(With sincere apologies to C.S. Lewis...)
As a Christian, I've spent most of my adult life attempting to understand what is meant by the word "glory." Now, there's a loaded sentence: "Christian" and "glory" mentioned in the same breath; two terms with which the most thoughtful struggle. Two words with a lot of cultural baggage. Today I won't try to tackle a definition of "Christian." Someday I might. A reading of my earlier thoughts will, I think, shed at least some light on the meaning I attach to the word. It is certainly more than something moral, legalistic, cultural, historical or pseudo-spiritual. Action follows belief... But I digress... Glory. I'll concentrate here on that singular and evasive word. And I'll start with scripture which should always be our primary source.
Just a few of the over 530 variations of the word "glory," used in most translations, are mentioned here:
Psalm 66:1-2 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
So, then...
Is it something we can create, as in, "We give glory to your name"?
Is it something that God has and we do not, as in, "You are glorious"?
Is it something that isn't really characteristic of God but follows Him, as in, "Your glory fills the room"?
I've gone round this mulberry bush a number of times trying to wrap my head around this word. It's important. Our theology informs our philosophy. Our philosophy informs our beliefs. And our beliefs inform our actions. We don't get our actions right when our understanding is wrong.
Glory.
We read about it in the Bible.
We sing about it in our gatherings.
We pray that we would show it in our lives.
And we ask that it would appear in our fellowship.
But, really, what is it and why should we want or look for it anyway?
"Glory," according to the whole of scripture, I believe, is the evidence of the weightiness of God. There is our definition. Look at the verses yourself and see if you come to another conclusion. As a whole, however, scripture points to this idea: the glory of God is the evidence of His weightiness, of His importance.
It is the manifestation of the gravitas of God. Gravitas is a derivation of the Latin word meaning heaviness, solemnity, and weight. It is the same word from which we get our English word "gravity." We use it here in this sense: "the gravity of the situation" or "the gravity of what the judge has just ordered."
It is, in fact, the fingerprint left by our Father to let us know that He has been at work and is now working. It is the evidence of His importance.
If we insert this definition in place of the actual word, glory, we read as follows:
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the [evidence of the weightiness] 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...
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the [evidence of the weightiness] of God the Father.
And
Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
God chose to make His glory known among us: first through Israel, then through His Son, and now through the church. Theologians, when speaking of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, often use the term "manifest glory". He makes his glory known in us so that He may make His glory known through us. Failure to know God's glory leads to a failure to show His glory. This is Ichabod.
Ichabod: the glory has departed. The evidence and fingerprint of God's weightiness and worth is no longer present when Ichabod is written over the doors to our hearts and minds, families, churches or societies. As James MacDonald writes in Vertical Church, "When the people of God are not told the works of God, they lose the wonder of God, and everyone does that which is right in his or her own eyes.”
"When people are taught that their ultimate purpose is reaching the lost or building a church or extending their hands to the poor, they derail during difficult times. Horizontal purposes, even ones that express God’s heart for the lost, are not adequate to sustain a lifetime of devotion to the gospel through the valleys people inevitably face. The true Church teaches its people to judge every circumstance and opportunity in terms of its potential to reveal 'the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'"
The Westminster shorter Catechism states it this way in the first question it poses: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."
Let us know and show the weight of His glory. Let the word Ichabod never be written above the door to our heart or to His church.
Years ago on Saturday Night Live, Mike Meyers created a hilarious character named Linda Richman. You may remember her as the stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman. She spoke with an exaggerated New York accent; sported long, painted fake nails and big hair; and wore gold jewelry, gaudy sweaters, and large dark glasses. In the skit, she hosted the local cable show, "Coffee Talk." When the topic of conversation became emotionally overwelming, Linda would become "verklempt" and would need a private moment to recover her composure. Before attempting to calm herself, she would instruct her guest and the audience to "discuss among yourselves" and would often suggest a topic ("the holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman, discuss..."). If you've not seen this sketch, do yourself a favor and look it up. Right now, however, given our earlier discussion of glory, I'm going to play the part of Linda Richman. If our definition of glory impacts our beliefs and our beliefs impact our actions, how does sin disturb the glory of God?
So, let's talk about sin. Not corporate sin or Wall Street sin. Not even the sins of the church as a whole. Let's talk about our very own, individual, you-and-I-commit-them sins and how the glory of God is disrupted in our own lives.
Discuss.
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Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States
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