Soli Deo Gloria | Faith As Bowing to Glory of God
Faith, of all the aspects of salvation, is the one that we seek to take the glory from. We view faith as the means of our own striving rather than understanding faith for what it is, a gift from God that leads us deeper in relationship with Him. Everyone, including faith, is orchestrated by a sovereign God to give Him the glory. Through our faithful obedience to God, we show the world that the one we put our faith in is greater than anything we could every imagine or do on our own. Furthermore, our works as the display of our faith, give glory to God and show the world that God is worth surrendering the desires of the flesh to. Our faith acts as a witness and testimony to the God who spoke creation into existence and rescued His chosen people through the shredding of His blood on the cross for our sake. Faith shows the world that we assent to the Lord in every aspect of our lives, even when we don’t understand or fully comprehend what God asks us.
Belief in One Greater than Ourself
In Revelation 24, we see a grand display of faith by those who held authority. “T.he twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11, ESV) The elders and rulers laid their crowns before the throne of God in total submission to the will of God. Whatever glory they held would be laid before the throne room of God for the glory of God. Faith, as the actively passive submission to the will of God, lays our crowns before the Lord giving Him full reign in our lives. as the kings lay down their crowns, the world sees their testimony and takes notice of the subject of the our faith.
Faith, as a gift from God, gives glory to do by displaying our testimony to the God who is worth our full and total submission. Faith trusts that the way of the Lord is better than our way and worth laying down every supposed crown we may have to be in the presence of the Lord. Everything we are and everything we have is worth trading all of it to be in the presence of God. Furthermore, the expression of our faith is a manner of worship in which we give our lives as an offering to the Lord (Romans 12:1). Expressing the faith God gives us through our total submissions show the world that He is worthy of our praise, honor, and glory as we change our lives to reflect the glory of God to the world around us.
The Glory from Our Works
Faith in Jesus Christ removes any ability we have to boast in our works. With faith being a gift from God that involves our active passivity in the salvation process, the glory can only go to God. The question with works that arising from scripture seeks to determine the role of works. When the law was given, the purpose sought to set the people of God apart from the others in order that they could serve as a lighthouse and point to the One, True, God. The works of man throughout the whole of the Bible points to the glory of God to redeem people and set them apart from something different than what the world offers. Furthermore, obedience to the commands of God admits that His ways are greater than our own rather that pointing to our ability to be good enough. Our works display God’s ability to redeem a rebellious person for His glory, rather than our own.
Our works, as the demonstration of our faith, point to the glory of God. He alone is the one worth all our time, attention, and devotion as the Lord and Savior of our life. Therefore, everything we do should reflect that glory of God “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:15-17 NIV) In short, every action we make should reflect the glory of God as we devote the every facet of our lives to the God who deserves all honor, glory, and praise. God alone deserves the glory for His might acts of creation, His sovereign reign over all, and His hand to sustain His people.
