Reformation Month / Study / The Five Solas / Soli Deo Gloria
Deo Gloria
If salvation is God's work, the praise belongs to Him.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
¶ What does it mean?
This is the motivation for God saving sinners: His own glory. It was His plan to save sinners by grace through faith. It was His plan from the beginning to send His Son to die on the cross. The Lord willingly laid down his life to atone for the sins of the world. And it is the Lord who made plain what is necessary for salvation in Scripture. Because of all of this, Gold alone gets the glory.
¶ What does it deny?
It denies that the church shares God's glory for redemption. We may give thanks for translators, preachers, and Reformers, but they are merely unworthy servants (Luke 17:10).
- Romans 11:36For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
- Isaiah 42:8I am the LORD. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another.
¶ Why does it matter?
The real purpose of salvation is to glorify God. As your read for Reformation Month, pray that God is glorified as you devote more time to reading His word.