Many people overlook God as the Creator and want to give anything but God the credit for life, everything good, magnificent, beautiful, and not explainable around us.
But the biblical worldview and all of creation points to an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-wise God who existed before anything was created.
He is supreme over all creation and holds all creation together with the Word of His power (Colossians 1:15-17).
“The world and all its people belong to Him and He deserves all honor, glory, and praise.”
When it comes to the issues of salvation in the context of reformation theology, there were many questions that the reformers were asking. The main question though was:
Was Christ’s payment on the cross for our sins enough to save us and give us access to a holy and righteous God without any merit of our own?
If the essentials of the Christian faith are true, that the Word is the final authority, that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, is by grace alone and faith alone, then...
God alone gets all the glory and mankind cannot claim any credit for any part of salvation. No one can get to God on their own initiative, not one person on this earth, from past history, from this modern age, or in the future had or have enough power to change their eternal destiny; not one person can save him or herself based on their intellect, their contribution to society, their sincere heart to do good, or any other merit or accomplishment, nor can any person ever transform their own lives through sheer will-power.
Only God in His infinite wisdom could accomplish His eternal plan for the world, bridge the gap between fallen man and Himself, and change lives forever.
In verse 33 of Romans chapter 11, Paul exclaims,
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:33).
When we speak of God’s glory, what does it mean?
The glory of God does not point to one particular attribute but to the overall greatness of His entire nature.
People through the ages knew God as the Creator but they did not honor Him as God nor did they give thanks to Him for His amazing work of creation.
Instead of giving credit to God, people were worshiping what He created and glorified mere idols instead:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles (Romans 1:20-23).
It is no different today. People are attracted to glory. They seek positions of importance, status, and fame.
“Just like in Paul’s day, our culture exchanges the glory, majesty, and excellence of the immortal God for images that will eventually fade away. ”
The heart of the Reformation was a rediscovery of the greatness and glory and magnitude and the majesty of God, in a world and in a church that had become thoroughly man-centered in its approach to worship. The Reformation called a halt to all of that which drew attention to man, and instead said:
God is great. God is to be glorified. God, the sovereign God of the Scriptures, the God who made the heavens and the earth, He is to be exalted in all of His majesty.
God’s glory is seen through:
His Word
His Creation
Jesus Christ
The Redeemed
1. His Word
If you want to discover God’s glory, the beauty of His wisdom, His power, majesty, and goodness, then all you have to do is look in His Word.
“Study the Scriptures and you will discover the answers to the deepest questions of life! ”
Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful truths in your Word (Psalm 119:18).
This is the reason why we, as a church, place such a high value on the Scriptures. We engage in the study of God and emphasize expository preaching which means to interpret, explain, and clear up any obscurity whether it is a word, a doctrine, or a text of Scripture.
We want to see and experience God’s glory through His Word and live our lives to the fullest.
2. His creation
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1 NASB).
‘To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomprehensible strength, not a single one is missing (Isaiah 40:25-26 NLT).
Creation testified of the constant greatness of the Creator. Throughout the centuries we have heard the same testimony from those who have observed nature either through the telescope or microscope.
The more we discover about the design of the universe and life on this planet, the more amazed we are about God’s wisdom
3. Jesus Christ
If you really want to see and experience God’s glory, then get to know the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read through the Scriptures, we can see how Jesus’ life glorified God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Glory is connected with God’s face, and indeed, conveyed its holy brightness to the face of Moses.
When people observed how Jesus lived among them, they saw that God was present with them because they saw the face of God in Jesus.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3).
4. The Redeemed in the body of Christ
Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them (Isaiah 43:7).
The purpose of our lives is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
…therefore, whatever we do, it is all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Jesus tells us that if we abide or remain connected to Him, we will produce much fruit. God wants us to produce fruit in our lives so that our own joy will be made full and complete. He produces the fruit, not us. This is what we were created for and we cannot take credit for it.
When we place all that God has given us into His hands, He will use it for His glory
Does my life, more and more, bring glory to God? Am I using my gifts and talents for my own glory or for Christ’s?
When we look at the complexities of the universe and life here on earth, when we open God’s Word and see how His perfect plan of redemption has been unfolding from the beginning of time and will culminate with a new heaven and earth, we give God all the glory.
When we see Jesus, who was God in the flesh, who came to this earth to live the life we should have lived and paid the penalty we should have paid, reconciling man back to God; and as we understand that only through Christ our justification and redemption are possible - we give God all the glory!
When we understand that it is only by grace through faith and not of ourselves, that salvation is a gift from God - we give Him all the glory!
When we see Him transforming lives, our lives and answering prayers, we don’t know how He does it, we cannot figure it out but - we give God all the glory!
For everything comes from Him, everything continues by Him and everything finds its ultimate purpose in Him! To God be the glory for ever and ever!
