Magyar Egyház, 1976 (55. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-12-01 / 12. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ MAGYAR CHURCH #lorp to The chant of the heavenly hosts, “Glory to God in the Highest,” praising God on the occasion of the birth of Christ, has echoed down through the ages. The adoration of the angels not only reflected their worship and praise of God and their recognition of the tremendous significance of the birth of Christ, but also in a most profound way provided the answer to man’s quest for the real meaning of life. The Glory of God in Creation Long before the angelic hosts appeared in the starry heavens above Bethlehem, David had expressed the grand idea that all nature reflects the glory of God. In Psalm 19, David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” David explained the meaning and glory of the heavens, as well as the minutia of the microscopic world, as designed to display the glory of God. In nature God revealed His omnipotence, His absolute sovereignty over the natural world, and His immeasurable wisdom. The glory of God is the display of His divine perfections. God is accordingly revealed in the natural world which displays, as far as the finite can, the infinity of its Creator. The Glory of God in History Although less obvious to the natural eye, the history of the universe likewise displays the glory of God. From the beginning of the history, when the innumerable holy angels were created, to the most recent event of the drama of human life, God has revealed Himself not only as a God of power, sovereignty, and wisdom, but also as a God of righteousness, love, and grace. What could not be revealed in the beauty of nature — His righteous judgment of sin, His love for the objects of His creation, and His grace — is revealed in history. In the revelation of God’s program of salvation, fallen man is invited to newness of life as a new creature in Christ. Through the ages, men have groped to find some meaning to the endless cycle of life and death which has characterized human history. What is an impossible intellectual problem to man in his limited understanding is revealed in a profound philosophy of history in the Scriptures. The Glory of God in Christ The supreme manifestation of the glory of God was to be in Christ. The Apostle John took note of this when he wrote in John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” The infinite perfections of God already expressed to some extent in the natural world and the history of the race were now to be displayed in the God-Man. In His life on earth, Christ demonstrated the love of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God. In His death, He supremely revealed the righteousness of God and the grace of God — love and righteousness combining to effect a salvation which at once demonstrated the love of God and satisfied the infinite holiness of God. The power of God was revealed in His resurrection, and the grace and truth thus laid bare to human eyes were to characterize the dispensation of grace. In the church, which was His body, composed of both Jew and Gentile, the glory of divine grace was manifested on a scale never before realized. The supreme revelation of the glory of God, however, was yet to be unveiled before the world. A brief foreview of the glory of Christ was afforded the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. The ultimate purpose of God in the universe, in the natural world, in the dispensations of human history, and the incarnation of Jesus Christ is to display His glory. The purpose of God in eternity future is that His infinite perfections might be manifested in and through the objects of His grace. This is the final answer to the quest of the meaning of human life. The goal of life for the believer is to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). It is to such a God that we commend our souls, who “is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).
