The world was no doubt made, that it might be a theatre of the divine glory. Â John Calvin
God is glorious (adjective), reveals his glory (noun), and is to be glorified (verb). Â Christopher W. Morgan
Read an interview with Christopher Morgan, about his new book, The Glory of God.
One brief exerpt
More particularly, the Bible speaks of the glory of God in several distinct senses:
- Glory may designate God himself (2 Pet. 1:17).
- Glory sometimes refers to an internal characteristic, attribute, or a summary of attributes of God. Scripture regularly depicts God as intrinsically glorious in the sense of fullness, sufficiency, majesty, beauty, and splendor.
- Glory may refer to God’s presence (Exod. 3-4; 13—14; 16:7; 20; 24; 32-34; 40:34-38, etc.).
- Glory may refer to the display of God’s attributes, perfections, or person. God glorifies himself in displaying himself. As he puts his works on display, he glorifies himself. His mercy, grace, justice, and wrath are all displayed in salvation and judgment (cf. Rom. 9:20—23; Eph. 2:4—10).
- Glory may refer to the ultimate goal of the display of God’s attributes, perfections, or person. Exodus and Ezekiel, for example, are replete with passages that unfold God’s actions for the sake of his name, or in order that people will know he is the Lord. Paul points out that God chooses, adopts, redeems, and seals us “to the praise of the glory of his grace” (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). That is, in saving us, God displays his grace; and in displaying his grace, he brings glory to himself.
- Glory sometimes connotes heaven, the heavenly, or the eschatological consummation of the full experience of the presence of God (cf. Heb. 2:10; Phil. 4:19; Rom. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:16; etc.).
- Giving glory to God also may refer to responding appropriately to God in the form of worship, exaltation, or exultation (cf. Psalm 29:2; Luke 2:9, 14, 20; doxologies; etc.).
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