Soli Deo Gloria means “God’s Glory Alone”. When Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the rest of the Reformers tried to reform the Catholic church, they summarized their teachings under five main statements: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Soli Deo Gloria (God’s Glory Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), and Sola Fide (Faith Alone). At some point I’ll probably talk about all five of these ideas. Right now, I just want to touch on Soli Deo Gloria.
Soli Deo Gloria is the idea that everything on earth happens for a reason. What reason is that? Everything happens to make people recognize the greatness of God. This is one of the main themes running throughout the Bible. God eventually works everything out in a way that will bring Him glory. This has a lot of implications. Some of them are nice to think about and some of them are a little bit scary scary to think about.
I’m not going to talk about that tonight. Tonight, I’m going to share a Bible passage that illustrate this principle. This is a poem, written by a man named Asaph. His nation, Israel, has been conquered and decimated by foreign enemies. But notice the focus of his poetry: he is ultimately concerned for God’s repuation and God’s glory. He wants his nation restored. But he doesn’t want his nation restored because of his national pride. He wants his nation restored so that other nations will know that God is real and is powerful.
Psalm 7979:1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out your anger on the nations
that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
that do not call upon your name!
For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors
the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise. (ESV)
