Living to God's Glory

In the development of the Greek language—the language in which the New Testament was written—the word for man (anthropos) means the “upper-looking one.” Even the pagan Greek wordsmiths realized that man existed for something beyond and outside of himself. We, who have received a more perfect revelation of God through His written and living Word than they, know Who we are to look up to. Man was created and redeemed by God to look up and worship and glorify the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ—the only true and living God.

Whenever man forgets why he is on this planet, or fails to pursue a life that glorifies God, he becomes the saddest of all God’s creatures. Conversely, whenever men and women live solely to the glory of God, they enjoy an inner sense of well-being and peace and an outer poise as they walk through a fallen, disintegrating world, fulfilling their God-called destiny.

The Scriptures are replete with tragic examples of those who failed to live to the glory of God; they also provide us with the beautiful lives of many who were totally centered on bringing honor and praise to their Creator-Redeemer. There are also some striking illustrations in the Word of God of those who characteristically lived their lives to God’s glory, but either because of pride and stubbornness, or a moment of fleshly weakness, or an unwillingness to surrender fully to God’s sovereign claim upon their lives, failed to live for God’s glory and resorted to self-glory.

Biblical Pointers

Because the Bible has so much to say about giving glory, honor and praise to God, it behooves every sincere and earnest disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ to cultivate a lifestyle of living to God’s glory, honor and praise.

From Genesis to Revelation, God exhorts mankind through His prophets, poets, priests and apostles, to both give glory to and live to His glory. One is an act of worship; the other is a life of worship. The one may be a spontaneous expression of a moment; the other is a learned habit flowing from a man and woman who knows their place before “the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.”(1)

The most comprehensive and moving expressions of creatures giving glory to God are shown to us in the Revelation given to the Apostle John on Patmos Island. If one reads the last book of the New Testament trying to figure out the chronology of End-Time events, he will miss out on something far more important. But if one meditates on the Book of Revelation as one should read and sing from a hymnal, then he will discover some of the most exalted and inspiring hymns ever penned by mortal man. For it’s in that book where we hear the voices of mysterious living creatures (nature?), angelic beings, and the Church caught up repeatedly in rapturous praise to the Worthy One:

“to Him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.(2)

“Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”(3)

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”(4)

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion for ever and ever.”(5)

“In that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”(6)

“and he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come;...”(7)

What is Meant by “Glory”?

What were these creatures doing when they gave glory and honor to God? What is God telling His people to do when He says that we should direct glory and honor to Him?

Simply this: As both an act of worship and a life to be lived, to give glory and honor to God means to give God the reverence, respect and credit due Him for all He has done for us—through the Lord Jesus Christ, and in and through us—by the power of His Holy Spirit. In the words of the Book of Wisdom, to live to the glory of God is to “acknowledge” God in all our ways.(8)

The four living creatures, twenty-four elders, myriads of angels, every created thing in heaven and earth, as depicted in the Revelation, give glory and honor to God for both His creative and redemptive activities on behalf of mankind. The fact is that all of God’s creation, except for fallen man, are endlessly acknowledging the worthiness of God both day and night: “they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’”(9)

If the Lord’s will should “be done on earth as it is in heaven,”(10) we can become a part of the answer to that petition by daily living to the glory of God. How might we do so? Reader, how can you and I—as profound and humbling as the thought is—live to God’s glory?

Let’s consider together some of the following ways that we can live to bring glory to God.

A Worshiping Tongue

Did you notice how the tongue was employed in worshipful praise by all the singing creatures in the Revelation? And so it has been for all of God’s worshiping saints from the beginning of time down through this present age.

From the instinctive response of the newborn, forgiven child of God looking up into the face of His heavenly Father, to the aged, weather-worn saint worshiping on her face before the Throne—giving glory and honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is as natural to the soul as it is for a mother to pass along her milk to a nursing child. Both were made for the other.

I was reading recently once again the conversion story of the late Nazarene evangelist, who later in life was affectionately called “Uncle Bud” Robinson. After leaving a West Texas Methodist camp meeting altar where he found God’s forgiving grace, Uncle Bud recounts: “The Lord marched out all the stars of heaven on a dress parade for my special benefit, and the stars leaped and hopped and skipped and jumped and turned somersaults and clapped their hands and laughed all night. The Lord showed me that it was all at his expense and did not cost me one nickel. I just lay [down] and laughed all night.”(11)

Of course, we know that the heavens always declare the glory of God, but newly converted Uncle Bud had only had his eyes recently opened to it and was giving God glory along with the heavens.

