The Glory of God

A compilation

The dictionary definition of “glory” often describes it as great praise, splendor, or honor. The glory of God is the splendor that comes from Him. Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Here the word glory is used in parallel with “handiwork” or His power or greatness. …

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the glory of God, sharing, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”¹ In this context, Jesus spoke of resurrecting Lazarus from death. This act would bring glory to God and glorify Jesus.

In Acts 7:55, Stephen looked into heaven just before his death and saw the glory of God. In this context, it referred to the greatness of God in heaven. In Romans, the phrase “glory of God” is used three times. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 5:2 speaks of the glory of God in the sense of His greatness. Romans 15:7 shares, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” In this passage, the glory of God is used in the sense of honoring God.

The glory of God is emphasized in several places throughout Paul’s other writings. In particular, he notes in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Here again, the glory of God refers to honoring God with one’s life. Hebrews 1:3 uses the phrase in another way: “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.” The author notes Jesus as the radiance of God’s glory.

Revelation expresses God’s glory in three clear passages. First, Revelation 15:8 speaks of the sanctuary being filled with the glory of God. Revelation 21:11 notes the glory of God coming from the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:23 adds that the glory of God serves as the light for the city.

Overall, the glory of God is used in a variety of ways in Scripture. It can refer to God’s greatness, His honor, His beauty, His power, and His light. In every case, the glory of God acknowledges the Lord’s supreme strength and our need to both acknowledge and serve Him.—From Got Questions Ministries²

From God alone

“For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory.”—Romans 11:36³

It’s all for him. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including you. God made it all for his glory. Without God’s glory, there would be nothing.

What is the glory of God? It is who God is. It is the essence of his nature, the weight of his importance, the radiance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, and the atmosphere of his presence. God’s glory is the expression of his goodness and all his other intrinsic, eternal qualities.

Where is the glory of God? Just look around. Everything created by God reflects his glory in some way. We see it everywhere, from the smallest microscopic form of life to the vast Milky Way, from sunsets and stars to storms and seasons.—Rick Warren

God’s art

Whatever God’s reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God’s art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like.

This is why we are called to worship Him. His art, His handiwork, and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is and is to come.—Francis Chan⁴

God’s heavenly spheres

The heavenly spheres that God has made operate like the wheels of a great clock with perfect precision, virtually unvarying in course and speed and degree, so that these things can be calculated virtually to the split second: sunrise and sunset, phases of the moon, moonrise and moonset, tides, eclipses of the moon and eclipses of the sun. They can tell you exactly when they’re going to occur and where they’re going to be visible.

Nowadays navigation is so accurate by means of satellites that they can fix their position within a few yards. Out on the boundless ocean with no landmarks in sight, nothing but changing waves all the time, they can know just where they’re at because of the certainty and the fixed position of the stars and planets of God’s marvelous universe! God’s marvelous creation of the earth, sun, moon, and stars is forever and shall endure like the throne of God. In fact, in a sense, they are the throne of God and declare the glory of God.

God is a Spirit who is everywhere, omnipresent, all-powerful, omnipotent, all-knowing, omniscient. You can’t confine God to any particular place or building, to the churches or the temples, and certainly not the earth, nor the solar system, nor the Milky Way galaxy, nor the entire universe! He says He’s bigger than all that put together. We can’t even comprehend or conceive of how great God is. He is all and in all and everything.⁵

As a result, some false religions have fallen down and worshipped His creations, thinking they’re worshipping God in His creation, and who, as the Apostle says, “worshipped the creation instead of the Creator.”⁶ He doesn’t mind you glorifying Him in His creation and because of His creation, but He doesn’t want you worshipping the creation, as some people do—the rocks and the trees—and certainly not the idols and the images which are not God’s creation but man’s!

We are to worship God first and foremost, and He’ll have no other gods before Him.⁷ We are to worship the Creator, God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and His Holy Spirit.—David Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor August 2018. Read by Simon Peterson.
Music by Michael Dooley.

Posted in: audio, compilation, creation, praise and thanksgiving

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