Reforming the Family: Part 5—Soli Deo Gloria
It has been a tremendous privilege, throughout this month, to celebrate the 505th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Together, we have walked through the first four solas of the Reformation:
Sola Scriptura: Upon God’s Word Alone
Sola Gratia: By Grace Alone
Sola Fide: Through Faith Alone
Solus Christus: In Christ Alone
In this final article in the series, then, we will spend our time focusing on soli Deo gloria, which means: “For the glory of God alone.” Many have said that this sola is like a magnet that draws all the other solas together into one, unified whole. It’s like the glue that binds them in continuity. The reason for that, of course, is because when you affirm Scripture’s absolute, divine authority, and from that declare that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, what you’re inherently saying is that God, alone, deserves all the glory, praise, and honor.
God’s glory was ultimately the driving force of the Reformation and the motivation of the Reformers. Above all, the Reformers were seeking to reclaim a biblical Christianity. They were striving to retrieve a Christianity that was designed by God to bring Him glory. Summarizing the biblical concept of God’s glory, the 19th century Dutch theologian, Herman Bavinck once said:
“The ‘glory of the Lord’ is the splendor and brilliance that is inseparably associated with all of God’s attributes and His self-revelation in nature and grace, the glorious form in which He everywhere appears to His creatures…This glory is above all manifested in Christ, the only-begotten Son and through Him in the Church, which is looking for ‘the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).’”[1]
In short, among all the ways that God has previously displayed the magnificence of His splendor, we see it most clearly through the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. As the author of Hebrews begins his letter:
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:1-3).
Therefore, the grand story of redemptive history, from Genesis to Revelation, is really a story of God increasingly revealing His glory, culminating in the person and work of Christ. How, then, can we lead our families to catch a glimpse of the glorious nature and purpose of God’s glory? I want to submit three ways the Bible presents the concept of God’s glory and consider how we can emphasize those aspects in the discipleship of our children:
1. The Glory of God’s Name
First and foremost, we see Scripture exalting God as a God of glory. He is referred to as “the Glory of Israel” (1 Sam. 15:29), the “King of glory” (Ps. 24), and the “God of glory” (Ps. 29:3). In the book of Acts, as Stephen recounts the amazing acts of God throughout redemptive history, he speaks to the Jewish Sanhedrin and highlights the theme of God’s glory, saying:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our Father, Abraham…” (Acts 7:2).
Likewise, in Ephesians 1:17, the Apostle Paul refers to the God and Father of Jesus Christ as “the Father of glory.” This points to one of the principles we find in Scripture, which is God’s self-revelation to humanity. Anytime Scripture speaks of God’s name, the term used helps us to understand something about who God is. In this case, Scripture is telling us that God is, by His very nature, glorious. The magnitude of His majesty and the supremacy of His splendor is infinite.
2. The Glory of God’s Worth
Directly connected to God’s glorious name is the magnificence of His value. The Lord declares this reality about Himself quite emphatically, saying:
“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols…For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another” (Is. 42:8, 48:11).
Flowing from this divine declaration, the Psalmist proclaims:
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Ps. 115:1)
Not only is God called glorious, but He is infinitely glorious in qualitative value. It is for this reason that God is worthy to be praised, honored, and adored. But, how do we help our children to ascribe to God the glory that is due His name? Ultimately, this is something that God, Himself, must do. The Lord, according to His grace, must open the eyes of our children to see His splendor and majesty (Acts 16:14). Therefore, we should diligently pray for the Lord to open their eyes, regenerate their hearts, and increase in them genuine affections for His worthiness. As we pray, the Lord calls us to use every opportunity throughout the day to point our children to His Word (Deut. 6:4-9).
3. The Glory of God’s Works
One of the ways every human can witness the glory of God is through His work of creation. The Psalmist declares:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Ps. 19:1).
The Apostle Paul reiterates this idea in Romans 1:19-20, saying:
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
In addition to the work of creation, Scripture also reveals that there is a special glory found in the work of salvation. No doubt, the most explicit place to see this is in Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. There, the Apostle says:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us…so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:3-8, 12-14).
The persistent echo of “to the praise of His glory” is no accident. God’s Word is intentionally emphasizing the glorious grace of God demonstrated through the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s because He deserves all the glory. For many of us, affirming that God, alone, deserves the praise and honor in salvation is not our greatest issue. Instead, our greatest challenge is found in consistently living out the faith He’s blessed us with in a way that brings Him glory (1 Cor. 10:31).
The Lord has made it abundantly clear that He will not share His glory with any other (Is. 42:8). Yet, how often do we find ourselves dedicating our time, talents, or treasures in an unhealthy way to something other than the Lord? Our children are watching the way we prioritize our lives. Even as we are saying one thing, our attitudes and actions communicate our values as well, perhaps even more significantly than our words. Therefore, as we teach our children about the glory of God in the gospel, and pray that they would experience that glory, personally, let us also make sure that our values and priorities match our profession.
As we celebrate the Reformation and recognize its importance, and we affirm, afresh, the five solas, may we also be a people who are committed to reforming our families for the glory of God. May we endeavor, by God’s grace, to declare with our thoughts, words, actions, and priorities, soli Deo gloria!
References:
[1] Bavinck, Herman., Bolt, John. Reformed Dogmatics: God and Creation. United States: Baker Publishing Group, 2004, 252.