“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
If we are to know and understand who God is, we must recognize that He is glorious. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”
To a certain extent, Scripture teaches that human beings do reflect the glory of God (I Corinthians 11:7; 2 Corinthians 4:17). This certainly was the case with Moses (Exodus 33-34). Yet, Isaiah 42:8 teaches that God’s inherent glory is unique to Him and Him alone.
The context of Isaiah 42 is the doctrine of salvation. God opens the spiritual eyes of the blind and frees people from their spiritual bondage. Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “The glory that is revealed in God’s work of salvation He will not share with others. It is His and His alone, and any attempt to take away from that glory by giving sinners a meritorious role in their salvation is a grave sin against the Lord.”
While there are many truths concerning God’s purpose in salvation (justification; redemption; reconciliation; adoption; propitiation; predestination) ultimately God’s purpose in the saving of sinners is so He will be glorified. His chief goal in saving sinners is His glory. This He will not share with another.
What exactly is meant by glory? God’s glory is often literally depicted as a brilliant light (Exodus 34:29-35). Biblically, brilliant light symbolizes truth, righteousness, purity and holiness. See Revelation 21:23; Psalm 43:3; Hosea 6:1-5; John 12:41. This is what the shepherds seen and heard on that first Christmas night (Luke 2:8-14). Therefore, to say God is glorious is to say that God’s character is truthful, righteous, pure and holy.
It stands to reason that to live for the glory of God is to be truthful, righteous, pure and holy. Dr. Sproul concludes by saying, “If God’s highest aim is the furtherance of His own inherent glory – and ultimately everything He does is for His own glory – then that must be our aim as well. Our entire lives must be spent working to make much of His name, not our own. No other goal of ours should be greater than to see the Lord’s glory magnified and proclaimed everywhere. To be a true servant of God is to seek His glory.”
How may you seek to glorify the Lord today at work, at home, at school and with your friends and acquaintances? We do so by being truthful, righteous, pure and holy.
“How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose! … You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure.” Augustine
“God would be unrighteous (just as we would) if he valued anything more than what is supremely valuable. If he did not take infinite delight in the worth of his own glory he would be unrighteous. For it is right to take delight in a person in proportion to the excellence of that person’s glory.” John Piper
I encourage you to check out monergism.com. Free e-books available on the glory of God. Worth a look!
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 