Reformation Month: God Alone
To God Alone Be the Glory
“Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” - Isaiah 2:10-17
Introduction
Many have rightly called pride the worst of all sins. In a sense, all our sinful acts stem forth from some kind of pride; we assume we don’t need God or His laws, and so we content ourselves with what we think is best. Assuming you can live life without God truly is the most wicked of human actions. We find from the prophet Isaiah that all pride will be subjected to its proper humility in the end. The glory of every human achievement that causes a person to think they are better than God will be brought low. Multitudes will see for the first time on the Day of the Lord that every breath they took came as an undeserved gift from God. The glory of creation that people exalted rather than the Creator Himself will be brought low. All the great mountains and forests will be seen in their proper place; “mother nature” is indeed the Father’s footstool. This great day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God will end with the salvation of the humble and the humiliation of the proud.
As all pride is brought low, one will be seen standing exalted. The Lord God alone, in all His glorious majesty, will take His rightful place in the heart of all creation. A day is coming when we will see who He is in light of who we are, we give Him glory, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. All of time and creation will culminate in the glorification of God alone. That is why we are here, and that is where we are headed. For that reason, we would do well to understand this last pillar of Reformation theology, “Soli Deo Gloria,” which in English means “Glory to God Alone.”
Glory Defined
Glory is understood from the Hebrew “kavode” to mean reverence, honor, and splendor. The Greek for glory is “doxa” from which we get doxology; we worship God because He is glorious, and deserves all glory wherever it may be found. The glory of God is intrinsic to Himself; meaning that because of His nature, eternality, knowledge, presence, power, etc., He cannot be anything but glorious. Not only this, but the glory of God must be ascribed to Him by us; because of what He has done for us in creation and salvation, we are to empty ourselves of all prideful self-glorification and give it all back to God who alone deserves it. Paul affirms this in Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” This means that the origin of all things, the administration of all things, and the ultimate goal/aim of all things is found and in and goes back to the glory of God alone.
The Reformation and the Modern Day
Of all the points of doctrine that could have summarized the Protestant Reformation, how was it that “Soli Deo Gloria” came to be one of them? Did any medieval Catholic honestly think that God didn’t deserve glory? Of course not. But, they had unknowingly ascribed glory to themselves with their false views of salvation. If salvation is found through Scripture and tradition, Christ and the Church, grace and good works, then man would rightly deserve some of the glory because he contributed half the work. The Reformers rightly understood that man is fallen in sin, unwilling and unable to come to God by Himself. Only the grace of God can remove our sin or raise us to new life. If salvation is not all of grace, then God does not deserve all of the glory. Anything less than salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, results in a God who is robbed of what He alone rightly deserves.
Soli Deo Gloria is the last of the five Solas for a reason; because it gives the previous four Solas the proper motivation and ultimate chief end. I believe we are witnessing such a mass exodus/apostasy of the Christian faith today because so many in the previous generation came to Christ for the wrong reasons. They “got saved” so that they could have a happier, richer, and fuller life. Maybe they thought Christianity would help their family values, so they joined a church. Maybe they thought Christianity would help their community, so they made a profession of faith. “I’ll be a Christian so Jesus will make my life better” or so they thought. “Me! Me! Me!” And then when Christianity ends upbringing suffering and hardship to their lives, they leave the Church with their tail between their legs, shocked that a loving God didn’t exist to serve them.
In our generation, we must turn the tide by serving Christ and leading people to Christ for the right reasons again. Why must we seek salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ, with Scripture alone? Because that is the only way a holy God gets glory from our lives outside of damning us. God either glorifies His justice in our destruction, or He glorifies His grace in our redemption. May His grace be glorified for you and your house.
Objection
Doesn’t this make God an ego-maniac? How does a holy, good, loving, and perfect God put His own glory above all others and not compromise His character? These are understandable objections, but they are not Biblically consistent. I would like to show you that Soli Deo Gloria is actually the most comforting thought for a Christian to comprehend. God’s glory is not at odds with our good/best interest. Rather, they are inseparably joined. If you can grasp this it will change your mindset for every thought, word, and deed in life. Everything changes when a person grasps this.
I was on the phone with one of my best friends the other night, and his sons were rough-housing in the background. One of the boys took it on himself to discipline the other as if he were the parent, and my friend had to put our phone call on hold to correct his son. Apparently, he had corrected the boys on this issue previously, because all he had to do was ask the child, “Who are you in charge of?” To which, the boy knew to answer, “Nothing and no one.” I thought this was an incredible thing to consider. We want our children to imitate us in maturity, morality, or any number of things, but we shouldn’t want our children to imitate us concerning our authority and position as parents. As long as the child tries to be like dad, they’re good; but, there is a serious problem when the child actually tries to be dad to the other kids.
God must put His glory above all because He is uniquely set apart from all other realities. John Piper said, “All other realities compare to Him like a raindrop compares to the ocean or like an anthill compares to Mount Everest.” It is good for us that God puts His glory first. Consider, if God were just a fallen human like you and me then He would be wrong to put His glory first because that would be the exaltation of sin and brokenness. However, if God truly is the only Creator, Savior, Sustainer, and perfect being in all existence, then it would be destructive to us if He didn’t put His glory first. It was the glorification of His own name that led Him to create, save, and sustain us in this life; by exalting Himself over all, He exalts eternal love and mercy over all our sin and depravity. By ascribing glory to God (worshipping Him) we connect ourselves to the only one who is perfect love, peace, and righteousness. Let me give you three examples of this: in the glory of God we find our greatest dignity, deliverance, and delight.
