The glory of God is one of the most important concepts in the Bible. God’s glory refers to His greatness, majesty, holiness, and righteousness. It is the radiance, splendor and manifestation of His being. The Bible shows that all of creation declares God’s glory (Psalm 19:1). This article will examine what Scripture says about the glory of God and what it means for us.
God’s Glory in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for glory is kabod. It means heaviness or weightiness and conveys the idea of God’s visible presence and majesty. God’s glory was often represented by light, brightness, or a cloud (Exodus 16:10). His glory filled the tabernacle and temple when they were consecrated (Exodus 29:43, 1 Kings 8:11). The psalmists frequently meditate on the glory of God seen in creation (Psalm 8:1, 19:1). Isaiah 6 offers a powerful vision of God’s glory filling the temple, which causes Isaiah to become aware of his own sinfulness.
A key aspect of God’s glory in the Old Testament is that it cannot be directly observed by humans. God told Moses, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). The transcendent holiness and perfection of God means sinful humans cannot look at the fullness of His glory and live. God’s glory had to be veiled to protect people from being overcome by His awesome majesty. Yet God still revealed glimpses of His glory to the Israelites in the pillars of cloud and fire, the tabernacle glory-cloud, and theophanies.
The purpose of God’s glory is multifaceted. His glory represents His presence with His people (Exodus 29:46). He displays His glory so people will know He is the one true God who reigns over all things (Psalm 97:6, Isaiah 40:5). God’s glory reveals His divine nature and character, showing He is worthy of worship (Exodus 15:11). God’s glory manifests His holiness and purity, demanding reverential fear from those who encounter it (Exodus 24:17, Isaiah 6:5).
God’s glory is closely tied to His name. The Hebrew phrase usually translated “for my name’s sake” literally means “according to my glory.” Protecting God’s glory and honor is equivalent to defending His supreme name (Psalm 115:1, Isaiah 48:9-11). God displays His glory so His great name will be known, feared, and praised.
God’s Glory in the New Testament
In the New Testament, the Greek words for glory are doxa and kabod. Like the Old Testament view, God’s glory primarily means the visible manifestation of His majesty, perfection and holiness. At Jesus’ birth, the shepherds saw God’s glory shining around the angels who proclaimed good news of the Savior’s birth (Luke 2:9). At the transfiguration, the disciples briefly glimpsed the glory of God shining from Jesus, proving He is the Son of God (Luke 9:32). Revelation frequently portrays glorious visions of God’s majesty similar to visions in Ezekiel and Isaiah.
A key theme about God’s glory in the New Testament is that Jesus Christ Himself is the greatest revelation of God’s glory. Jesus has intrinsic glory as the one and only Son of God who shares the Father’s divine nature (John 1:14, 17:5). During His earthly ministry, Christ veiled His preexistent glory under ordinary human flesh. But the disciples still saw glimpses of His glory through the miracles He performed and brilliance of His teaching (John 2:11, 11:40). At certain points, the veil was lifted and the radiance of Christ’s deity shone through, such as at the transfiguration.
Jesus fully manifested His glory at the resurrection and ascension. His glory will be on maximum display when He returns to earth in power and majesty at His second coming (Luke 21:27, Titus 2:13). Believers will share in the glory of Christ for eternity as joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17-18, Colossians 3:4).
An important theme is that God shares His glory with believers through Christ. Jesus prayed for His disciples, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them” (John 17:22). As born again children of God, believers are being transformed into the same image and likeness of Christ from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). God’s glory dwells in believers individually and corporately as the church, which is called the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19).
The Nature and Attributes of God’s Glory
The Bible uses vivid terms to describe the glory of God. It is said to shine brighter than the sun at full strength (Acts 26:13, Revelation 1:16). God covers Himself in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). His glory has an overwhelming weightiness or gravity to it that invokes awe and fear (Exodus 24:17, Isaiah 6:3-4). Yet those who know God’s grace find His glory beautiful, sweet, lovely and pleasant to behold (Psalm 27:4, Song of Solomon 2:3).
God’s glory is intrinsic to His being. As the eternal, self-existent Creator, all glory originates from God. King David declares, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name” (Psalm 29:2). Created things can only reflect and display God’s glory, but cannot generate it. God says, “My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:11). His glory is incommunicable and cannot be transferred.
God’s glory is infinite, transcendent, and inexhaustible. All created things combined cannot begin to reveal the measureless depths of God’s glory. The earth is filled with His glory (Isaiah 6:3), yet His glory surpasses the highest heavens (Psalm 113:4, 148:13). The radiance of God’s glory will take eternity to fully behold.
The aspects of God’s being revealed through His glory include:
- Holiness – God’s moral perfection, purity, and separation from all sin (Exodus 15:11).
- Righteousness – God’s justice, uprightness, faithfulness to His Word (Psalm 97:6).
- Goodness – The kindness, benevolence, and compassion of God (Exodus 33:19).
- Truth – The integrity, honesty, and dependability of God (John 17:17).
- Beauty – The aesthetics, attractiveness, and splendor of God (Psalm 27:4).
- Majesty – The kingship, sovereignty, and might of God (Psalm 145:5).
- Perfection – The completeness, flawlessness, and wholeness of God (Matthew 5:48).
