The Glory of God: The Most Important Thing of All

Why God is Glorious

God is all glorious! This is because of who He is. God is God, and He is the Creator of the world, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, and the Savior of sinners.

O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? (Psalm 89:8). God is glorious because of what He's like. He is supreme, holy, just, wise, loving, powerful, truthful, sovereign, forgiving, good, faithful, patient, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, and eternal.

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven (Psalm 148:13). And God is glorious because of what He does, because of His awesome works: I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works (Psalm 145:5).

God is always glorified! There's never a time when He is not glorified. Every single thing that God has ever done, or ever will do, gives Him glory. Not only that, but as Revelation 4 tells us, the four living creatures are continually and eternally giving glory to God: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty … Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things … (Revelation 4:8, 11).

A Big Problem

Humanity is made to glorify God. But as Romans 1:18-32 tells us, humanity is worshiping the creation instead of God. This is humanity's root problem resulting in all kinds of other sins.

Yet, in His kindness, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save humanity from its sin, to redeem those who believe Jesus paid for humanity's sin, and then rose again. Why did God do this? For humanity's eternal good, and that it would glorify God. The Westminster Confession sums it up: The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

As a Christian you are to glorify God – to worship, extol, exalt, praise, bless, honor, thank, fear, and love Him. This is your primary purpose, your primary duty during your life on this earth, and into eternity.

1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. We read in Revelation 1:5-6: Unto him that loved us … to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Oh, that all believers would see this, that our hearts, souls, and lives would be filled with praise to God, for He is worthy!

The Jewish People

God made the heavens and the earth, the angels, plants, animals, mountains, hills, and men and women to praise and glorify Him. However, humanity sinned and refused to glorify God. Yet, God has reconciled men and women to Himself, and the Bible and all of history relates accounts of selected men and women giving glory to God.

The Jewish people, for instance, were a chosen people, and many of them worshiped God. As King David wrote: Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name (Psalm 86:11).

But in general, the Jewish people did not honor God, and therefore He punished them, for they worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass (Psalm 106:19-20).

Despite this, God never gave up on His chosen people, for though He exiled them and later scattered them throughout the world, He promised to gather them back to their land (and now they are there), so they would give Him glory: I will be glorified in the midst of thee (Ezekiel 28:22); For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

It's Our Turn!

But now we're in the Church Age, and it is almost time for the revival of a remnant of the Jewish people, and these promises to be fulfilled. This is our opportunity to serve the Lord and give Him glory. Many verses – Romans 16:25-27, Galatians 1:4-5, Philippians 4:19-20, 2 Peter 3:18, Jude 24-25, Revelation 1:5-6, Ephesians 3:21 – tell us this.

Since we live in the end times, we know it won't be long before Christians will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27). Do you realize what's going to happen? And do you see that our primary message is God's glory, and that our main purpose is to glorify Him? We are to declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. … give unto the LORD glory and strength (Psalm 96:3, 7).

It is so joyful, exhilarating, and fulfilling to glorify God with the saints during this Church Age, but I'm looking forward to glorifying Him in the next age – with all the believers from the Old Testament and Church Ages, and from the Millennial Kingdom Age.

It won't be long before, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Similarly, it will not be long ‘til we are proclaiming Рand I believe singing: Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory (Isaiah 6:3).

Steven J. Hogan has been a pastor-teacher for more than 25 years, and at Hope Bible Church of Tampa since 2003.