The Glory of God In the Cross

In Scripture, the glory of God is often said to be the end, or purpose, of all things.

God is eternally self sufficient. He is infinite and needs nothing. He created the universe and men, not because He needed man’s fellowship or because He needed a universe to fulfill some lack or need in Himself, but simply because He chose to reveal Himself and His perfections in and through creation.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Rev. 4:11)

When God created man, He created man in His own image so that man could have fellowship with Him, but God doesn’t need fellowship with man or anything from man. God didn’t create us because He needed us:

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. (1 Chron. 29:14)

Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed [i.e., repayed] unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Rom. 11:35 36)

…when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (Acts 17:24 25)

God created men and all things to glorify Himself.

God’s Glory is the Purpose of Everything!

God is the beginning and the end of all things:

For of Him [i.e., proceeding from God as Origin, Source and Creator], and through Him [i.e., by means of God as Maintainer, Preserver and Ruler], and to Him [i.e., to His glory], are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Rom. 11:36)

The whole universe displays the greatness of God:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. (Ps. 19:1)

That’s the purpose for which the heavens were made – to declare the glory of God. God could have created just one solar system, or just one species of plant, or made everything just one color; but He created an almost infinite series of universes, and a tremendous variety of plants, animals and everything else, for the simple purpose of glorifying Himself.

God created the universe to demonstrate His own glory. As Thomas Watson wrote, “The world is a looking glass, in which we may see the power and goodness of God shine forth…The world is like a curious piece of tapestry, in which we may see the skill and wisdom of Him that made it.”

The ultimate purpose of all things is the glory of God:

The LORD hath made all things for Himself [i.e., for His own glory]… (Prov. 16:4)

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: (Col. 1:16)

God’s judgment and punishment of sin and sinners glorifies Himself in His holiness, righteousness and power,

…Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. (Ezek. 28:22)

while His redemption of undeserving sinners glorifies His grace, mercy and love:

…the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel. (Is. 44:23)

Everything Jesus did, He did for the glory of His Father,

…He that seeketh His glory that sent Him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. (John 7:18)

and we too are to do everything for the glory of God:

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Cor. 6:20)

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

The Cross Glorified God

In like manner, the work of Jesus on the cross was for the purpose of glorifying God:

…Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. (John 13:31)

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4)

The Atonement is a glorious display of the perfections of God’s nature and attributes.

The Atonement glorifies God’s justice which demands that God not compromise with sin, but that He punish even the slightest sin with infinite punishment.

The Atonement glorifies God’s holiness, on account of which He can have no fellowship with the sinner until the sinner’s guilt is removed and the sinner reconciled to God.

The Atonement glorifies God’s love, in that He spared not His own Son that He might spare us:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

The Atonement glorifies God’s mercy when the infinite God left the riches and glories of the heavenlies and came down to die for sinful men. The God who is so pure, holy and exalted that He has to humble Himself even to look at righteous beings in heaven, stooped to become a Servant of sinners, and to give His life in their place on a rough, wooden cross.

…thy condescension hath made me great. (2 Sam. 22:36b, Hebrew)

God’s grace was glorified in the Atonement when, as a totally free gift, God gave eternal life, healing, deliverance and even all things, to those who justly deserved nothing but eternal misery and suffering. All men truly deserved to spend eternity in hell. There is absolutely nothing in fallen man that is pleasing to God, and there is no reason in man why God should bless him. Sinful man stinks before God, and he deserves nothing but punishment. Yet God gave His holy Son to die in the place of sinful men. What unsearchable grace! What rich depths of benevolence!

Finally, the Atonement gloriously exhibits the wisdom of God which devised a perfect plan of reconciling the claims of God’s justice with the desires of His mercy and love.

…yet doth He [God] devise means, that His banished be not expelled from Him. (2 Sam. 14:14)

The greatest problem confronting God was not how to create a universe out of nothing, or how to raise the dead, but how He, an infinitely holy and righteous God, could justify ungodly sinners.

I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? (Job 9:2)

God could not ignore the fact that man is guilty, yet He desired to save His chosen people. So He had to provide a way of salvation that would not overlook man’s sins, but would satisfy the demands of the broken law which required the death of the sinner.

No man could ever have conceived of such a plan, but in the Atonement, God fully satisfied the claims of His own justice while freely pardoning and justifying sinners. Justice and mercy kiss each other.

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Ps. 85:10)

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