What is God's Glory and How do We Glorify Him?
Posted by Brandon Pyle on December 15, 2023
Categories:
Blog
Christianity
Glory
We talk often about God's Glory and giving God glory, but what really is glory and how do we, as Christians, give it to Him?
Let's talk about the first question: what is God's Glory?
The Cambridge dictionary defines glory as "an important achievement that earns someone great admiration, honor, and praise."
The Bible, in Proverbs 14:28, defines glory more specifically: "[28] In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined."
Solomon, the author of Proverbs, is explaining here that a king's glory is found in the people he rules over. Is not God a king? Yes, He is! He is the King of Kings (Revelation 19:16). If, then, God is a king, who does He rule over? Luke, in chapter 14, verse 21 of his gospel account, records Jesus as saying "the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." The people that were in the midst of Jesus here were His followers. Therefore, we can infer that Jesus was talking about His followers when speaking about the "kingdom of God". While Jesus was speaking during a specific time period, His words hold true today as well. We can conclude, then, that those who follow Christ are part of His kingdom, and therefore, part of His Glory.
Going back to the definition of glory then, what is God's "achievement that earns [Him] great admiration, honor, and praise"? This achievement is God welcoming us, broken sinners, into His kingdom to live and reign with Him forever. You see, every person since Adam and Eve has sinned. We are all born with a sin nature, which separates us from God and prevents us from being part of His kingdom. If we are born separated from God, then how are we able to be part of God's kingdom?
Paul explains it well in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4 through 9: "[4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— [6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
In order to forgive our sins, God needed a perfect, unblemished sacrifice. Because we are all sinners, none of us humans could ever be that sacrifice, so God took things into His own hands by sending Jesus Christ, His only son, to live a perfect life and die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Three days later, Jesus defeated death by raising back to life. This is the Good News! Jesus is alive and Has made a way for us to be a part of His kingdom. As Paul explained in Ephesians, the opportunity to become part of God's kingdom is a free gift offered to all people. All you have to do is accept it with open arms.
Paul explains this process of being saved further in Romans 10:9-10:
"[9] because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
Now we know what God's Glory is and that it is deserving of our glory, but how do we do this? How do we glorify God?
As noted in the Cambridge definition of glory above, glory is most often associated with "admiration, honor, and praise". However, I believe that for us to glorify God, more than simple praise is required of us.
In order to understand how we can glorify God, we should look first and foremost at the example of Jesus Christ. Just a few days before going to the cross to be crucified, Jesus explained why he had to die: "[27] ... But for this purpose I have come to this hour. [28] Father, glorify your name" (John 12:27-28). Jesus knew that He was glorifying the Father by carrying out His will, even if it caused him excruciating pain and death. Jesus explains this truth further in John 17:4: "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do."
While it is important to praise and admire God, it is more important for us to follow the example of Christ and carry out God's will in everything that we do. This is the best way we can glorify God. This leads us to a new question, what is God's will? There have been whole books written on this subject, but I will summarize it as quickly as I can here: the will of God for your life is to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ (Luke 9:23) in order to live fully by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20); preaching the gospel and making disciples wherever God would have you (Matthew 28:19-20).
More simply, John 15:8 says that "God is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." We are God's ambassadors on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20), so when we strive to become like Him we represent Him well, glorifying Him in the process.
Following Christ is not always easy, but it is always worth it.
I will leave you with this supplication from Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."