Then at the other spectrum of life, we have examples of godly people like hymnologist Frances Havergal who lived her entire life to God’s glory. One of her dying whispers was, “I did so want to glorify Him in every step of my way.”(12)

Thus, whether at the beginning of our spiritual pilgrimage or at the end—as well as all the way in between—the Christian is to be always employed in giving glory to God.

In Jesus’ Name

Although the passage is found within the context of how corporate worship is to be conducted in a local church, the principle is applicable to all of life: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”(13)

To act and speak in Jesus’ name is to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ in whatever we say and do. It is to live out even the so-called mundane tasks of life—eating and drinking—to the glory of God.(14)

That brings to mind a pungent truth from the pen of A.W. Tozer:

“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary.”(15)

Recently one evening my wife Emily and I were parked at a local Dairy Queen eating our ice cream cones. Softly in the background one of our instrumental CD hymns was playing “Just As I Am.”

While we both were enjoying this sacred music, I said to my wife,

“Charlotte Elliott had no idea when she penned those words the extent to which God would use them.” Then after Emily and I thought about that for a moment, we both agreed that God’s Word affirms that any and everything done or said in Jesus’ name has a lasting quality to it—it will never die.

Our Bodies as Holy Temples

When the inspired apostle reminded the immature Thessalonian believers: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification...”, he did so within the context of addressing the subject of sexual behavior. Some of these converts had fallen into sinful conduct following their confession of faith. God says to such through the pen of the inspired writer: “abstain from sexual immorality.... For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity but in sanctification.”(16)

Again, in his first letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul exhorts these Christians to “Flee immorality.”(17) Why? Because “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.... For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.(18)

Just as we should never desecrate an earthly sanctuary that has been consecrated to God for sacred purposes, so the Christian is called by God to cleanse his consecrated temple—the body—“from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”(19)

The Christian who takes a glib view of what he ingests, imbibes, views and inhales by shrugging his shoulders and saying, “It isn’t anyone’s else's business!”— is saying in effect that it isn’t God’s “business” either. For although God is certainly concerned about the Christian’s reputation in the world and his influence in church, He is equally concerned with how we treat our bodies. Thus we are called by God to “present [our] bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual service of worship.”(20)

Is Jesus Lord?

There is one thing as Christians we cannot do simultaneously: give glory to God while glorifying ourselves. We must do one or the other. He will not share His glory with another.

To parody the words of Moses: “Oh, that all the LORD’S people were God-glorifiers!” Oh, that every pastor and evangelist, every board member and parishioner, every musician and church leader, that all—including you and me—would act and live only to the glory of God.

Is that what you desire, dear reader? Have you given your all to God? Is Jesus Christ truly Lord in every area of your life? What about your finances? What about your employment? What about your entertainment? What about your viewing, listening and reading habits? Does anything have mastery over you other than the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you truly living only with an eye to God’s glory?

In commenting on the Revelation 4 passage, where the elders are seen as falling down and casting their crowns before the throne of God, William Barclay notes, “In the ancient world that was the sign of complete submission. When one king surrendered to another, he cast his crown at the victor’s feet.” Then Barclay adds, “There can be no Christianity without submission.”(21) We cannot live to God’s glory without living in full surrender and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.

May our merciful God be able to say of us as Dr. Staupitz once said to Martin Luther, “It pleases me that the doctrine which you preach ascribes the glory and everything to God alone and nothing to man.”(22) Since not many of us are preachers, let’s reword that: “It pleases me that the life you live ascribes the glory and everything to God alone and nothing to man.”

Is it your desire, dear reader, to live all of your life solely to the glory and honor of our worthy God? If it is, would you now join with me in praying this prayer?

O God, I want Your Spirit to perform such a deep work of grace in my heart—and continue to perform it—that I will never again live for my own glory but only for Yours. Forgive me where I so woefully fall short of Your perfect glory. This I offer in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.

All Scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible except as noted.

1. Isaiah 57:15, NKJV.
2. Revelation 1:6
3. Revelation 4:11.
4. Revelation 5:12
5. Revelation 5:13.
6. Revelation 11:13
7. Revelation14:7.
8. See Proverbs 3:6
9. Revelation 4:8.
10. Matthew 6:10
11. My Life’s Story by Bud Robinson
12. Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians by James Lawson, p. 313
13. Colossians 3:17.
14. 1 Corinthians 10:31
15. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, p. 127
16. See 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.
17. 1 Corinthians 6:18
18. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
19. 2 Corinthians 7:1
20. Romans 12:1
21. The Revelation of John by William Barclay, pp. 163-64
22. Quoted in The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper, p. 24