Gods Word For You

  • God's Word For You is a free Bible Study site committed to bringing you teaching and studies firmly grounded in the Bible, and the Bible's answers to your questions.


  • All God's Word For You Bible Studies are written from a reformed, conservative, evangelical perspective that upholds the historic fundamentals of the Christian faith.

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    God's Word For You acknowledges that God exists, that He loves us with an incredible love, and that He has spoken and continues to speak to us in the Bible, his written Word.

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    This site affirms that God has provided in and through Jesus Christ his eternal Son, a way of forgiveness in which we can live in his presence guilt free, acquitted and at peace.

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Thought For The Week

BACK TO BASICS - SOLI DEO GLORIA

Salvation is by Christ alone, by faith alone and by grace alone; it is not because of anything that we have done. It is all because of God. It is not us, but God, who has accomplished it. Therefore God, not us, is to be praised.

So there is a fifth ‘sola’ – Soli Deo Gloria: glory to God alone – that is a logical extension of the others.

The apostles put it this way:

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ’ (Ephesians 1:3).

‘... giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light’ (Colossians 1:12).

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ...’ (1Peter 1:3).

If we are saved, if we are restored to a living relationship with God, if we are, as the Bible teaches, saved by grace and through faith, there is nothing for us to boast about. In fact, human boasting in the presence of God is outlawed by the gospel:

‘Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith’ (Romans 3:27).

‘... no one may boast before him’ (1Corinthians 1:29).

‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship ...’ (Ephesians 2:8 – 10).

‘... we ... glory in Christ Jesus, and ... put no confidence in the flesh’ (Philippians 3:3).

God gets the praise for saving us. God gets the glory. God gets the worship.

In Romans 11:36, Paul closes off his extensive discussion of the gospel with the statement/prayer ‘To (God) be the glory forever! Amen.’

In Ephesians 1:5, 6 Paul teaches that the result of God’s deliberate action in adopting us as his children in and through Christ is that his glorious grace is praised.

In Ephesians 1:12 Paul teaches that God’s purpose in choosing and saving us was that we might be to the praise of his glory.

In Ephesians 1:14 Paul again teaches that the end result of our salvation is the praise of God’s glory.

If we feel a bit edgy about God getting all the glory this is perhaps because even though we have been restored to a right relationship with God, there is still quite a lot of self-centredness in us. Jesus Christ, who actually deserves praise and glory, lived his life on earth focused on his Father’s glory:

‘I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do’ (John 17:4).

But there is a surprising outcome to all of this: when we, by our thoughts, words and actions, are giving glory to God we ourselves share in his glory. God created us in his image (Genesis 1:26, 27). God crowned us with glory and honour (Psalm 8:5). But we fall short of this glory (Romans 3:23). Part of the complete salvation given to us in Christ is the restoration of glory both now in part and completely in the future:

‘... the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory’ (Colossians 1:27).

‘I have given them the glory that you gave me ...’ (John 17:22).

‘... if we indeed share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us’ (Romans 8:17, 18).

‘... the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory’ (Romans 9:23).

‘And we, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit’ (2Corinthians 3:18).

‘ ... live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory’ (1Thessalonians 2:12).

When we live with this fifth ‘Sola’ in mind – Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone – the unexpected, but amazing, outcome is that that we, the redeemed, share in his glory:

‘One of the seven angels ... said to me “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God ...’ (Revelation 21:9 – 11).

© Rosemary Bardsley 2021

NEW STUDIES

  • Soli Deo Gloria
  • Sola Gratia
  • New Year 2021
  • Sola Fide
  • Solus Christus (2)
  • Thoughts
    • Back to Basics
    • Christmas
    • Encounters with Jesus
    • Ephesians
    • Gospel Freedom
    • I make all things new
    • Isaiah
    • Issues
    • Parables of Jesus
    • Principles and Priorities
    • Promises
    • Salvation in Colossians
    • Salvation in Ephesians
    • The Cross
    • The Gift of Righteousness
    • The Great I AM
    • The Passion of Christ
    • Thoughts from Peter's Letters
    • Thoughts from the Revelation
    • Thoughts from Romans
    • Thoughts from Psalms
    • Thoughts on Creation
    • Thoughts on Prayer
    • Thoughts on the Church
    • Thoughts to live by
    • Understanding Grace
    • What is God like
    • What is human
    • Worldviews

© 2001 - 2020 Copyright God's Word For You - Rosemary Bardsley.

godswordforyou.com acknowledges that God exists, that He loves us with an incredible love, and that He has spoken and continues to speak to us in the Bible, his written Word. Over and above all, this site affirms that God, in a manner totally contrary to how we would think and act, has provided in and through Jesus Christ his eternal Son, a way of forgiveness in which we can live in his presence guilt free, acquitted and at peace.

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