Recap: In the previous post we explored God's holiness, albeit very briefly. I defined holiness as the sum, substance and perfect manifestation of all of God's attributes.
I maintained that our foundation for Christian doctrine and for an accurate worldview based on biblical revelation must begin with a correct view of God. In a very real sense, who we are is defined by what we believe about God. As A.W. Tozer puts it - "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us"(The Knowledge of the Holy).
Glory
The repetition of words and phrases in Hebrew and Greek is a literary device to give emphasis to whatever is being stated. When Jesus begins a teaching with "Truly" (or "verily"), it's important. When he begins a teaching with "Truly, truly" (or "Verily, verily") it's really important. So when something is repeated three times, God is giving us some really critical information. Last week we looked at one such statement uttered by an angel in the sixth chapter of Isaiah. Here is the complete verse.
And one (seraph) called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:3 ESV)
The implication of this verse is threefold. First, that God is super holy (see last week's post). Second, that his glory is revealed in his creation. And third, there is a connection between the holiness of God and the glory of God.
The connection between God's holiness and glory is revealed in this definition: God's glory is his holiness made visible. The visible manifestation of God's holiness is what the Bible refers to as his glory. To put it another way, we could say that God's glory is what we see when God goes public with his holiness. This understanding of glory is clear in the following passage where God commands his prophet Ezekiel to speak to the people of Sidon:
... I will reveal my glory by what I do to you. When I bring judgment against you and reveal my holiness among you, everyone watching will know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 28:22 NLT)
In this verse we see an example of parallel construction often used in Scripture. This verse presents three parallel phrases - three different expressions which all say the same thing, "I reveal my glory... I bring judgment... and reveal my holiness."
Here, God will express his holiness in the form of a judgment against Sidon. And that expression of justice is a reflection of God's glory - his holiness made visible. Furthermore, the verse tells us that one purpose of revealing his glory is so that people will know that he is the Lord.
The Value of God's Glory
Some time ago I attended a seminar hosted by Saddleback Church in which John Piper stated that God has "an unwavering commitment to uphold the value of his glory." The Bible agrees.
I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. (Isaiah 42:8 ESV)
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. (Isaiah 48:11 ESV)
The reason God so protects the value of his glory should be obvious. As a manifestation of his holiness, if his glory is less than "glorious" - if it is defiled, debased, diminished in any way - it would reflect a measure of unholiness in God, and an unholy god is not worthy of worship. If his glory were compromised in any way, he would be no more worthy of worship than "carved idols."
Glorifying God
We're told that everything that God created was created to glorify him. For example, his word tells us that the heavens - the moon and the stars - proclaim his glory (Psa 2:1, Psa 19:1). We witness his glory in the beauty of the flora -
Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah 35:2 NLT)
and in the variety and uniqueness of the fauna -
Then God said, "Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind--livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals." And that is what happened. (Genesis 1:24 NLT)
and in the people he created -
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 ESV)
... bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, (Isaiah 43:6 ESV)
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:7 ESV)
It is interesting to note, that although we were created to glorify God, we - the human race - are the only created things that do not, by our very natures, glorify him. The fact that God created us as free moral agents often puts us at odds with the will of our Maker. We are amazing creatures for sure, created in the image of God himself, and wonderful testimonies to God's grace, yet we fall woefully short of reflecting the glory he desires from us.
God's Glory in Us
This brings us to another wonderful quote, a well-known couplet from John Piper: "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in him."
God gets the most glory from us, when we are supremely satisfied in him. The Westminster Shorter Catechism echoes that understanding when it declares, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." In short, we glorify God by finding enjoyment in him, and this pleases God so much that he richly rewards our pleasure - Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4 ESV).
In Exodus, Chapter 33, after confirming that he has found favor in God's eyes, Moses makes a bold request of God, "Please show me your glory" (Ex33:18 ESV). It's important to note that, of all the ways God could have chosen to respond, he told Moses, "I will make my goodness pass before you... and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Ex 33:19 ESV). No earthquakes. No lightning. No wrath. No destruction. Just goodness, grace and mercy. That's how God chose to demonstrate his glory to his chosen servant. He knows that, even though he would be glorified by a demonstration of power, wrath, and destruction, it is grace, mercy and goodness that will cause his servant to delight in him, thereby maximizing the effect of his glory, and teaching Moses to do the same.
Logic
I wanted to conclude this discussion of the glory of God with some simple logic:
- If God has an unwavering commitment to the value of his glory - which he does.
- And if his glory is best displayed by those who delight in him - which it is.
- Then, God must desire that all delight in him in order to maximize the reflection of his glory in the world.
With that in mind, here's a foundational question: Does it make any sense for the God who desires to reveal his glory, and who vigorously defends the value of his glory, and whose glory is revealed most gloriously when people adore him - does it make any sense for God to create or to render anyone completely unable to love him, as some propose?
Let's take some time this week just to admire God's glory in the beauty of his creation - the night sky, a flowering garden, our beautiful families - the visible manifestation of his holiness.
Next Post: In the next post we'll continue to build a sound biblical foundation for all Christian doctrine by turning our eyes to Jesus. Here's a link to the next post:
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