To God Alone Be All Glory

The faith of our church is expressed briefly on a banner that hangs in the front of the sanctuary. On it is written sola Scriptura (Scripture alone is our authority); sola gratia(we are saved by grace alone); sola fide (we are saved through faith alone); solo Christo (salvation is in Christ alone); and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory!).

Paul ends Romans 11 with this ascription: “To God be the glory forever! Amen.” This is the first doxology in Romans. The second appears in the last verse of this epistle: “To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen” (Rom. 16:27).

Paul contemplates all things-God’s work of creation, and especially his work of redemption of sinners-and considers the inscrutability and depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, his heart breaks forth into praise for God: soli Deo gloria!

Dr. James Boice calls such praise a paradigm shift for sinful man.¹ It happens when God saves a sinner by grace alone through faith alone. A sinner’s life is centered on himself. He gives all glory to himself. But when he is saved, he becomes centered on God and gives glory to God alone. Before he was darkness; now he is light in the Lord. Before he was dead in sins; now he is alive in Christ. Before he was disobedient; now he obeys the Lord Jesus Christ. Before he was condemned; now he has been justified freely by God’s grace. Before he worshiped idols; now he worships the triune God. He has experienced a paradigm shift.

Paul will go on to say in the next chapter, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). This is what happened to Saul of Tarsus and to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

We were different before. Of unbelievers, Paul writes, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Rom. 1:21-23).

Once we did not glorify God, but now we do. This is the paradigm shift that happens to God’s people as they meditate upon the gospel of God’s salvation, as revealed in Romans and in all the Holy Scriptures. In the Bible, we see the God of glory and his divine attributes. As Luther says, our God is Deus absconditus and Deus revelatus-the God who is hidden as well as the God who has revealed himself to us to some extent. Our God is self-existing, self-sufficient, and eternal. He alone is independent; all creation depends on him. Both the people of God and the wicked exist by him. The inanimate creation depends on him, as does animate creation-the birds and bees and fish and all animals.

No one can fathom the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. He is the only wise God. Do you want to argue this point? Paul asks these questions: “Who has known his mind? Who has been his counselor? Who has given him something to meet his need, that God should pay him back?” The answer is, no one! God does not need anything from us so that he can continue his existence.

I remember traveling through Bali once and noticing a pious man offering a flower and cigarette to his god. God does not need our dollar; we do. But more than that, what we need is God himself. God does not need anything because of him and through him and unto him are all things. He is absolutely independent of creation, and we are absolutely dependent on God.

From Him Are All Things

There was a period when God triune alone existed. There was no matter-no created mind, no space, no time, no stars, no angels, and no humans. No one knew God or instructed him or gave him anything. God alone existed in perfect happiness.

Then he created all things, visible and invisible, ex nihilo by his powerful word. Now all things consist by his will. All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. God sustains all creation by his powerful word.

Even so, our life comes from God and is sustained by him. Therefore, we are to live for God’s glory. All wicked people are like Nebuchadnezzar, the proud king of Babylon, who, like Pharaoh, was raised up by God to be a powerful king. Nebuchadnezzar was sustained by God. But like Pharaoh, he failed to live for God’s glory.

In Daniel 4 we read that as Nebuchadnezzar walked on the roof of his palace he declared, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30). Look at Nebuchadnezzar’s language: “I have built . . . by my mighty power . . . for the glory of my majesty.” In other words, he was saying everything is “of me, through me, and unto me.” This is the exact antithesis of what Paul tells us in Romans 11:36.

Such foolish philosophy governs all devils and wicked people. It reveals the depth of depravity. It is sheer perversion and the opposite of reality. It is nothing but demonization and pride. Isaiah speaks about such human pride: “You said in your heart, “˜I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isa. 14:13-15).

What happened to proud Nebuchadnezzar? He became like an animal, living among animals and eating grass like cattle. But at the end of seven years, his sanity returned to him and he declared, “To God alone be the glory!

Why are we proud? What do we have that we have not received? The answer is nothing! We live and move and have our being in God. What have we contributed to our election, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification? Nothing! God alone justifies the ungodly. God alone saves sinners by his mercy and grace. So God himself chose us, regenerated us, and gave us the gifts of repentance and saving faith. God justified us, is sanctifying us, and will glorify us. Yes, God sustains our life daily, providing for all our physical and spiritual needs. But not only is he the source of creation, he is also the source of the new creation, especially of the people of God.

