To glorify God means to honor, praise, and exalt Him as the one true God. It involves recognizing His majestic holiness, His supreme authority, His infinite power, and His surpassing worthiness. The Bible teaches that all of creation is meant to bring glory to God, and as His followers, we are called to glorify Him with our lives. Here is an in-depth look at what it means to glorify God:
Acknowledging God’s Attributes
To glorify God, we must start by acknowledging who He is. God is described in Scripture as holy (Isaiah 6:3), sovereign (Psalm 115:3), all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17), all-knowing (Psalm 139:1-6), ever-present (Psalm 139:7-12), unchanging (Malachi 3:6), and infinite (Romans 11:33). He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). We glorify God by recognizing His supreme majesty and confessing His divine attributes. We humble ourselves before Him, knowing we are finite creatures while He is the infinite Creator.
Praising God Continually
A major way we glorify God is through praise and thanksgiving. The book of Psalms is filled with songs of praise exalting God’s greatness and goodness. We are told to “sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Ephesians 5:19). Our praise glorifies God when it comes from a heart of genuine awe and gratitude for who He is. It acknowledges that He alone is worthy of our worship. Praising God not only on Sunday but continually (Hebrews 13:15) demonstrates He is our greatest treasure, not just a passing interest.
Proclaiming the Gospel
An important way we glorify God is by proclaiming the saving message of the gospel. As we tell others about what Christ accomplished on the cross, we exalt God’s amazing grace and unfailing love for humanity (Ephesians 2:7-9). God is glorified when people repent and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord. As more people become followers of Jesus, God receives greater glory through their lives and testimonies. Evangelism is closely linked to glorifying God.
Bearing Spiritual Fruit
We also glorify God by bearing good spiritual fruit in our lives. When we allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate His fruit in us – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) – God is glorified. As others see these Christlike virtues, they get a glimpse of God’s transforming power and give glory to Him. Our spiritual growth brings glory to God. It shows the genuineness of our faith and leads others to give Him praise.
Using Our Gifts and Abilities
God is glorified when we use our gifts and abilities for His purposes and glory rather than our own. The Bible says we are blessed with spiritual gifts so that God’s grace can be seen at work through us, resulting in even more praise to Him (1 Peter 4:10-11). As we serve God in our strengths, we reflect His power, wisdom and goodness to others. For example, those with teaching gifts can instruct others in God’s truth; those with hospitality can welcome people in Christ’s name.
Wholehearted Obedience
Obeying God wholeheartedly brings Him great glory because it demonstrates He is worthy of our full allegiance. When we follow His commands even at personal cost, it shows that we value Him above all else. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). Our loving obedience affirms God as both Savior and Lord of our lives. It glorifies Him by valuing His will even above our own.
God-Centered Living
More broadly, glorifying God involves making Him the center, purpose and joy of our lives. The Westminster Shorter Catechism summarizes this well: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” When our ultimate goal is giving glory to God in all we do, He is magnified. This God-centered foundation will shape our priorities, choices, ethics, relationships, work – everything. With this mindset, we can glorify Him through mundane daily activities, not just explicitly religious ones.
Suffering for Christ
The most powerful God-glorifying testimony we can give is being faithful to Christ in times of suffering and persecution. When, out of love for Him, we endure hardship with grace, hope and trust in God, it points to His supreme worth. It shows He is more valuable than comfort, security or even life itself. The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41). God is greatly glorified when His people cling to Him despite intense trials.
God Glorifying Us
While we are called to glorify God, Scripture also teaches that one day God will glorify us. When Christ returns, He will transform our humble bodies into glorious, immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:43). We will enter into the glory of God as His redeemed children. As 1 John 3:2 states, “When he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” While our highest purpose now is to glorify God, one day He will glorify us by perfecting us in His sinless image.
Why Glorifying God Matters
The urgency of glorifying God is seen by contrasting it with the sin of not glorifying Him. Romans 1:21-23 describes ungodly people who did not glorify or thank God, but became futile in their thinking and darkened in their hearts. They exchanged the glory of God for images and, as a result, were left in moral and spiritual ruin. When we do not glorify God, we elevate other things above Him – and this leads only to damage and emptiness. We must glorify God to live in the fullness for which we were created.
The call to glorify God is an invitation to supreme joy. It draws us into the wonder of who God is and the purpose for which we were made. As Augustine famously prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” We glorify God by enjoying Him as the only true source of joy.
How Do We Glorify God?
While glorifying God can seem broad, Scripture gives many practical ways we can actively honor Him with our lives:
– Pray continually, giving thanks to God (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
– Preach Christ and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20)
– Present your body as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1)
– Produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)
– Proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you (1 Peter 2:9)
– Put others’ interests above your own (Philippians 2:3-4)
– Pursue holiness and flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
– Pour out your life as a drink offering to God (2 Timothy 4:6)
– Place your hope fully in the grace of Christ (1 Peter 1:13)
– Do everything in the name and power of Christ (Colossians 3:17)
Through All of Life
While church services and times of focused worship are essential, we must see all of life as an opportunity to glorify God “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do” (1 Corinthians 10:31). We can glorify Him through acts of service, speaking words of truth and encouragement, creating excellent work, stewarding resources wisely, building up our families, and doing everything as unto the Lord. When God’s glory is our supreme aim, it will shape everything we are and do.
In conclusion, glorifying God means reflecting His beauty, worth, and excellence in all that we are. It’s why we were created and redeemed. The more we glorify God, the more glory we receive from Him as we are transformed into His likeness. Our passion should be to glorify the supremely glorious One.
