Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God Alone

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen”.  Ephesians 3v20-21

When we look at Soli Deo Gloria, we must acknowledge that it belongs at both the beginning and the end of the four ‘Solas’ we have already looked at, because all things begin and end with God. Some argue that salvation depends on how we respond to God’s word, that some choose wisely and others do not.  But if that were so, those who chose well could boast in their own wisdom.  Scripture gives us no room for that.  We have nothing to boast about, because it is God alone who changes our hearts and enables a right response.  In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9), only the seed sown on good soil bore fruit, and even that soil had to be prepared to receive it.  As R.C. Sproul wrote:

In the work of redemption, all credit, honour, and glory belong to God alone.  Scripture teaches that salvation is of the Lord, and God is glorified in His plan of redemption.  It is God who initiates salvation…God not only began my salvation and sowed the seed, but also ensured that it took root in my heart by regenerating me through the power of the Holy Spirit.  That regeneration is necessary for the seed to grow and flourish.

We can trace God’s work throughout salvation and in the way it shapes our daily lives.  As we read His word, we grow in our knowledge of Him and are moved to serve Him by submitting every part of our lives to His Lordship.  Whatever we do, we should do it as well as we can—not for our own praise, but for the glory of God alone.  Johann Sebastian Bach reflected this by marking his composition sheet music with S.D.G.—Soli Deo Gloria—to show that his work was for God’s glory alone.

The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures to the glory of God alone.  Christ humbled Himself to the point of death and was raised and exalted to the right hand of the Father to the glory of God alone.  Grace and mercy are offered to rebellious sinners to the glory of God alone.  Justification is by faith alone to the glory of God alone.  Soli Deo Gloria, therefore, is central.

Dr Keith Mathison, a professor of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College