What Is God’s Glory?

Thomas R. Schreiner defines the glory of God in his essay in For the Fame of God’s Name as follows:

“I would define the glory of God as the beauty, majesty, and greatness of who he is; therefore, in all he does, whether in salvation or in judgment, the greatness of his being is demonstrated.”

Schreiner, “A Biblical Theology of the Glory of God,” in For the Fame of God’s Name, 216. HT: Mitch Chase

Personal Anecdote: when Schreiner was writing his essay “A Biblical Theology of the Glory of God” for the volume honoring Piper, he asked me if I had defined the glory of God in my book. I was really grateful for his email, because it made me realize that I hadn’t! So having thought about it a little, I wrote up a definition, added it to my introductory chapter, and sent it to him. Here’s my definition:

“What is the glory of God? I would suggest that the glory of God is the weight of the majestic goodness of who God is, and the resulting name, or reputation, that he gains from his revelation of himself as Creator, Sustainer, Judge, and Redeemer, perfect in justice and mercy, loving-kindness and truth.”

God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment, 56.

I would observe that Schreiner mentions salvation and judgment, and I’m getting at the same things when I mention God’s justice and his mercy, his loving-kindness and truth.

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1 Comment

  1. About 12 years ago I heard someone describe the Glory of God as “an accurate account of God.” It’s probably oversimplifying the definition but it really stuck with me and put his Glory in a better context for me. The scripture that really opened my eyes to his Glory was really understanding Colossians chapter 1 which says that “all things were created by Him and FOR Him.” Thanks for your post!

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