This past Sunday (Oct. 9, 2011) in a message titled “We Do Not Lose Heart”, I spoke from II Corinthians 4, a chapter packed with encouragement for Christians to persevere and finish well the gospel task laid before us by Christ. As Paul talks about his love for and self-sacrificial service to the Corinthian believers he says in v. 15:

“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.”

I was asked a great question about one of my sermon points in an email today–and it’s a point worth clarifying!  I gave four points on the fill-in outline for the message, one drawn from each of the four paragraphs in II Corinthians 4, and each one intended to help us NOT lose heart in our ministry as Christians. They were: I. We do not proclaim ourselves.  II. We die (i.e. our bodies deteriorate as well as our old selfish natures) so that Jesus’ life is revealed in us.  III. “We work for the increasing glory of God. And IV. We focus on realities not yet visible. The question was about the third point and was posed as a disagreement with the statement that we could actually work to increase God’s glory–that His glory “is already complete and sufficient” and that “God does not change” (Malachi 3:6), etc.

I asked the individual if it was o.k. to share their question and my response as a blog post to our website since others may also have been curious about this. Permission was granted and so here’s my reply (with a few minor editions for clarity’s sake):

“Yes, you are correct in your thinking that we cannot add any intrinsic worth or value to God–He is already supremely and infinitely valuable; nor can we make His glory any brighter.  In saying that we can “increase God’s glory” what I meant (although perhaps I didn’t say it very well) was not that we make His glory more “glorious”, or “bright”, or “luminous” (as if we humans could actually lift God to a higher position), but that we make it more visible, more apparent, more “public” in the world by: worshiping Him and living in communion with Him, living in loving/serving community with other believers, and by obediently living on commission among those still lost in spiritual darkness.  In other words, we do everything we can to display God’s glory in the world, so that more people see His glory and turn from darkness to light.  In this sense then, with the help and equipping of the Holy Spirit, we contribute to the increased ‘glorification’ of God among peoples, but not to the increased ‘glory’ of God–that’s where my wording should’ve been more carefully chosen!

Think of God’s glory as a single lightbulb hanging in a room. For the sake of the illustration (since we’re finite beings with finite minds unable to comprehend a God whose glory is infinite), let’s say that bulb gives off a certain fixed amount of light (glory). Let’s say you then line the ceiling and walls and floors of that room with mirrors reflecting the bulb’s light in all sorts of directions back and forth on one another–that’s going to enhance the luminescence of that bulb, but not increase the actual amount of light coming from the bulb itself (because the bulb doesn’t derive it’s luminance from the mirrors; quite the opposite in fact). Then, let’s say you open all the doors and curtains; the radiant light from the bulb as well as the reflected and refracted light from the mirrors now extends to previously dark areas of the house and beyond, out into the yard and streets.

Our job as followers of Christ is to be mirrors, receiving then reflecting the light of God to one another (community); our job is also to be busy opening doors and curtains so that the light extends out into still un-lit areas (commission).

Pastor and author John Piper cites Isaiah 6:2-3 to make a very helpful distinction between God’s “glory” and God’s “holiness”:

    “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
    “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
    the whole earth is full of his glory!”

“God’s glory,” Piper says, “is the radiance of His holiness, the radiance of His manifold, infinitely worthy and valuable perfections.”

So in that sense, we cannot increase His holiness and worth, but by making Him known in the world we ‘extend’ His radiance and in so doing expand or if you will ‘increase’ his glorification among the nations. But remember: we do none of this on our own, but only with the guidance and power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit!

I hope this is helpful. The glory of God is such a massive subject and not one that can be understood fully in just a couple of passages of Scripture, and certainly not explained fully by me in a blog post!  Please feel free to submit comments or further questions by emailing me directly at averydarin@gmail.com.

I’m thankful for folks who listen carefully to my messages and who are willing to lovingly challenge my teaching and seek clarification!  This benefits all of us!