Scripture is abundantly clear that a key issue, a fundamental concern of God, is His glory. Moses longed to see it (Exo 33:18). God said, "I am YHWH, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images" (Isa 42:8). We are commanded, "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). God's glory is serious, essential, the primary thing. But ... what is God's glory?
The glory of God is all God's attributes combined. It is God on display. It is seen in Creation (Psa 19:1) The word from Hebrew translated "glory" refers to His weightiness -- His immense importance -- and the respect that commands. In the Old Testament God's presence was referred to as "the glory of YHWH" (Exo 40:34). Scripture refers to it as His radiance (Luke 2:9; Heb 1:3). The glory of God is massive, critical, huge. So when Paul says that sin is falling short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), it makes perfect sense that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23). Death for an infraction? No, death for violating the immense glory of God. Death for besmirching the name of the Only God. To the "civilized" mind, "without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22) might seem barbaric, but if God's glory is truly His magnificence and sin violates God's glory, it is not merely reasonable; it is perfectly just.
It is, then, a thing of horror when we humans choose to minimize sin. "It's not that bad." "God can just forgive ... don't worry about it." We minimize God's magnificence by minimizing His glory by sin and then minimizing its significance. "He's a big God. He won't bear a grudge." Justice, on the other hand, demands a response, and the seriousness of the violation demands a large penalty. That's why Jesus came to ransom sinners (Mark 10:45). That's why we required redemption (Rom 3:24; Gal 3:13). That's why Jesus is our propitiation -- the One who appeases God's righteous wrath (Rom 3:25-26; Heb 2:17). And the question is very relevant: "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (Heb 2:3). That's why Jesus shed His blood (Matt 26:28). God's glory is not cheap, and violating His glory is not trivial. The clearer that becomes to us, the more we will embrace His salvation.
2 comments:
God's glory is a difficult concept for us to grab. In our world, glory is gained by some action we've done, typically in regards to some sort of conflict, whether it be valorous actions in the line of war, or making the game winning goal in a sport. But God didn't do anything for His glory. It just is part of Him. He is worthy of us glorifying Him just for His existence. We simply magnify it when we see on top of that, that which He has done. We lose out on joy when we diminish His glory.
“God's glory is not cheap, and violating His glory is not trivial. The clearer that becomes to us, the more we will embrace His salvation.” When I consider God's glory in contrast with my sinfulness, His forgiveness is indeed precious. (This continues my personal response to your theme for yesterday: when I fail to love God with all of my being--essentially denying His rightful place as Lord of all--I violate His glory, to my shame.)
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