- Presence – God’s omnipresence filling all things (Psalm 16:11, Isaiah 6:3).
All the infinite qualities and attributes of God constitute His intrinsic glory. His glory flows out of His divine nature. The glory of God could be summed up as the infinite beauty, perfection, and worth of God’s divine being.
How Humans Respond to God’s Glory
The appropriate human response whenever encountering the glory of God is worship. Those who perceive God’s glory are compelled to acknowledge His supreme worth through worshipping Him. The seraphim in Isaiah’s vision of God’s glory cried out continually, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). God created humans to glorify Him by recognizing the infinite value of His glory and living for His glory (Isaiah 43:7).
A vision of God’s glory also brings conviction of sin. Isaiah responded to seeing the Lord on His throne, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5). The perfection of God’s holiness exposes human sinfulness. But God also provides cleansing from sin, as the seraphim purified Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal (Isaiah 6:7).
Those who reject and rebel against God often hate or scorn His glory. John says, “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). Ungodly people may deny God’s glory displayed in creation or profane His glory by worshipping idols. They suppress the truth to avoid acknowledging the perfections and rights of the glorious Creator (Romans 1:18-23). But on judgment day, every knee will bow before the exceeding brightness and glory of Christ the King (Philippians 2:10-11).
How Believers Manifest God’s Glory
God shares His glory with His redeemed people. One way believers manifest God’s glory is by fulfilling the purpose for which we were created—to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31). Our lives can radiate the goodness, beauty and truth of God. Jesus told His disciples, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). A Spirit-filled believer will produce the fruit of Christ-like character that reveals God’s transforming glory (John 15:8).
The church collectively displays God’s glory as believers gather to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). God manifests His presence in the midst of the congregation to bless and sanctify them (Psalm 22:3). As temples of the Holy Spirit, believers have the same glory of God dwelling in them that once filled the Old Testament tabernacle and temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). God’s mission for the church is to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
At Christ’s second coming, God will glorify believers with Christ. “We suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). Our resurrection bodies will no longer bear the weakness, dishonor and corruption of this fallen world. The glory of Christ will transform believers to be like Him in the full splendor of righteousness (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2). The glory given to believers far outweighs present sufferings (2 Corinthians 4:7).
What Hinders Perceiving God’s Glory
Though creation clearly displays God’s glory, people often fail to discern it. Romans 1:18-23 explains that ungodly attitudes can block perceiving God’s glory. Pride causes people to suppress God’s truth. Rebellion and independence from God lead to futile thinking. Covetousness turns the heart toward created things rather than the Creator. Idolatry exchanges worship of the all-glorious God for images of corruptible creatures.
People’s minds are also darkened through sin’s deceitfulness (Ephesians 4:17-19). Satan, the “god of this world,” blinds unbelievers to keep them from seeing Christ’s glory in the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). The clutter, noise, and hurry of this world distracts from meditating on God’s glory. Daily renewed repentance and separation from worldliness are needed to perceive God’s glory clearly (James 4:8, 1 John 2:15-17).
Unbelief obscures recognition of God’s glory. However, as faith grows through studying God’s Word, the eyes of our heart enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18). The Holy Spirit illuminates God’s glory in the Scriptures. Believers can pray with David, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). Developing the habit of praise is another way to grow in awareness of God’s glory.
The Glory of God in Salvation
God most clearly displays His glory in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The climax of Christ’s earthly ministry was His death and resurrection to save sinners. At the cross, the attributes of God’s glory meet in full manifestation: love and grace, justice and wrath, mercy and truth unite to deal with sin once for all (Romans 3:25-26). The greatest revelation of God’s glory shines in His plan of redemption.
God planned salvation “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:3-6). Sinners are justified and forgiven only through faith in Christ’s redemptive work, excluding any human boasting (Romans 3:23-24). God overflows with glorious kindness and mercy to regenerate spiritually dead hearts to trust in Christ alone for salvation (Ephesians 2:4-9). The gospel reveals the riches of God’s grace and the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4-6, 2 Peter 1:3-4).
God’s purpose in salvation is to restore the privilege of glorifying Him that sin destroyed. Those redeemed by the blood of Christ receive grace to live wholly for God’s glory again (1 Corinthians 10:31). Believers long for the day when the Lord returns to be glorified in His saints and admired by all who believe (2 Thessalonians 1:10). God’s plan of salvation through Christ will culminate in a glorified humanity spending eternity enjoying the infinite glories of God.
Practical Applications
Meditating on the glory of God has several practical applications for believers:
- Worship – Stand in awe of God’s glory and worth. Let praise well up in response to His supreme majesty.
- Holiness – Aspire to holiness by giving God the glory as saints reflecting His purity.
- Humility – Seeing God’s greatness lowers pride. Declare His glory above any human glory (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
- Purpose – Glorify God in all things since humans exist for His glory.
- Hope – Remember this fallen world cannot compare with the glory awaiting believers.
- Evangelism – Compel the lost toward the glory of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
Believers can proclaim God’s glory by declaring His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9). Words cannot contain the fullness of God’s glory. But may the knowledge of the glory of God move us to deeper reverence for Him and devotion to living for His great name.