Regeneration and redemption are of God. James says, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created” (James 1:18). Peter declares, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. . . . For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:3, 23). And John speaks of being “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:13). Paul writes, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5). He also says, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation” (Gal. 6:15). Paul also explains, “God presented [Christ] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:25-26).

What did we contribute to our regeneration or redemption? Nothing. What did we contribute to our election in eternity? Nothing. Before any creation existed, God himself chose us. Paul says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph. 1:4). It is our Savior Jesus Christ “who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10).

We read in this epistle, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:28-30).

Did we do anything for our own election? No. Paul writes, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

Understand that God himself is our life. We are told to “love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life” (Deut. 30:20). Paul writes, “When Christ, who is your life, appears” (Col. 3:4). He is our life. Paul also says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Even the devil and demons exist by the divine will and are under God’s control. The wicked are truly insane. When and if their sanity returns, they will praise God, saying, “To God alone be the glory.” That is what happened to us. God created the universe and ordained history. He permitted evil, not to detract from his glory, but to enhance it. God sent his Son to save us. God gave us existence. He is the God of revelation and redemption. All things are from God.

Listen to what Dr. John Stott says about human pride: “Pride is behaving as if we were God Almighty, strutting round the earth as if we owned the place, repudiating our due dependence on God, pretending instead that all things depend on us, and thus arrogating to ourselves the glory which belongs to God alone.”² The gospel calls for worship of God.

Through Him Are All Things

Through the Godhead all things exist. God is the source of all; he is also the sustainer of all. The devil sustains no one. He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. He promises everlasting pleasure but delivers eternal pain and misery.

God causes his earth to produce food for all. He sends rain, and his sun shines on all, as the psalmist declares,

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate-bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. . . . The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. . . . Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening. . . . These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. . . . I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Ps. 104:14-15, 21, 23, 27-28, 33)

New creation comes through God also and he sustains it. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). Not only are we united with Christ as branches are united to the vine, but we are also nourished by the life of the vine. And, thank God, he will never cut us off from him! Nothing in all creation is able to cut us off from the life of God that sustains us.

We died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, and we are raised with Christ to live the resurrection life. Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:9). And we shall live forever, for Christ shall not die again. He has purchased for us eternal redemption. Our salvation is through God, who, in the seed of the woman, the virgin Mary, sent his eternal Son to live and die and rise again. Thus he defeated our death, sin, and the devil. So we read, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). And Hebrews 2:10 says, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.”

What about temptation? He has made provision for that also. God has given us a new nature and the Holy Spirit, as well as the holy Scriptures and his holy church, so that we can deal with all temptation. (PGM) Our God is always with us, even unto the end of the ages. So we read, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). John writes, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11). Paul exhorts, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). He also says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

God gives us all grace to live a victorious Christian life: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). Paul says, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “˜My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Paul also declares, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “˜No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Tit. 2:11-12). And elsewhere he writes, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13).

God works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure. And so we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Without God, we can do nothing. But with him, we can do all things. So fear not, little flock! We are from God, and we are through him, and we live every moment sustained by his grace.

Unto Him Are All Things

All things in creation and redemption are from God and through God and unto God. God is the goal of all things. The people of God are especially for God’s glory. In every decision we make, we must ask, “Does this bring glory to God?” There are many who have not done that. If you ask such people, “How is life?” they may say, “Everything is fine.” But they have made foolish decisions that brought shame to God and his church.

The chief end of all created reality is to glorify, honor, and obey God. We are created to worship and serve God, and thus find happiness in him. God is committed only to one thing-his own glory. He gains glory for himself in two ways: by judgment and by mercy. Hell exists for God’s glory, as does heaven. Both his wrath and mercy redound to his eternal glory. Man should not boast in God’s presence. In heaven, all elect angels and all elect saints worship God and sing his praises. In hell, all the wicked experience God’s just wrath, for the glory of his justice.

Pharaoh arrogantly asked, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him?” But the Lord himself said, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue [the Israelites]. But I will gain glory for myself through [the destruction of the Egyptians]” (Exod. 14:4; see also vv. 17-18). So Paul writes, “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. . . . What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:18, 22-23). The Lord says, “I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them” (Ezek. 39:21).

Hell exists for God’s glory. If you are not convinced, read what John writes:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

God also gains glory for himself by saving people. See Revelation 4:9-11, 5:12-14, 7:10-12, and 19:5-7. The whole book of Revelation speaks about God’s glory in his judgment and in his salvation. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness” (Ps. 29:2). Jesus said we are the light of the world. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). God will receive glory one way or another.

