Glorifying God

Have you ever wondered just what it means to “glorify God”?  If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lifetime with some sense of that phrase, but never really sure just what it means.  And it’s important for the Christian to know what glorifying God really is and means, because we are called to glorify God just as Jesus recognized that his work was to glorify the Father.  (Romans 4:20, I Corinthians 6:20, Matthew 5:16, and many others)

In reading through the book “Foundations of the Christian Faith” by Boice, he gives a good, succinct definition of glorifying God.  He uses Jesus as the ultimate example.  Here is the quote taken from his book.

Glorifying God means “to acknowledge God’s attributes” or “to make God’s attributes known.”  God’s attributes are best seen at the cross of Christ.  There above all other places God’s sovereignty, justice, righteousness, wisdom and love are abundantly and unmistakably displayed.

·         We see God’s sovereignty in the way in which the death of Christ was planned, promised and then took place, without the slightest deviation from the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning it, or adjustment to meet some unforeseen circumstance.

·         We see God’s justice in sin’s actually being punished.  Without the cross God could have forgiven our sin gratuitously (to speak from a human perspective), but it would not have been just.  Only in Christ is that justice satisfied.

·         We see God’s righteousness in recognition of the fact that only Jesus, the righteous One, could pay sin’s penalty.

·         We see God’s wisdom in the planning and ordering of such a great salvation.

·         We see his love.  Only at the cross do we know beyond doubt that God loves us even as he loves Jesus.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish by have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

Jesus fully revealed these attributes of the Father by his death.  Hence, his obedience to the Father’s will in dying fully glorified him.

-----James Montgomery Boice in “Foundations of the Christian Faith”

When we glorify God, we acknowledge all that God is.  We also express thanksgiving to God for who and what He is, because it is the attributes of God…His righteousness, justice, mercy, wisdom, love, etc…that have made it possible for us to be sons and daughters of his, and co-heirs with Jesus Christ.

It seems to me that unvarnished gratitude should be at the foundation of any glorification efforts on our part…gratitude for all that God is and is to His creation.  For we can offer nothing to God other than our devotion, gratitude, and love because of His great work of salvation on the cross.

“To God be the glory; great things He has done!  So loved he the world that he gave us His Son; who yielded his life an atonement for sin; and opened the life gate that all may go in!”

“Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!  Let the earth hear His voice!  Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!  Let the people rejoice!  Oh come to the Father through Jesus the Son; and give Him the glory, Great things He has done!”