Glory to God

The other Sunday we discussed the beauty of the glory of God as revealed by the angels to the shepherd (Glory to God in the Highest). I admit the difficulty of defining glory. Glory is abstract...it's not something we can grab onto. We can define a basketball...it's round about 10 inches in diameter and usually made of rubber. But glory is much more difficult. It's like trying to define beauty. You can't define it but you can describe it. You can't use mere words...you can only describe the detail of beauty.

With the limitation of words in mind we attempt to define glory as the manifestation (or picture) of God's holiness. It gives a glimpse of the perfection of God. Obviously, God has all glory and honor and blessing because He is absolutely holy. Therefore, we can't give him anymore glory...but we can acknowledge that glory through our worship and living. A correct perspective of God's glory always begins with the correct perspective of ourselves (and vice versa). Understanding who God is should show who we are...and understanding who we are should show who He is.

In considering the glory of God...here are some great quotes about the glory of God.


“God… is infinitely the greatest and best of beings. All things else, with regard to worthiness, importance, and excellence, are perfectly as nothing in comparison to him… The ultimate [goal] of God’s works is… the glory of God.”
– Jonathan Edwards

“The Biblical word ‘glory’ is (Heb) kavod [which] means heavy, weighty, significant… The ‘glory of the Lord’ indicates the brilliance that is connected with all God’s virtues and his self-revelation in nature and grace… As an object of loving adoration it is called his [beauty]. As an object of our reverent submission it is called his majesty. As an object of our joyous gratitude it is called his [worthiness].”
– Herman Bavinck

“God’s goal [in all he does] is his glory, but this is easily misunderstood. The glory that is his goal is a two-sided, two-stage relationship. It is a conjunction of a) revelatory acts on his part whereby he shows us his glory, with b) responsive adoration in which we give him glory for what we have seen and received. In this conjunction is realized the fellowship of love for which [we] were made.”
– J.I. Packer

We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem. Why do we go? Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self… The point is this: We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things; and when we trade that treasure for images, everything is disordered. The sun of God’s glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul. And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit. But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart. The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center.
- John Piper