"Radiance of the Glory"

“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. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV)

How can you describe the glory of God? Is it definable? How do you explain the glory of God to someone who does not know God? The glory of God is central to Christianity, the Bible, and the Gospel. It is the invisible attributes, nature, and qualities of God. While invisible, it is made visible in everything around us, including ourselves. Abraham Kuyper concluded, “that God’s glory is reflected most in His children; and since no man can be His child unless he is begotten of Him, we confess that His glory is most apparent in His elect or in His Church.”[1]

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the glory of God upholds the universe. The image of the mythological Atlas with the world on his shoulders comes to mind in that Atlas is the imagery of God’s glory in sustaining all things, except that the size of the world in this image is massively out of proportion. The Earth is more like an atom speck in the hands of God, and even that is too big.

John also spoke of God’s glory in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This time in the incarnation, the glory of God walked among that which He created. The glory of God was witnessed in Jesus Christ, His miracles, and His ministry.

Jonathan Edwards wrote, “God is glorified within Himself these two ways:  (1) By appearing…to Himself in His own perfect idea of Himself, or in His Son, who is the brightness of His glory.  (2) By enjoying and delighting in Himself, by flowing forth in infinite….delight towards Himself, or in His Holy Spirit.”[2] God is glorified through His creation and love of this creation through which his power and love flow, sustaining all things. God seeks to be glorified, which is why His plan of salvation exists. God did not save us so we would be glorified as His creation. God saved us so that we would glorify Him for sharing His abundance of love, faithfulness, and devotion with His creation. The manifestation of God in our lives is God’s glory, for nothing else could change a creature so depraved, so evil in nature, and so rebellious.  

The modern progressive church has forgotten about the glory of God and seeks to glorify man. This is a complete doctrinal reversal, which ignores that we were saved by God, for God, and from God. The eternal glory of God is God, and we worship Him alone for that reason. God is not 10% this and 20% that. In every attribute of God, He is 100% that trait: love, wrath, power, glory, and so on. Each trait that makes up God exists without flaw. That, my brothers and sisters, is the glory of God. It is all around us, in us, sustaining all things, controlling all things, and authoring the beginning and the end, all known to Him before creation.

Have you experienced the glory of God? Do you know Him as a Savior, a brother, and a friend? Come to the Lord, heed His call, and experience the sheer magnitude of the glory of God available to you.

Grace and Peace.

[1] Abraham Kuyper, The Works of the Holy Spirit, Chapter 5, WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1946. 23

[2] Jonathan Edwards, Miscellanies, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, volume 13, Yale University Press, 2002