Contemplating the Glory of God

Over the past several days I have been reflecting on the topic of God’s glory. More specifically, I have been thinking about how I sometimes tend to use terminology that quantifies the glory of God. For example, I will say things like, “such and such will bring more glory to God,” or “such and such a thing will bring less glory to God.” While that is familiar and acceptable terminology to use, I began to question whether that best fits with the understanding that Scripture supplies.

As a preliminary note, my logic is founded primarily on the doctrine of God’s immutability (the fact that God does not change) and, consequently, how that relates to His glory. Psalm 102:12, 25-27 paint an especially vivid picture of God’s eternality and immutability. The latter verses give an especially clear picture of the fact that while the things of the earth grow old and decay, God remains completely unchanged. Furthermore, Hebrews 13:8 clearly speaks of the fact, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Following from that, God’s glory should then be understood as a constant; God’s glory neither lessens nor increases based upon His creation else we might say that God is somehow affected by His creation. With that in mind, we must ask, “How then do we glorify God with our lives? If His glory cannot increase on account of my worship and obedience or my disobedience, why do my actions matter at all?”

I Corinthians 10:31 provides a good foundation for thinking through these things. In context, Paul is dealing with the issue of meat sacrificed to idols and whether or not it is okay for a believer to partake of such meats. Paul concludes that conscience should be the governing factor and that whatever conclusion one comes to, the Christian’s action should be motivated by thinking concerned with magnifying God’s glory. The passage does not, however, state that God’s glory is increased or decreased by the believer’s action. Ultimately, this passage deals with motivation and the intent of the individual believer.

Furthermore, Ephesians 1:3-14 is one of the clearest passages in Scripture regarding God’s glory in saving sinful men. Specifically, verses 4-6 declare that we have been chosen, predestined, and saved, “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” In verse 14, Paul uses the very similar phrase, “to the praise of His glory.” Those two phrases show that our salvation is a reflection of what God already is; it is the praising of the God who is glorious. He does not become glorious or more glorious by means of saving men, He demonstrates what He already is through salvation.

Now, to answer the question of how our actions matter to God’s glory, Scripture leads us to conclude that we are reflectors of God’s glory. One way to illustrate this is by considering the common mirror. The mirror does not and cannot generate any light or any image in and of itself. It is must reflect something else. The only thing inherent to the mirror’s ability to reflect the image is the quality or the cleanness of the mirror. A poor quality or dirty mirror distorts the image it reflects. In a similar way, human beings are reflectors of God’s image and glory (Gen 1:26-27; Eph 1:4-6, 14). The real questions each of us must ask are, “How do I reflect God’s glory and image to those around me? Is it an accurate reflection or am I guilty of distorting that image by the dirt of my own sinfulness and selfishness?” As I answer these questions, I am truly humbled by what I find to be true of myself.

In the end, the only way that we will be able to answer this question with a positive answer is by making sure that we are clean reflectors of God’s glory. We do so by being washed by the water of the Word and having our minds renewed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:26; Rom 12:1-2; Tit 3:4-5). In many ways, this understanding places a greater responsibility on our shoulders. We have been charged with reflecting the glory of the King, a glory of which we are merely stewards; let us take great caution in reflecting this glory lest we be found to be poor stewards.

The Prophets Themselves

The theme and office of the prophet stands as a very important part of the Scripture portrait. While the Old Testament contains three different words translated, “prophet,” there is one that stands out as being the most significant of the three. That words is, “nābhīʾ.”[1] According AMG’s Complete Word Study Dictionary the word is, “A masculine noun meaning a prophet, a spokesman. The meaning is consistently one of prophet and inspired spokesman” [emphasis added].[2] Scripture sets forth Moses as the greatest example of the Old Testament prophet. Scripture states, “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10).[3] Abraham is the only person to merit the title of “prophet” before Moses though it does seem to be somewhat less formal usage (Gen. 20:7).

Moses exemplified numerous characteristics that became the foundation of what a prophet is recognized to be. The first characteristic typified by Moses is that he was specifically called by God in the Arabian wilderness (Ex 3). Second, God promised that He would enable Moses to fulfill the things which God had called him to and God demonstrated Himself faithful to those things (Ex 3, 4, 14–16, 40:34-38). Most significantly, Moses was God’s mouthpiece to the people about the past present and future of Israel (Deut 1-3, 4:1, 26:18, 31:20-22). While there is certainly a little bit of latitude in this progression, the three major points establish a pattern that is followed by all subsequent prophets of God.[4]

The final section of the Old Testament Scriptures has come to be known as the “prophetic books.”While prophets are seen throughout the Scriptures, the latter part of the Old Testament is dedicated specifically to the messages of these great men. Furthermore, those books are divided into two sections which are commonly known as the “major prophets” and “minor prophets.” Such titles do not differentiate the importance of the messages that the prophets carried but rather the number of pages they occupy within the pages of Scripture.

