Sometimes I wonder if the music at church is more of a distraction then an enabler to worship our Heavenly Father. Perhaps, glory is robbed from our most deserving God. Then I read this quote on www.heartofworship.com, which got me thinking:
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” – C.S. Lewis
So, in light of this quote, does the infinite Creator of the Universe have a finite amount of glory, that which cannot be thwarted from Him receiving? And if so, how exactly as believers do we glory our God who already is?
The way I like to think of it (and I probably got this from someone else but I don’t remember who) is to imagine a glowing gemstone. This gemstone represents God’s glory. This glowing gem is hiding behind a solid black sheet. When it talks about us glorifying God or God glorifying himself that is like poking holes in the black sheet. The amount of light always remains constant, but the amount that shines out changes. Thus it is possible for us to glorify God yet the “amount” of his glory never changes.
And God must have an infinite amount of glory. Abselom had an argument which stated that God is the most perfect being there is. If you can think of a more perfect being, than the more perfect being is God not the previous thought. Thus, a God with infinite glory is more perfect or greater than a God with finite glory, thus God must have infinite glory to truly be God.
…and I am telling jokes about St. Patrick’s Day. We span the topical spectrum…
Thought: If an amount (glory, time, space, etc.) is related to our ability or means of measurment then, due to our finite approach, we are disqualifid from the discussion/thought on the basis of being the created. Therefore, it is impossible to answer the question since it is posed by us. Make sense?
And, to carry it further, the fact that we are able to experience an amount of it only means that there is infinitely more of it to experience…
OK, my mind-blowing contribution to this “infinity” business:
1. The set of positive integers (1, 2, 3…) is an infinite set: it has no end.
2. The set of all integers, both positive and negative (… -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 …), is an infinite set: it has no beginning, and it has no end.
3. The set of all integers is larger than the set of positive integers.
4. Therefore, we see that one infinite set is larger than another infinite set.
So…
How does that change your perception of the statement “God is infinite?”
Wow – I step away to pick a setlist and look what happens!
Here’s a thought. God was already glorified infinitely in His “always has been there-ness” apart from His creation. Creation glorifies Him as well. The point of the quote, I believe, was to say humanity in its finite feableness cannot takeaway glory from the One who is forever glorified apart from man.
Yet we have this encouragement:
In reference to that verse: the very fact that we are able to eat or drink, or even exist, brings glory to God. So, whether the anti-God like it or not, they are exhibiting His glory as Creator while they “vent clamor from [their] throat[s]” and deny Him. The gift of life an energy that they are given points to God–even though they use them for evil. How much more effective are we in glorifying Him when we seek to do what we are already inherently created doing!
Here is what Wayne Gruden has to say about the glory of God:
…for this glory of God is the visible manifestation of the excellence of God’s character. The greatness of God’s being, the perfecton of all his attributes, is something that we can never fully comprehend, but before which we can only stand in awe and worship.
In addition, 2 Cor 3:18 says:
And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect* the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.
So, God’s glory is infinite and based upon His character. We stand in awe of it as we comprehend Him more and are transformed more into followers of Christ and reflect it back to Him. Music, along with the other aspects of our worship service-prayer, preaching, tithing, the sacrements-is intregal in our worship of Him. It is a pivotal part of our glorifying Him. Keep up the selective song selection that to date has been exceptional in its attempt to focus our attention on Him and His characteristics.
I wonder if some of our confusion comes back to an issue of definitions. I did a scan of the word “glorify” in my bible software. The consensus seems to be that references to man glorifying God refer to man ascribing to God His worth–essentially worship.
With this way of looking at it, we are not adding to God’s glory, but acknowledging it. The ‘amount’ of His glory is not dependent on what we do.
Not sure if that helps. It’s late. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement Pat! I appreciate it. I agree with your points.
In the end, everything about who God is makes Him famous.
For His glory, may God in His mercy and grace make us more like Jesus – the image of God.