The Glory of God (Morgan and Peterson, 2010)

Three simple facts underscore the importance of the notion of God’s glory. First, as a search in any concordance shows, it is a concept woven through every section of Scripture. Second, it is a concept that is all encompassing, as Christopher Morgan notes by saying, “God is glorious (adjective), reveals his glory (noun), and is to be glorified (verb).” And finally, as the Westminster divines knew, our identity and final meaning is indistinguishable if God’s glory is not essential to the equation. Our final purpose, they said in the famous words of the Shorter Catechism, “is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

For those wanting an accessible yet scholarly study of the topic, Christopher Morgan (California Baptist University) and Robert Peterson (Covenant Theological Seminary) have edited The Glory of God. In eight chapters, eight evangelical theologians help us to understand what the Bible says about God’s glory, why it matters, and what it means. The chapter titles summarize the book’s scope and approach:
“The Glory of God Present and Past” (Stephen J. Nichols)
“The Glory of God in the Old Testament” (Tremper Longman III)
“The Glory of God in the Synoptic Gospels, Acts, and the General Epistles” (Richard R. Melick Jr.)
“The Glory of God in John’s Gospel and Revelation” (Andreas J. Köstenberger)
“The Glory of God in Paul’s Epistles” (Richard B. Gaffin Jr.)
“Toward a Theology of the Glory of God” (Christopher W. Morgan)
“A Pastoral Theology of the Glory of God” (Bryan Chapell)
“A Missional Theology of the Glory of God” (J. Nelson Jennings)

This is theology written from a high view of Scripture, embedded in the grand tradition of orthodoxy preserved in the church over the last 2000 years.

Whether we wish to comprehend God more fully, grasp the essence of redemption more deeply, or love God more faithfully in every part of life we will need to reckon with the glory of God. The Glory of God is a good place to begin.