While there is a great deal more that could be said about the office of prophet, it is time to turn to just one main point of application. The amount of Scripture dedicated to prophetic writings demonstrates the importance of their writings. The fact that God commissioned so many men to the office of prophet underscores the importance of their respective messages. Though Kent Hughes quotes one of Alistair Begg’s common sayings in a different context, it aptly applies. Begg states, “The plain things are the main things and the main things are the plain things.”[5] In short, the prophet’s call is often God’s calling His people back to the “main things.”

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[1] Brand, Chad Owen, Charles W. Draper, and Archie W. England Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Electronically Published: Bible Explorer 4), 2003, [Prophets].

[2] Baker, Warren, and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, (Electronically Published: Bible Explorer 4, 2003) [nāb̠iy’].

[3] Scripture references in this study are taken from the New King James Version,© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

[4] Baker, “The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament,” [nāb̠iy’].

[5] Hughes, R. Kent Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 1993), 147.

A New Series: The Major Prophets

It has been quite some time since I have really had time for any writing outside of my school work. However, since I am now graduated I now have a little more time to pursue some of the topics that I would like to write about. In the past, most of my posts were what you might call “standalone.” I would now like to begin a series that will more continuity of thought and help to bolster big picture thinking. The primary reason for this endeavor is just to foster a bit of personal discipline in Bible study. No longer being in an environment of assignments and deadlines, I feel that a blog will help maintain focus and purpose in my study. It is my hope that my findings may be able to be a blessing to others who decide to follow along in this study and, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated.

The Morning Star of the Reformation

I have been studying the life of John Wycliffe and while I have not had time to write exclusively for my blog, I have decided to pass some of my research along simply because it has been a tremendous blessing to me. While it is easy to write history off as being somewhat boring, we must remember that it is our heritage. Everything that has meaning has meaning because of history. The people that are important to us as individuals hold a special place in our hearts, not because of the thin line of the advancing present but because of the history and memories we share with them. With that in mind, turn to history realizing that every figure in history was a living, breathing person just like we are. They had loved ones who were important to them just was we do; they wrestled with hard decisions and struggled to honor God with every breath they took just as we do. We now look back several centuries to consider a the man who started a movement that has brought us the God’s Holy Scriptures in the English language.

John Wycliffe is a well-known name in the scope of church history, both in the contexts of Bible translation and the Reformation. While Wycliffe did not actually live during the period of the Reformation, he is still considered highly influential to the Reformation in that many of the ideas he promoted became the battle cry of the Reformers, who came just over a 100 years later. The primary issues that drove Wycliffe were the Roman abuses of indulgences, justification by faith, and the strongest belief in the idea that every person should have a Bible in his or her own tongue. It was his daring stand against the Roman Catholic Church and his faithful work in translating the Bible that sparked a firestorm. Despite the preventative measures of the Roman Catholic Church, the English Bible quickly became established, thus making it impossible to uproot. By God’s great providence and the use of this humble man named John Wycliffe, the English Bible came, and it had came to stay.[1]

For that reason, Wycliffe has aptly been called “the Morning Star of the Reformation.”[2] The term is actually a biblical reference that appears only in three places (2 Pet 1:19; Rev 2:28, Rev 22:16) and carries with it absolutely beautiful imagery. In Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Barnes gives a tremendous summation of the imagery accompanying the term “morning star” and is quite fitting to insert here. He states,

The ‘morning star’ is that bright planet - Venus - which at some seasons of the year appears so beautifully in the east, leading on the morning - the harbinger of the day . . . It appears as the darkness passes away; it is an indication that the morning comes; it is intermingled with the first rays of the light of the sun; it seems to be a herald to announce the coming of that glorious luminary; it is a pledge of the faithfulness of God.[3]

Considering the imagery, it is easy to see why it has been applied to Wycliffe. In essence, he brought the first rays of the Reformation light; he heralded the coming of the glorious Scriptures; he stands as a pledge of God’s faithfulness in making Himself known to man. It could be said that such a saint of God could wish for no greater title . . . At the end of his life, Wycliffe suffered a massive stroke . . . he died on December 31, 1384 only three days later. Amazingly, he was never excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. He passed on to meet the Lord by natural causes.[4]

While John Wycliffe passed away quietly in his bed, his accomplishments would ring in the ears of the Roman Church for years to come. David Hill gives an excellent concluding summary of Wycliffe’s life. He states, “It was symbolic that John Wycliffe died on the eve of a new year, for his life was the dawn of a new age. His voice was stilled, but the burning torch of freedom he lit burned on with an even brighter flame. . . . For the ‘Morning Star of the Reformation’ had lit a fire that could never be quenched.”[5]

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[1] Brake, Donald L., A Visual History of the English Bible: The Tumultuous Tale of the World's Bestselling Book (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008), 46.

[2] Rawlings, Harold, Trial by Fire: The Struggle to Get the Bible into English, (Wellington, Fl: Rawlings Foundation, 2004), 33.

[3] Barnes, Albert, Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, (Electronic Edition: e-Sword 8.0.6, 2009), [Rev 2:28].

[4] Rawlings, Trial by Fire, 55.

[5] David C. Hill, Messengers of the King (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1968),  28.