7).
  • Do not wait for His counsel (Psalm 106:13).
  • Engage in idolatry (Psalm 106:20).
  • Forget God (Psalm 106:21).
  • Do not obey the Lord (Psalm 106:25).

This is not an exhaustive list. But it serves our purpose of illustrating specific ways in which we rob God of His glory.

Let’s Talk About It

  • How have you robbed God of his Glory?
  • What can you do to be more focused on the glory of God in your life?

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