This is part two in the six-part series
This is a most profound teaching, it encapsulates a strong message for a self-centred 21st century. The definition of this doctrine, according to Wikipedia, is the following;
"As a doctrine, it means that everything is done for God's glory to the exclusion of mankind's self-glorification and pride. Christians are to be motivated and inspired by God's glory and not their own." - Wikipedia
We begin our study of the five Solas with the end in mind, beginning with God purposing to glorify himself in the salvation of sinners by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to Scripture alone. Salvation belongs to the Lord alone, Psalm 3:9.
We have flaws, many of them, all of them originating from a nature that is drenched and infested with sin. This sinful nature pushes us from one extreme to another, it causes us to lose focus of the truth and wallow in the mud.
The truth is simple, God loves us unconditionally and gave Himself to save us, to draw us near to Himself.
So what's the catch? Our nature is the catch. We have a nature of doubt and distrust, a nature of seeing before believing. Our nature is the cause and effect. It causes us to doubt, and the effect is our separation from the Source of all Life, Jesus. But there is hope, our heavenly Father gave us free will to choose. His will for us is to prosper and to foster a knowledge of His goodness towards us.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 1 Timothy 2:3,4
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him" - James 1:5 AMP
Our Abba Father wants only what is best for us. He has our joy, our peace, our affection and our happiness on His heart. He is the "Father of lights" with whom there is no "variance or turning" on any child who comes to Him, who seeks His help, James 1:17.
"for God is love. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 5:8b, 10, 19
Love and the gift of love come from the Father of lights, and this is one of the key points of Soli Deo Gloria, love for God and the love of God. To be able to effectively and truly glorify God, our hearts need to be a wellspring of life and love. Jesus demonstrates this in a parable to Simon, a Pharisee, with whom He supped in the gospel of Luke:
“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he [the creditor] freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And Jesus said to him, “You have rightly judged.” - Luke 7:41-43
"Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” - Luke 7:47
You see, we love God because He first loved us, forgave us and restored us. The more we become aware of our sin and our debt to sin, the more we realise we need a Saviour and His pardon from sin. The more sin we have that is pardoned, the greater our love will be for the sin pardoning High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Then, once we receive pardon and grace, as the woman in the parable, we will start to glorify Jesus by washing His feet with our tears of gratitude. We will kiss Christ in humble prayer, anointing His head with songs of praise and adoration, lifting Him high. We shall love Him much, Glorifying and Magnifying Him, because we are forgiven.
a Life that is not spent in amazement and adoration of the Father and Son is a life that has not experienced the life-giving power of Jesus through pardon and love.
To live out Soli Deo Gloria we need to be living sacrifices, always looking to Christ to sustain us, always denying self, always picking up our cross daily. They that live in the flesh and not by the Spirit cannot please nor glorify God, Romans 8:8
Let us conform to the will of God, to glorify Him;
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:1-2
To live for the Glory of God is to live to Glorify, to uplift and to exalt Jesus. Every negative trait of Character brings Christ down. Every sullen word ill-represents Jesus. Every hereditary-sinful action mars the Glory of Jesus in us. There is hope, the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit who is to lead us in all truth, and who brings the forgiveness of Christ.
"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." - 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV
"in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." - Ephesians 1:13b, 14 NKJV
We have not received the Spirit of fear or bondage,
"but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." - Romans 8:14b-17
We are sons and daughters of the Most High, brothers and sisters of the Sun of Righteousness, co-labourers with the Spirit of Truth. What do we have to fear? Nothing. Are we to glorify in self? God forbid. Let us then walk fearlessly as heirs of the promise and not as children of darkness and disobedience.
Let us not forget our mission, the serving and glorifying of Jesus through the spreading of His Good News, the Gospel.
Let us throw off this apostate yoke of the evil one, the indulgence of worthless squabbles, falsely dealing with Jesus by playing the hypocrite in our hearts through gratifying our secret sins. There is a price on our souls, that price is the precious blood of Jesus.
Do not make His sacrifice cheap by allowing yourself to be coaxed into a prosperity gospel that glorifies the creature, ourselves or our pastors, and not the Creator. Do not waste that saving grace by vain repetitions of praise or prayer that is absent of sincere, heartfelt love for Jesus. And by no means should you trample on the love of Jesus by being harsh in word or action towards your fellow-men.
To those who are hungry and you feed, to those who are naked and you clothe, to those who are thirsty and you give water, it will be as if you had done those acts for the King Himself, Matthew 25:31-44. The same goes for every act of cruelty, every act of disregard for suffering, every self-centred thought, every like disgraceful act is also done to Jesus.
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He [Jesus] will answer them [disciples], saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ - Matthew 25:44-45
Jesus came to glorify and serve the Father, we are to do the same. Glorifying the Godhead is a lifestyle, it is habitual acts of love and self-sacrifice towards others.
Soli Deo Gloria, the doctrine of a life that honours and glorifies God, in everything without partiality. Can we say that we live out Soli Deo Gloria? No, we are fallen, creatures. Can we say that through the redemptive power of the Blood of Jesus we live out Soli Deo Gloria? Yes, you can stake your eternal inheritance on that fact, so let us start living like we have been redeemed and not as if we need to earn or obtain redemption.
Live for the Glory of God, live I say, to praise Jesus before all men as a witness of the power of Christ.
