Glory of God

Definition and Meaning

The glory of God refers to the majesty and beauty of God's being and character and to their manifestation to humanity and the world.

• Kavod: The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament. It originally meant "weight," from which the senses of "importance" and "honor" developed.
• Doxa: The word by which the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) rendered kavod. The New Testament also uses this term.

Theologians commonly distinguish two aspects. One is the glory that God intrinsically possesses; the other is the "giving of glory," by which creatures praise and exalt God.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, the glory of God appears in cloud and fire.

• During the Exodus, when the tabernacle was completed, the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35).
• A similar scene is recorded when Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10-11).
• The Book of Ezekiel recounts a vision of the glory departing from the temple (Ezekiel 10) and a vision of its return (Ezekiel 43).

Later Jewish literature called this divine presence the Shekhinah ("dwelling"). The word itself does not appear in the biblical text.

The New Testament teaches that the glory of God was revealed in Jesus Christ.

• John 1:14, describing the Incarnation, in which the Word became flesh, says, "we beheld his glory."
• Hebrews 1:3 calls the Son "the brightness of his glory."
• Paul wrote that believers, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In the Reformation tradition, "glory to God alone" (Soli Deo Gloria) is counted among the Five Solas. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, produced by the same assembly that drafted the Westminster Confession of Faith, answers its first question by stating that man's chief end is "to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever."

Practice in the Korean Church

"We give glory to God" is one of the most common expressions of faith in the Korean church.

• Representative prayers and testimonies frequently begin or end with this phrase.
• Some churches sing a doxology (a short hymn giving glory to the triune God) during worship.
• Church members also use it to indicate that a personal achievement is credited to God rather than to their own merit.

Emphases differ by denomination and tradition.

• Presbyterian: The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterianism, regards the glory of God as the ultimate purpose of creation and salvation and tends to organize its entire theology from this perspective.
• Methodist and Holiness: The Wesleyan tradition often connects the glory of God with love and holy living, that is, with sanctification.
• Full Gospel and other Pentecostal churches: Churches in the Pentecostal and charismatic streams frequently speak of experiencing the glory of God in worship, using expressions such as "the presence of glory."