The Glory of God

The Purpose of God's Glory

"I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed" (John 17:5).

To our God and Father be glory forever and ever (Phil 4:20).

"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created" (Rev 4:11).

Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (1 Tim 1:17).

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom 5:1-2).

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31).

What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory (Rom 9:22-23).

... waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3).

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).

It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Phil 1:9-11).

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places ... ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved
... ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:3-14).

The Problem of God's Glory

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things (Rom 1:22-23).

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).

The Power of God's Glory

We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Eph 3:14-17).

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18).

And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:13).

Summary

The sum total of the Creation is found in the glory of God. The whole point is an expression of God's glory. The aim of all things is to, in everything, express and expound upon the glory of God. The problem, of course, is that sin falls short of that purpose. The primary problem of sin is the failure to glorify God.

God's glory is not without recourse. The failure of His creation to properly glorify Him is not the end of the story. To further His glory, God sent His Son to die on our behalf, a remedy for sin. It was that glory that raised Christ from the dead. It is that glory that strengthens us. It is that glory that transforms us. It is that glory that supplies us. It is that glory that sustains us in suffering. It is His glory that is our blessed hope, our future.

To many, God's glory is a bad thing. To believers, it is a good thing, but it is too often a side issue. Oh, sure, we're interested and all, but it is not central. But Scripture paints the glory of God as the primary issue. We glorify Him in good deeds. His glory is the point of all our blessings in Christ. We receive mercy for His glory. It is the only real thing of consequence. All of His nature is wrapped up in His glory. All of our purpose is aimed at His glory. There is no other point. His glory is all there is. As is repeated over and over in Scripture, "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever" (Phil 4:20).