Soli Deo Gloria

Oct 15, 2017 By: Damien Garofalo Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9
“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other” (Isaiah 42:8 ESV) We will deviate from our exposition in 1 John to continue the Reformation theme for October. This coming Sunday, we will consider Soli Deo Gloria, “To the glory of God alone.” “The glory of God is the holiness of God put on display. That is, it is the infinite worth of God made manifest. Notice how Isaiah shifts from ‘holy’ to ‘glory’: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ (Isa. 6:3). When the holiness of God fills the earth for people to see, it is called glory. “In speaking of God’s glory, the Bible assumes that this infinite value has entered creation. It has, as it were, shined. God’s glory is the radiance of His holiness, the out-streaming of His infinite value. And when it streams out, it is seen as beautiful and great. It has both infinite quality and magnitude. So, we may define God’s glory as the beauty and greatness of His manifold perfections. “I say ‘manifold perfections’ because specific aspects of God’s being are said to have glory. For example, we read of ‘the glory of his grace’ (Eph. 1:6) and ‘the glory of his might’ (2 Thess. 1:9). God Himself is glorious because He is the perfect unity of all His manifold and glorious perfections. God’s glory is the outward radiance of the intrinsic beauty and greatness of His manifold perfections.