I've been quiet here lately. Not because I have nothing to say, but I've been focused on my family, and I've been doing a lot of thinking - about our country, the world, the body of Christ, about what my children need to learn before launching them into adulthood (having a ninth grader will do that to you).
And one of the thoughts on my mind lately has been that phrase Soli Deo Gloria. Even those who haven't taken Latin probably recognize the meaning - glory to God alone. Yesterday was Reformation Day, and the Five Solas of the Reformation were all over my social media feeds, including this one, but this has also been a part of our family prayers for some time as well - "Lord, help us to glorify you in all we say and do." But what does it mean to do all things for the glory of God alone?
And one of the thoughts on my mind lately has been that phrase Soli Deo Gloria. Even those who haven't taken Latin probably recognize the meaning - glory to God alone. Yesterday was Reformation Day, and the Five Solas of the Reformation were all over my social media feeds, including this one, but this has also been a part of our family prayers for some time as well - "Lord, help us to glorify you in all we say and do." But what does it mean to do all things for the glory of God alone?
There are many Bible passages, of course, that talk about God's glory, and whole books have been written on the topic. But the passage that comes to my mind is from Ephesians 1, and that is what I would like to share with you right now.
Ephesians is a letter written to the churches in Ephesus and the surrounding area around AD 62, by the apostle Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. The teaching it contains focuses on redemption, grace, and the new life of those who follow Christ. The patterns of the New Testament letters were to open with greetings, then some sort of blessing or thanksgiving, then the main point of the letter, and finally some closing remarks.
The first part of Ephesians, especially 1:3-2:10, contains those first two sections - greetings and thanksgiving - and within these are hidden jewels about God and His glory. Several times, Paul uses the phrase "to the praise of his glory" and sometimes "to the praise of his glorious grace", and always it is connected to something he has done for us.
The first part of Ephesians, especially 1:3-2:10, contains those first two sections - greetings and thanksgiving - and within these are hidden jewels about God and His glory. Several times, Paul uses the phrase "to the praise of his glory" and sometimes "to the praise of his glorious grace", and always it is connected to something he has done for us.
What has he done?
Paul begins by saying that God has "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (1:3). How?
- He chose us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (1:4)
- He predestined us for adoption through Jesus (1:5)
- He redeemed us through his blood and forgave our sins (1:7)
- He lavished God's grace on us (1:8)
- He revealed the mystery of His will to unite all things in heaven and on earth under Christ (1:10)
- He chose us to be a part of his plan (1:11)
- He included us in Christ and marked us with the seal of the Holy Spirit (1:13)
- He made us alive (2:5)
- He raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms (2:5)
Why did he do it?
Well, it wasn't because we deserved it. Paul makes that clear. In the first few verses of chapter 2, he points out exactly how bad we are before we know Christ:
Paul gives us clues to the "why" also in this passage.
Do you notice something about all of those things? They aren't about us. Nothing in us inspired God to love us or to lavish us with His grace. He loves us because He is love. He saved us because His character expresses grace through kindness. He lavished with His grace because that is what His love does and means. He blesses us because to do so is in line with his pleasure and his will.
And the fact that he did all of this for us when we were deserving of wrath allows His character of love and grace to be put on a pedestal for others to see and to praise Him for who He is.
It's not about me.
It's all about Him.
- we are dead in transgressions and sins (2:1)
- we follow the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Satan) (2:2)
- we gratify the cravings of our flesh (2:3)
- we follow the desires and thoughts of our flesh (2:3)
- we deserve wrath (2:3)
Paul gives us clues to the "why" also in this passage.
- In love (1:4)
- In accordance with his pleasure and will (1:5)
- In accordance with the riches of God's grace (1:7)
- According to his good pleasure (1:9)
- In conformity with the purpose of his will (1:11)
- In order that we...might be for the praise of his glory (1:12)
- To the praise of his glory (1:14)
- Because of his great love for us (2:4)
- His richness in mercy (2:4)
- in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace (2:7)
- his kindness (2:7)
Do you notice something about all of those things? They aren't about us. Nothing in us inspired God to love us or to lavish us with His grace. He loves us because He is love. He saved us because His character expresses grace through kindness. He lavished with His grace because that is what His love does and means. He blesses us because to do so is in line with his pleasure and his will.
And the fact that he did all of this for us when we were deserving of wrath allows His character of love and grace to be put on a pedestal for others to see and to praise Him for who He is.
It's not about me.
It's all about Him.
How do we respond?
Again, Paul answers our question by mentioning a very few of our own actions in this passage.
Our response to this incredible, crazy, undeserved grace should simply be to believe and put our hope in Christ (two sides of the same coin) and to do the good works He gives us to do, with the mindset that I am His workmanship (2:10) and that all of this - ALL of life - is for the purpose of putting His grace and glory on a pedestal for everyone to see.
It's not about me.
It's all about Him.
- Put our hope in Christ (1:12)
- Believed (1:13)
- Do the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (2:10)
Our response to this incredible, crazy, undeserved grace should simply be to believe and put our hope in Christ (two sides of the same coin) and to do the good works He gives us to do, with the mindset that I am His workmanship (2:10) and that all of this - ALL of life - is for the purpose of putting His grace and glory on a pedestal for everyone to see.
It's not about me.
It's all about Him.
How does that change me?
If my actions and my relationship with God are for the sole purpose of shining the spotlight on His character - His love, His kindness, His mercy, His grace - then I need to be using that as a filter in everything I say, everything I do, everything I meditate on, every movie I see, every song I hear, every moment of my life. It should impact how I talk with my family members, how I choose curriculum for my children, how I spend my down time, how I earn and spend my money - every little detail of my life because it's all His. I was made and saved for the sake of bringing Him glory. Not so I can have a comfortable American life. It's all for Him. And even the making of God-glorifying choices is not in my own power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, who strengthens and fills me (Ephesians 5:18), and who alone can enable me to live a God-pleasing life - and that also brings Him glory, because it's not about me. It's all about Him.
This is what has been filling my thoughts lately. It's what I'm trying to get across to my children in what we do, and learn, and say, and give, and....well, you get the idea. I'm far from perfect in living this out, but I want the thought of this to be on my mind and heart every moment.
It's not easy. It's definitely not the normal American life, and I dare say it's not even the normal American Christian life. It's radical to lay everything down and submit every decision about everything, small and big, to the question, "How will this glorify my God and Savior? How will this shine a spotlight on His grace, mercy, kindness, goodness, and love?" But it's what I want. It's what we were made for. To bring Him glory.
Especially as we go into the season of Thanksgiving, I'm praying for this, that God will daily remind me of His great grace and help me by the power of His Spirit to glorify Him. Will you join me in this?
It's not about us.
It's all about Him.
Soli Deo Gloria.
This is what has been filling my thoughts lately. It's what I'm trying to get across to my children in what we do, and learn, and say, and give, and....well, you get the idea. I'm far from perfect in living this out, but I want the thought of this to be on my mind and heart every moment.
It's not easy. It's definitely not the normal American life, and I dare say it's not even the normal American Christian life. It's radical to lay everything down and submit every decision about everything, small and big, to the question, "How will this glorify my God and Savior? How will this shine a spotlight on His grace, mercy, kindness, goodness, and love?" But it's what I want. It's what we were made for. To bring Him glory.
Especially as we go into the season of Thanksgiving, I'm praying for this, that God will daily remind me of His great grace and help me by the power of His Spirit to glorify Him. Will you join me in this?
It's not about us.
It's all about Him.
Soli Deo Gloria.
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