Glory

It is an interesting word with interesting meaning.

Strong’s concordance defines glory as δόξα or do'-ksä

1.splendor, brightness

a. of the moon, sun, stars,

b. magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace

c.  majesty

i:  a thing belonging to God

a.      the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity

ii:  a thing belonging to Christ

a.      the kingly majesty of the Messiah

b.      the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty

iii: of the angels

a.       as apparent in their exterior brightness.

The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but it is the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is.

James 1:9-10 (NKJV)

⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

The above passage calls on a rich man to “glory in his humiliation,” indicating a glory that does not mean riches or power or material beauty. Humiliation in this sense means humbleness.  This glory can crown man or fill the earth. It is seen within man and in the earth, but it is not of them; it is of God. The glory of man is the beauty of man’s spirit, which is fallible and eventually passes away, and is therefore humiliating—as the verse tells us. But the glory of God, which is manifested in all His attributes together, never passes away. It is eternal.

Isaiah 43:7 (NKJV)

⁷”…Everyone who is called by My name,

Whom I have created for My glory;

I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

This passage says that God created us for His glory. In context with the other verses, it can be said that man “glorifies” God because through man, God’s glory can be seen in things such as love, music, heroism and so forth—things belonging to God that we are carrying “in jars of clay” or “earthen vessels”’

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV)

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are the vessels which “contain” His glory. All the things we are able to do and to be, find their source in Him. God interacts with nature in the same way. Nature exhibits His glory. His glory is revealed to man’s mind through the material world in many ways, and oftentimes in different ways to different people. One person may be thrilled by the sight of the mountains, and another person may love the beauty of the sea. But that which is behind them both (God’s glory) speaks to both people and connects them to God. In this way, God is able to reveal Himself to all men, no matter their race, heritage or location.

Psalm 19:1-4 (NKJV)

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

² Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

³ There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

Another passage in Psalms describes “glory” in a different way:

Psalm 73:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

It used to be common to hear Christian’s talk of death as being “received unto glory,” which is a phrase borrowed from this Psalm. When the Christian dies, he will be taken into God’s presence, and in His presence will be naturally surrounded by God’s glory. We will be taken to the place where God’s beauty literally resides—the beauty of His Spirit will be there, because He will be there. Again, the beauty of His Spirit (or the essence of Who He Is) is His “glory.” In that place, His glory will not need to come through man or nature, rather it will be seen clearly, just as Paul said to the Corinthian Church:

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV)

¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

In the human/earthly sense, glory is a beauty or vibrancy that rests upon the material of the earth (Psalm 37:20, Psalm 49:17), and in that sense, it fades away. But the reason it fades is that material things do not last. They die and wither, but the glory that is in them belongs to God, and returns to Him when death or decay claims the material. Think of the rich man mentioned earlier. The verse says, “…but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.” What does this mean? The verse is admonishing the rich man to realize that his wealth and power and beauty come from God, and to be humbled by the realization that it is God who makes him what he is, and gives him all he has. And the knowledge that what he gains will pass away like the grass, is what will bring him to the realization that God is the one from whom glory comes. God’s glory is the source, the wellspring from which all greater and lesser glories come.

Since God is the one from whom glory comes, He will not let stand the assertion that glory comes from man or from the idols of man or from nature.

Isaiah 42:8 (NKJV)

⁸ I am the Lord, that is My name;

And My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved images.

God is jealous over His glory. This jealousy for His own glory is what Paul is talking about in his letter to the Romans:

Romans 1:21-25 (NKJV)

²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

In other words, they looked at the object through which God’s glory was coming, and, instead of giving God the credit for it, they worshiped that animal or tree or man as if the beauty it possessed originated from within itself. This is the very heart of idolatry and is a very common occurrence. Everyone who has ever lived has committed this error at one time or another. We have all “exchanged” the glory of God in favor of the “glory of man.”

This is the mistake many people continue to make: trusting in earthly things, earthly relationships, their own powers or talents or beauty, or the goodness they see in others. But when these things fade and fail as they will inevitably do (being only temporary carriers of the greater glory), these people end up in despair.

What we all need to realize is that God’s glory is constant, and as we journey through life we will see it manifest here and there, in this person, or that forest, or in a story of love or heroism, fiction or non-fiction, or even in our own personal lives. But it all goes back to God in the end.

And the only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. We will find the very source of all beauty in Him, in heaven, if we are in Christ. Nothing will be lost to us. All those things that faded in life we will find again in Him.

May you be touched by God’s glory and the fullness of His presence working through your life as you grow in Him today.  And may you find God’s love to be the unfading stronghold which will keep you grounded through any circumstance which attempts to test your resolve to trust Him.  This is how His glory is revealed in us by our willingness to trust Him by faith regardless of the outcome.

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time—all the time God is good! 

Full of His Glory

Words and Music Cindy Rethmeier

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord Almighty

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord Almighty

The whole earth is full

The whole earth is full of His glory

Full of His glory

Copyright © 1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
The lyrics above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are utilized here for educational purposes only and not for profit.
Thank you to "GotQuestions.org" for inspiration and insight into the topic of Glory.