The preachers quoted here describe the glory of God as the outshining of what he is: his worth, beauty and perfections made known. They say it is not a sensation or a spectacle, that it is seen above all in the face of Jesus Christ and at the cross, and that it is not confined to a place.
The Hebrew word for glory, kabod, comes from a root meaning weight;1 the Greek doxa came to mean honour and splendour.2 God's glory is the weight of what he is, and the shining out of it so that it can be known. Theologians accordingly distinguish the glory God has in himself from the glory he displays and receives.
When Moses prayed, "I beseech thee, shew me thy glory", the answer was, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee" (Exodus 33:18-19). What followed was a declaration of God's character, "merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (34:6). His glory is first of all who he is.
It is displayed in creation and in his dwelling with his people. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork" (Psalm 19:1). The seraphim cry, "the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). When the tabernacle was finished, "the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34), and Ezekiel later watched that glory depart from a defiled temple (Ezekiel 10:18).
The New Testament says it is seen fully in Christ. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). He is "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person" (Hebrews 1:3). God has shone in believers' hearts "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). In John's Gospel the hour of Jesus' glory is the cross (John 12:23-24).
Human beings were made for it and have fallen short of it: "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."3 So Paul writes, "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Believers are being changed by it now, "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18), and wait for its fullness. "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). The holy city needs no sun, "for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation 21:23).
- Strong's Hebrew 3519, kâbôwd: "properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness".
- Strong's Greek 1391, dóxa: "glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective)".
- Westminster Assembly, Westminster Shorter Catechism, "What is the chief end of man?".
In their own words
Each line below is quoted exactly from a sermon on this site. Follow the link to hear or read it where it was said.
The glory of God is the intrinsic worth, the intrinsic beauty, the intrinsic greatness gone public for you to admire and worship and enjoy.
John Piper
in The Glory of God and Why We Sing
Listen at 20:02
The glory of God is the bright outshining of God's nature.
Denny Kenaston
in (Divine Attributes) 01 Visions of the Glory of God
Listen at 9:01
The glory of God is talking about the excellencies, the perfections, the beauties of God.
Paul Washer
in The Glory of God and Missions
Listen at 39:14
The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord's nature and being.
David Wilkerson
in The Origin of True Worship
Read in context
The glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ.
Ian Paisley
in How the Eternal Glory Shattered Eternity's Barrier and the Time Barrier
Listen at 15:38
The glory of God is visible at the cross of our Lord.
Tony Sargent
in Revival SBS 94 No.7 The Glory of God FULL
Listen at 25:20
The glory of God is what comes out from God - the registration, the impact, the influence, that comes out from Him.
T. Austin-Sparks
in The Glory of God's Sabbath
Read in context
The glory of God is not something terrifying.
Zac Poonen
in The Glory of God Is His Goodness
Listen at 16:27
The glory of God is a person, not an activity or an action.
Rick Hagans
in Encounter the Glory, Accomplish Your Goal
Listen at 27:04
The glory of God is no longer confined to a physical place that I have to go once a week or month to see.
Carter Conlon
in The Willingness That Precedes the Glory
Listen at 11:49
The glory of God is essential and declarative.
Charles Finney
in Revelation of God's Glory
Read in context
The glory of God is not a physical manifestation or an ecstatic feeling that overcomes you.
David Wilkerson
in Changed Into His Image
Read in context
What Scripture says
- Exodus 33:18-19 show me your glory; I will make all my goodness pass before you
- Psalm 19:1 the heavens declare the glory of God
- John 1:14 we beheld his glory, full of grace and truth
- 2 Corinthians 4:6 the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 do all to the glory of God
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