Lord Acton >> Absolute power corrupts
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• One of the causes of the Protestant Reformation was the

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of the Catholic church. The power structure that enabled bishops, priests, cardinals, and popes to create an oppressive religious system to subject their church members and really all who lived in their culture to a form of religious extortion by emotional manipulation.
• Therefore, the Protestant Reformation evolved over a number of years to include a number of battlecries: Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia
• Today, we want to address the final Reformation battle cry: Soli Deo Gloria, or to God Alone Be the Gloria.

Historical Context

• Soli Deo Gloria emerged in response to practices within the medieval Catholic Church that the Reformers perceived as

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human achievements and the institution of the Church above God’s sovereignty and grace.
• The Council of Trent (1545-1563) was the Catholic Church’s response to the Reformation. The council’s Decree on Justification emphasized the necessity of human
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with God’s grace through good works, sacraments, and the mediation of the Church.
• For example, the Council of Trent declared, “If anyone says that men are justified either by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ alone or by the remission of sins alone, to the exclusion of the grace and love that is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Spirit and is inherent in them… let him be anathema” (Canon 11). This position placed human participation in salvation, which the Reformers argued detracted from God’s glory.
• “Soli Deo Gloria” emerged from the Reformers’ deep conviction that the Catholic Church’s emphasis on human works, saintly merits, and ecclesiastical authority detracted from the biblical truth that God alone is to be glorified. By stripping away layers of human and institutional mediation, the Reformers sought to
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all honor, glory, and praise to God, based on scriptural teaching that salvation is God’s work from beginning to end.
• Isaiah 42:8 | I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Defining Glory

• Synonyms >> Delight, Rejoice, Joy, Triumph. Parade, Gloat, Boast, Pride, Exult
• Noun >> example: the “glory” to God

// High renown or honor won by notable achievements
// Magnificence or great beauty or splendor
// Praise, worship, or thanksgiving offer to God
// A state of great gratification or exaltation
// Glory is something made to be seen (hence the term “glorious”)

• Biblical Definition

// Hebrew “kabowd”; word carries the idea of “heaviness & weight,” but not just physical weight but the cumulative quantity of a thing, a manifestation of the power of God
// It refers to the reality of his presence as the supreme ruler of his people manifested in power, splendor, and holiness (Isa 3:8)
// Greek “doxa”; word carries the idea of giving the proper opinion or judgment about something, also splendor, brightness, beauty or worth.

• Thomas Watson >> Glory is the sparkling of the Deity… We may see God’s glory blazing in the sun and twinkling in the stars (Ps 19:1)… A sight of God’s glory humbles. The stars vanish when the sun appears.
• Bringing glory to God is the reason for

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// Psalm 108:5 | Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!
// Psalm 115:1 | Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
// Isaiah 26:8 | In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.
// 1 Corinthians 10:31 | So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
// Colossians 3:17 | And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

• God shares his glory so that we can share it with others >> “All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors.” (Calvin)

John Calvin’s Role in Soli Deo Gloria

• While all the Reformers, including Martin Luther, valued the idea that God alone deserves glory, Calvin particularly emphasized God’s sovereignty and the necessity of ascribing all honor and glory to God alone in salvation and in all of life.
• In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin consistently focused on God’s supreme authority over creation and redemption, arguing that human beings are entirely

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on God’s grace for salvation. For Calvin, the doctrine of Soli Deo Gloria was foundational to understanding salvation as a work of God’s grace alone, rejecting any notion of human merit or cooperation that might detract from God’s glory. He wrote extensively on the idea that God must receive all credit for the believer’s salvation, sanctification, and the unfolding of history itself.
• Calvin’s understanding of God’s glory was comprehensive, not just limited to salvation but encompassing all of life. In this sense, he saw every aspect of a Christian’s life as an
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to glorify God, reflected in his well-known phrase, “the world is the theater of God’s glory.” His theological framework placed ultimate emphasis on the majesty of God, making Soli Deo Gloria a defining theme in his work.