To Him Be Glory Forever. Amen

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Soli Deo gloria! C. H. Spurgeon said this should be the single desire of the Christian.³ Why should we praise God? Because he alone is God. He does not need us, but we need him every moment. Without him, we cease to exist. He created us, redeemed us by the atoning death of his only Son, and sustains us. All these things he does for his own glory.

The entire Christian life, therefore, is gratitude to God for what he has done. The psalmist exalts, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forgive not all his benefits” (Ps. 103:2). The Christian life is worship of God for all his goodness toward us. We are created and redeemed to display his glory. Idolatry denies glory to God. All idolatry is worship of creation and therefore despising of God.

Paul worships God, saying, “But to him be the glory forever!” That glory means the supreme glory. True theology leads to true worship of God. We were dead, disobedient, and condemned. But thank God, he saved us! Now there is no condemnation for us. We are justified forever, so we give glory to God.

We are created to display God’s glory. We see this idea especially throughout the prophecy of Isaiah: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (42:8); “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (43:7); “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my [glory]” (43:21); “Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel” (44:23); “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor” (49:3); “Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor” (60:21).

Peter says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people [of God’s possession], that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Paul exhorts, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). He also says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).

Do you understand why you exist? It is not for your own glory but for the glory of God. All history is for God’s glory. Jesus came into the world to vindicate God’s glory. Ezekiel 18:4 tells us, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” Christ died on the cross in our place to fulfill God’s holy law. Jesus prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you have given me to do” (John 17:4). Without Christ’s death on the cross, no one could have been justified. To justify the ungodly, the godly must die, even the eternal Son of God. Christ is the righteousness from God. Jesus glorified God in his life, temptation, and death. And God the Father glorified Jesus by raising him up from the dead and exalting him.

We must understand this truth: every sin is an assault on the glory of God. A sinner sins because he does not fear the majesty of God and loves sin more than God. But the fear of God will keep us from sinning. Think of this carefully. If you are a believer, you exist for one purpose-for the display of God’s glory. The way of happiness for us is by glorifying God through obedience and praise.

The happiest person who ever lived in the world was Jesus Christ, who never sinned. Can we sin and be happy? No! Man starts with man and ends with man. Paul starts with God and ends with God. Unbelieving philosophers say that the chief end of man is human happiness. The truth is, the sinner who seeks his happiness is always unhappy. It is the saint who seeks the glory of God, who seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, who will enjoy true happiness of fellowship with God. Our hearts are restless until they find rest in God

Application

Who is to be glorified? God triune. He alone is the creator and sustainer of all, so he is to be worshiped. For of him and through him and unto him are all things. We are created to worship, honor, and obey God.

Paul says, “To God alone be glory” – soli Deo gloria. Therefore, we refuse to worship the pantheism of environmentalism. We will not worship the earth and the trees.

To God be all glory, not some. He is to receive all glory of all creatures, animate and inanimate, visible and invisible, angelic and human. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the church declares the glory of God. We should glorify God always. My mother would say, “Stothrum,”⁴ unceasingly.

God also receives glory by the true believers’ worship of him. But wicked angels and wicked people do not praise God, so he also gains glory for himself by their destruction.

All our worship is our response to God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Scriptures. Faithful reading of the Scriptures should cause us to open our mouths and praise God.

Do you display God’s glory in all aspects of your life? What about your body? Do you have authority to destroy it? No. “Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This includes your thoughts, your words, your deeds, and your finances.

Do you read and study the Scriptures to know the majesty of God, so that you will fear God and do his will? The more you know God, the more you will praise him.

Do you pray for grace to live for God’s glory? Do you glorify God in your work life? Do you work to please God? Do you glorify God in your married life? Do you glorify God by bringing up your children to fear and love God? Do you glorify God when you come to worship him with a heart that is holy, so that you can give full attention to worship and the preaching of the word? Do you declare the praises of God in the world by shining as light in darkness?

Have you glorified God by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ? If not, you are despising God and his Son-the God who has kept you alive to this day by his common grace. May you stop despising him now, and repent, confess, believe, and come unto him who calls you. Come to him with all your sins. Cry out, “Have mercy upon me, a sinner, the chief of sinners!” Jesus Christ will receive you and forgive you all your sins instantly. He will change your status from an enemy of God to an adopted son, and you shall go out with joy.

¹ James M. Boice, Romans, Vol. 3, God and History (Chapters 9-11), (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), 1465-1466.

² John R. W. Stott, Romans: God’s Good News to the World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1994), 311.

³ Quoted by Boice, Romans, Vol. 3, 1471.

⁴ “stothrum” is Malayalam for “Praise the Lord.”