To The Glory & Praise Of God
“For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Our verses are the ultimate statement about all things. Why do we exist? We exist for the glory and praise of God. Why do the wicked exist? They exist for the glory and praise of God. Why does the world exist? It exists for the glory and praise of God. Why does hell exist? It exists for the glory and praise of God. Why does heaven exist? It exists for the glory and praise of God. All things, therefore, exist for the glory and praise of God. The sin of man must never be attributed to God. He is not the author of sin, but it is obvious from the Bible that sin exists because of God’s purpose and determination. Ultimately, it is the end that matters.
This is why we speak of the chief end of man. It is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Glorifying God and enjoying God go hand in hand. If these two things are our chief end, then to engage in the one is to engage in the other. In Philippians 1, we find that Paul has already mentioned that the salvation that has come to the Philippian Christians is from God. He began a good work in them and Paul is confident that he will bring that same work to completion (Phil. 1:6). The completion of this work will be the day of Jesus Christ. This is when Jesus comes again. In verse 8, Paul speaks of the believers being pure and blameless for the day of Christ. This is the same day as in verse 6.
It is always quite remarkable how the Apostle Paul links the coming of Jesus with our present behavior. He does this because as believers, we have a heavenly expectation. The hope we have comes through the indwelling Spirit. Paul makes the same point in Ephesians 1:11–14: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Twice in these verses, Paul refers to “the praise of his glory.” Not only this but also notice that he begins this section in Ephesians with “our inheritance” and ends with the same. We can conclude from these verses that our inheritance is connected to God’s glory. Paul’s theology is always so practical. For example, he connects love with knowledge and discernment in Philippians 1:9. True biblical love requires knowledge and discernment. If knowledge is about having the information, then discernment is about the right application of that knowledge.
So loving God and others must stem from having the right knowledge and the right application. All love flows from knowledge. Husbands are to know their wives and love their wives (Eph. 5:25, 28; 1 Pet. 3:7). This love and knowledge are related. You cannot do the one without the other. This knowledge and discernment will affect judgment about the truth. If we discern biblically we will recognize the truth and make the biblical application. We will have the right view of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul calls this approving what is excellent (see Rom. 2:18). The word for approve means to test or examine. It relates to proving the genuineness of something. We test all things to see their value. Are they worthy is the question we would ask. Paul refers to these excellent things in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Peter mentions similar things in 2 Peter 1:5–9: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” These characteristics or attributes lead to somewhere. They lead to the knowledge of Jesus in an increasing manner. But why is this important? It is important because it is a preparation for glory. The entire doctrine of sanctification is awhile we are in this world doctrine. Sanctification is preparation for glory. God prepares his people for his presence through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Paul refers to this idea of preparation leading to completion in Philippians 2:13, from our perspective, when he says: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” God will do his work in us, but our responsibility is to work out the salvation that he has worked in. Therefore, we discover that sanctification is a two-fold operation. The Spirit sanctifies us, but we also work out our justification through willing and yielding obedience. Being ready for when our Lord comes requires being pure and blameless. These words refer to practical holiness. It means not being troubled with our sin when Jesus comes. The way we do this is to keep short accounts with God. We go to him daily for forgiveness and cleansing. Only then shall we be ready for the day of Christ. Paul calls this being “filled with the fruit of righteousness” (Phil. 1:11). It is a righteousness that belongs to Jesus (inherent) but comes to us from Jesus through imputation. Righteousness is, therefore, the watchword of our Christian experience. As believers, we are constantly measuring all things by God’s righteousness. We know we all fall short of it, yet we love it and desire it.
How can we prepare ourselves for glory? First, we should study the glory of God. We must acquaint ourselves with glory from the Bible. God is glorious by virtue of his being, his essence, his names, and his attributes. He is surrounded by glory (Ezek. 1; Rev. 4, 5). Second, we shall be with God in his glory and shall see his glory. This is what Jesus prayed for in John 17: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, maybe with me where I am, to see the glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:22, 24). Third, we must recognize that all aspirations after holiness are related to the anticipation of God’s glory and praise. Only the holy shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16). Holiness is to be practical and not theoretical. We should strive after godliness (1 Tim. 6:1).
Why do we do what we do day after day? We should seek to be able to say “For his glory and praise.” God will be glorified on that day when Jesus comes. He will be honored and exalted. All that belongs to God belongs to Jesus and, therefore, belongs to us. We shall share in that glory to the glory and praise of God. Pursue it!