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Soli Deo Gloria: Living for the Glory of God Alone
Always Reforming: Fidelity to God’s Word in Every Generation
By Joshua Mills
Soli Deo Gloria—“to the glory of God alone”—was more than a motto of the Reformation; it was its heartbeat. At the core of this confession is the pulse of Christianity itself: we have been saved by grace to the praise of God’s glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). All things lead to the glory of God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever” (Romans 11:36).
As those redeemed by the blood of Christ, we must live with one driving passion: Soli Deo Gloria. The song that must sound forth from our every action is, “To God alone be the glory!” The overarching aim of our lives must be to bring honor and praise to God. Every thought and every deed is to be for His glory.
An eternity of writing could not exhaust this theme. While Scripture’s testimony to Soli Deo Gloria is vast, this article applies the doctrine pastorally and practically. Assuming the reader is already convinced of the primacy of God’s glory in Scripture, we ask: As Christians saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, how do we live for the glory of God? In A Body of Divinity, Thomas Watson offers three helpful exhortations.
1) Contentment in Service
In a social media age, discontentment with our own service to the Lord is an ever-present temptation within the life of a local church. A brief scroll shows what others are doing: ministers preaching to larger congregations, families hosting frequently, gifts on display. Jealousy creeps in, comparisons multiply, and bitterness sets in. This is not the way of Christ.
How are we to live for the glory of God? Watson writes:
“We aim at God’s glory when we are content to be outshined by others in gifts and esteem, so that his glory may be increased. A man that has God in his heart, and God’s glory in his eye, desires that God should be exalted… Let my candle go out, if the Sun of Righteousness may but shine.”[1]
Contentment in service refuses to grasp for platform or praise. It delights to see Christ magnified, even when another’s candle burns brighter. That posture sings, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
2) Contentment in Providence
Have present circumstances overwhelmed you? Perhaps plans have dissolved, the future looks uncertain, and the heart whispers, “If only I had that, then I would be okay.” Though we know we live under the fatherly hand of our gracious God, we easily forget it in practice.
Learning contentment in God’s providential dealings enables us to glorify Him. Watson writes:
“We glorify God, by being contented in that state in which Providence has placed us. We give God the glory of his wisdom, when we rest satisfied with what he carves out to us… It is God that has put me in this condition; he could have raised me higher, if he pleased, but that might have been a snare to me: he has done it in wisdom and love; therefore I will sit down satisfied with my condition. Surely this glorifies God much.”[2]
Contentment declares that God’s wisdom orders our days and that His love appoints our portion. Trust in providence is not passive resignation but active worship—receiving our Father’s allotment with gratitude and faith.
3) Controlled by One Passion
If someone summarized your life in one sentence at your funeral, what would they say? Would they recite temporal pursuits and treasures, or would they testify that you lived for one thing—the glory of God? It is good for the soul to ask: What impact will I leave for my spouse, my children, my grandchildren?
We want to be known as men and women who lived to God. Watson concludes:
“We glorify God by living to God (2 Cor. 5:15) …. We live to God when we live to his service, and lay ourselves out wholly for God. The Lord has sent us into the world, as a merchant sends his factor beyond the seas to trade for him. We live to God when we trade for his interest, and propagate his gospel. God has given every man a talent; and when a man does not hide it in a napkin, but improves it for God, he lives to God… Three wishes Paul had, and they were all about Christ; that he might be found in Christ, be with Christ, and magnify Christ.”[3]
To live for God’s glory is to be governed by a single, holy ambition: that Christ be magnified in our bodies, whether by life or by death (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Conclusion: For the Glory of God Alone
Will Soli Deo Gloria be the theme of your life? Will you be known as one who brought glory to God? Do you know Him? Have your sins been forgiven? Have you believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins?
The apostle warns, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The Reformers lived and died with this conviction: every breath, sermon, song, and moment must resound with Soli Deo Gloria. May our lives echo the same refrain—to God alone be the glory.
For more from our Reformation series visit: Always Reforming: Fidelity to God’s Word in Every Generation Archives – Servants of Grace or our YouTube.
References
- Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2008), 11.
- Ibid., 13.
- Ibid., 14.
Joshua J. Mills is married to his beloved Kyla and they have two children: Isaac and Lydia. Outside of the home, Joshua has the privilege of serving as pastor at Trinity Baptist Church (Burlington, Ontario) and as a guest lecturer through Carey International University of Theology.