Our Dignity is Found in God’s Glory
In Genesis 1:26-27, we read,
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
I believe the Imago Dei (the image of God) means that God has a unique stamp of ownership on humanity. It means that we were created with the unique capacity to live in relationship with God in a way that the rest of creation was not. As image-bearers, we are to reflect the character and greatness of the original Artist who sculpted us in the first place. To be a human being made in the image of God is to reflect the glory of God to all the universe.
The great sin of the Garden was that we chose to live for the glory of our own image, rather than that of God. This is the essence of what Paul meant in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” The depravity of mankind is defined by refusing to reflect God’s glory back to Him as an image-bearer. Yet, on the flip-side, to live for God’s glory is to find the purpose for our existence. It is the debasement of man to live for self, and the dignity of man to live for God.
Our Deliverance is Found in God’s Glory
The great theme of the entire Bible is how God orchestrates all of history to sing praise to His name for redeeming fallen sinners. In Ephesians 1:3-12, we find the multitude of gracious blessings that were given to us in salvation. God predestined us to adoption, granted redemption and forgiveness through His blood, made wisdom abound toward us, and gave us an eternal inheritance. But why? Verse 12 gives the answer, “That we should be to the praise of His glory.” Isaiah prophesied along these same lines, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Yes, it is true that He removes and forgives sin for the good of the creature, but first and foremost, He does so to show the greatness of His own name. Our good is the byproduct of His glory.
We build statues/set up monuments to remind the world of the significance of an individual or certain event. When you look at WWII monuments, for example, you are reminded of the strength of a certain military force. God saved us to display His power and mercy to the universe. The children of God are monuments of grace, eternally standing to declare His glory. When demons look at a Christian, they tremble at the effect God’s glorious gospel can have on a person. All the powers of hell shake in the boots when they consider how the Lord Jesus broke the chains of fallen humanity, propitiated divine wrath, conquered death, and brought rebellious sinners to repentance and faith. Soli Deo Gloria was the motivating cause of Jesus that led Him to the cross to pay the price for our sins.
Not only this, but we are sustained in the faith because of the glory of God as well. Isaiah 48:9-11 reads,
“For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory unto another.”
Why do I believe it is impossible for a Christian to lose their salvation? Answer: Soli Deo Gloria. God does not start what He will not finish (Phillipians 1:6, Hebrews 12:2). God would do dishonor to His own great name if He raised us from death to life and then allowed us to fall back under His wrath again. One preacher made the point that there is a sense in which God’s reputation is riding on your salvation. The same grace that justifies us also sanctifies us.
Our Delight is Found in God’s Glory
Many people accept that they are to give glory to God, but they take this task as if it were a somber duty, a horrible burden, or a cross to bear. “Oh I am a troubled Christian soldier, ever living for God’s glory at the expense of my own happiness!” so they say, or unknowingly present themselves. This is not a Christian way of thinking. The authors of the Westminster Standards understood this, for the the first question of the catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” To which the answer is provided, “Man’s chief end is to glory God, and to enjoy Him forever” [emphasis mine]. The greatest joy you will ever find in this life will come from living for the reason you were created. You exist to find joy, happiness, and satisfaction in giving glory to God.
Consider the words of David in Psalm 16, and notice carefully the happiness he finds in the ways God is exalted in his life:
“Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee: But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintained my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
David says here that there is nothing good in his life apart from God. Not only this but he enjoys being around the people of God, and cannot find satisfaction in the pagan worship of idols. He recognizes that God has hedged him in with salvation; meaning, all the things in life that give him pleasure come from the hand of God. And finally, we find a prophecy of Christ that was quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost, that the Father will not let Christ remain in the grave or see corruption. David saw this gospel truth, and it gave him hope beyond the grave; as if he were saying, “I have no more fear, for Christ has conquered every cause of fear. Because He lives, I can face death with assurance that I will live in Him.”
Have you ever found enjoyment in living for God? A Christian is one who has been remade with new desires and affections. Christians find disgust with sin whereas they previously found delight in it. Christians find joy in God whereas they previously found Him unworthy of worship. Why does a Christian pray, fast, read and study Scripture, attend worship on the Lord’s Day, fellowship with other believers, and seek to live a holy life? Because they want to. They are aware of their new desires. They have come to realize that nothing else will satisfy them but more of God. So the question stands, do you enjoy living for the glory of God? I call upon you to give up the pursuit of every other worldly love. Your greatest happiness will be found in God’s greatest glory.
Conclusion
The day is coming when the sun will be replaced by the glory of God, this is what makes heaven so desirable to redeemed hearts. With minds sanctified by Scripture alone, hearts regenerated by grace alone, justified by faith alone, standing on the solid rock of Christ alone, let us look forward to the New Jerusalem; of which we read, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23).
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
