Soli Deo Gloria | Grace Revealing The Glory of God
Sola Gratia depicts the grace of God as the means by which we are predestines, saved, and redeemed. Yet, the question most will ask (and is the heart of a fair amount of theological tension regarding predestination) comes as “why does God predestine some and not others?” While the complexities of this answer will far exceed anything a post of this size can reasonably expect to cover, the simplistic answer points to the Glory of God. People are saved as a means to point to the Glory of God and His rightfully reign over all of creation. Furthermore, if the story isn’t about us and Jesus Christ points to the Glory of the full God-head, then we should except the grace of God to follow suit as well.
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 4:13-15, ESV
The actions of God do not show how worthy mankind is to receive the gift of eternal life. In fact, if anything, they demonstrate the opposite. Mankind, while frequently attempting to glorify himself, cannot be glorified apart from God nor can mankind compel God to glorify them. Instead, the grace of God demonstrates God’s sovereign ability over the universe and God’s willingness and heart to save a rebellious people. The results of the grace of God is nothing short that the glory of God alone. At the end of grace, if our conclusion is anything other than God’s glory in every aspect of our lives, we have underestimated the God the Father.
Grace as a Revelation of God’s Sovereignty
Any discussion of grace ultimately leads back to Ephesians 2:8-9; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV) We cannot boast in anything our actions produce. Yet, we are fully capable of boasting in the works of God. He, being the sovereign ruler over all creation provided a means for salvation for a people who rebelled against Him, paying the cost and bearing the burden of their sin, in order to express His love upon them without His righteousness expelling us from His presence. In God’s sovereign reign, He paid the full price of death, making Christ to be sin so that we might be free from sin, and calling us to Himself for His purpose. Our only response to the grace of God would be to praise God and give Him all the glory.
The grace of God demonstrates more of God’s sovereignty over all things than it does out ability to earn or deserve it. He alone upholds justice, grace, and mercy as the fullness of His wrath is poured out on Jesus Christ in order than the guilty could be proclaimed innocent. Only God would be able to provide grace as our death would only be an act of justice. Furthermore, God would need to be willing to provide grace through the sacrifice of His son on our behalf. Nothing else would be capable of compelling God to save mankind. God’s reign over all creation allows Him to provide grace to whom He chooses. We cannot always understand why God does the things that He does, but ultimately, we must be willing to submit to the will of God and His divine sovereignty. The grace of God reveals that He desires to save and rescue people by His works, not ours.
The Response to Grace
If grace reveals the glory of God then our response to grace should follow suit. To many people view grace as a right to sin, since grace will prevail. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he makes is clear that continuing in sin should not be our response to grace. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4, ESV) Our newness life comes from the glory of the Father. Grace abounds from and results in the glory of our Heavenly Father.
People’s response to grace should result in the glorification of God. Not that God needs our worship and us to glorify Him, but that this response is the only response which makes sense. Those who have received grace and forgiveness understand how little they deserve it. Furthermore, the more grace and forgiveness our receive, the greater our praise of the God who plucked us from the hands of death. In truth, we owe every ounce of our life, even the very breath we breathe, to the grace of God. A deep grace comes from a never ending glory of God who desires to bring us into His presence with Him for all eternity. The glory of God reigns grace upon those He selects as the righteous God who holds all things in His hands and our response is to lift up our hands in surrender, adoration and praise as we glorify our Heavenly Father.
