In God’s providence, the task of recovering the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone fell primarily to Martin Luther. But it was another, later Reformer, John Calvin, who labored much to answer the broader question, “How can a man glorify God?” Of all the “solas” of the Protestant Reformation, soli Deo gloria is the one that encompasses the rest, representing the ultimate goal of God’s creation and plan of salvation.

What do the words soli Deo gloria mean? Glory to God alone. What does this expression have to do with the Bible or, for that matter, with the Protestant Reformation?

God’s Holy Word clearly states that everything exists for God’s glory. In Revelation 4:11 we read, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Colossians 1:16 states, “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.” Proverbs 16:4 tells us, “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

The heavens declare God’s glory (Ps. 19:1). The whole earth is full of His glory (Isa. 6:3). Everyone sees His glory (Ps. 97:6). His glory is to be declared among unbelievers (1 Chron. 16:24, Ps. 96:3), and believers are to glorify Him in all that they do (1 Cor. 10:31). One day every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God (Phil. 2:10-11). The Son of God Himself came into this world to honor and glorify God His Father (John 7:18, 8:49).

The Reformation began as a reaction against the corruption of the church and particularly the clergy. To a large extent that corruption could be traced to an increasing trend toward man-centeredness, evidenced in part by the rise of the papal hierarchy and its influence. Instead of all believers viewing themselves as priests and kings unto God (Rev. 1:6, 5:10), a clergy-class of priests began to serve as intermediaries between God and men. Instead of viewing Christ as the “shepherd and bishop of our souls” (1 Pet. 2:25), bishops took the oversight of large dioceses. Instead of Christ being honored as the cornerstone of God’s church (1 Pet. 2:3-8), the pope and his successors were considered the rock upon which Jesus would build His church. Under the guise of bringing glory to God, the hierarchy deluded the ignorant masses into thinking that God’s honor could be served by enriching the leadership and contributing to elaborate building projects. The lucrative selling of indulgences by Tetzel was the proverbial last straw for Luther, leading him to begin publicly countering what he saw to be unbiblical abuses.

But as the Reformation, under God’s blessing, began to take hold in country after country, and as people began to experience the liberty and peace that flows from being justified by faith in Christ, the natural next step for the sons and daughters of the Reformation was to ask the question of Saul of Tarsus, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Calvin was something of a pioneer in resurrecting and applying the biblical prin­ciple that God’s Word should guide and mold every aspect of one’s life and every institution of society. It could be argued that this effort reached a high-water mark, if not its apex, in the Puritan movement in Eng­land and the Nadere Reformatie in the Netherlands. Politics, education, casuistry (counseling), Lord’s Day observance — no area of life remained insulated from the purifying effects of God’s Word.

But it would be a mistake to limit our consideration of soli Deo gloria to a mere survey of history. This summary expression of the Reformation is vital and central to the believer’s spiritual heath and growth.

As in many situations in life, so too in the Christian church various pet emphases abound. Some today believe evangelism is everything. Others focus almost obsessively on the new birth, as if emphasizing it enough times might affect the needed change in spiritually dead sinners. A third group might stress the sovereignty of God to such an extent that it effectively stupefies the hearer and blunts the sharp edge of God’s invitations, promises, and commands. Still others, at the opposite extreme, so discount God’s sovereignty and emphasize man’s activity that, hearing such mes­sages on a routine basis, one might be tempted to conclude that God waits passively until some poor sin­ner makes up his mind to accept the Savior or “make a decision” for Christ.

All of these emphases, and many more like them, though they may differ greatly from one another, share one common thread — they are all about man. Soli Deo gloria, by contrast, is all about God. Man is no longer the goal of Christianity, but a privileged means to a far more blessed goal — the glory of God.

Putting it in very personal terms, soli Deo gloria means regeneration is no longer seen solely as the beginning of the Christian life. Instead it is the wonderful work of God’s Spirit by which a sinner is enabled and equipped to consciously glorify His Maker and Redeemer. Justification by faith alone is no longer considered the goal of the Christian’s life; instead, that righteous and merciful act of God, by which the once immoveable impediment of sin is cleared away, leaves us a clear field of access to that inexhaustible grace of Christ that encourages, motivates, enables, and allures us to a lifetime of desiring and laboring for God’s glory.

Shall we go to an even more concrete, specific level? Soli Deo gloria means that I am no longer preoccupied with my spiritual condition, with my feelings and frames, with my prospects for heaven, with my ebb and flow of spiritual vitality, with my progress. I’m not suggesting these things don’t matter; they do. But something more substantial increasingly weighs upon my heart. In fact, like a shift in my worldview, I become more concerned with how my actions, words, and thoughts affect my Lord rather than how they affect me. Though I am still concerned with how my life affects others around me, I grow even more concerned with what my Lord thinks of that which I do and say. The conscience becomes more and more tender toward that which pleases or grieves Him rather than just what I think or feel about it. It is not so much my name but His that I defend and promote; not my ambitions but His revealed will that drives me; not my plans but His kingdom for which I begin laboring.

Shall we not examine ourselves before God by these things? I’m afraid we will find too often that our motives, even in spiritual matters, are altogether too self-oriented rather than God-oriented. Is not so much of our religion, particularly at the beginning of our Christian life, more grounded in self-preservation than we realize or care to acknowledge?

On this side of eternity, self will never be expelled entirely or permanently from the horizon of our con­sciousness. But blessed be God when it gets displaced by the burning desire for His glory. This is spiritual maturity in the deepest sense of the word. It is the rad­ical God-centered orientation that was used of the Lord to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). It pro­pelled Calvin and so many others like him to run through a troop and leap over a wall, spiritually (Ps. 18:29). We will make very little progress in spiritual matters while self is at the center of our spiritual galaxy. Only when the Son and His glory eclipse the earthy center of self do mighty wonders begin to manifest themselves in our hearts and in our lives. The church is in her glory when her aim has been God’s glory. The same may be said of any one of us. Make it so, dear Lord, by Thy grace, Spirit, and Word — for Thy glory.