“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
to whom belong the glory
“To whom belong” means glory and dominion belong to Jesus, not us. The focus is on the person.
“Glory” primarily signifies an opinion, estimate, brightness, splendor, radiance — magnificence, fame, renown, honor. The implication is of external appearance, splendor and radiance. Glory is anything that catches the eye and hence, the honor resulting from a good opinion. Glory has to do with credit. Jesus gets the credit because of His work on the cross and provisions in time. The credit or glory belongs to Him. He gets eternal renown from His work for us.
“Glory” also implies a manifestation of power characterized by glory - glorious power, amazing might (Romans 6:4). It is that which causes wonder or that which causes people to marvel.
The New Testament uses “glory” of the nature and acts of God in self–manifestation. Glory is what He essentially is and does as exhibited in whatever way He reveals Himself. This glory is particularly revealed in the Person of Christ, in whom essentially His glory has ever shone forth and ever will do (John 17:5, 24).
“Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The issue in the glory of God is not so much what God is in His essence but what His essence becomes in manifestation. We manifest God’s glory by the use of our gift.
Principle:
God’s purpose for us is to be God-centered
Application:
What is your motive for ministry? Do you do what you do for self? Are you self-centred or God-centred? The message here is that God wants us to be God-centred. Everything we do we do to the glory of God.
Our motive for ministry ought to be to do what we do for God. This is the same motive that moves God. God is motivated by His own nature, by His own glory.
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