The Glory of God

What is glory? Glory is something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration. When it comes to God, it is all that He is. When we glorify God, we aren't making Him out to be something new. We are appreciating Him for what He is. The glory of God is the sum of His nature.

So when we read about the Gospel, it is described this way: "the gospel of the glory of Christ." The good news isn't about salvation or prosperity or security or forgiveness. It is about all that Christ is. That, in fact, is what saving faith is. Saving faith is the embracing of all that Christ is. Faith is sometimes described with the illustration of a chair. You aren't actually placing your faith in that chair until you're sitting in it. This is true, but it's short of the whole picture. If that chair is ugly and uncomfortable and you'd rather sit anywhere at all except that you're pretty sure it's the only place you can be safe (or saved or forgiven or whatever benefit you might gain), that's not the picture of saving faith. Saving faith is an embracing of the glory of Christ. In terms of that chair, it isn't "a safe place to sit". It's the most beautiful, comfortable, best-seat-in-the-house chair. You're not placing your weight in it because it works. You are placing all your weight there because it is so ... glorious.

We often approach God with a pragmatic style. "What can you give me?" He can offer a lot, to be sure. But that's not the right approach. It is the overwhelming wonder of His glory, the beauty of His character, the awesomeness of His being that draws us. That is what it means to have saving faith. That is the abiding place of every true believer.