Soli Deo Gloria

Ephesians 1:12
"So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory". 

Romans 3:23
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".

1 Corinthians 10:31
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God".

Salvation is for the glory of God alone. The fourth Sola of the five, points to the full weight that not only does God save for His glory alone, every single thing that takes place is for the glory of God alone. That means, God saves people for His glory. God lets people, in His justice, to their own devices for His glory. God causes the rain to come down on the just and the unjust, for His glory. God saves a cat out of a tree, for His glory. God lets cancer over take an individual for His glory. Simply put, not a single molecule or star exploding happens without God getting His glory. But this Sola, in the line with the other four Solas, is keeping the focus on the fact that God saves, justifies, shows grace, implants faith, and imputes Christ on each of us, all for His glory alone. We are simply benefactors of the glory of God.

First, God cares first and foremost about His own glory. The minute God did not care and focus on His own glory first, He is no longer God and we are worshiping an idol. If God cared about the glory of another being over His, at any point, even for that split second, He is no longer God, and we must respond by worshiping the being God cared about more than Himself. So for example, if somehow God cared about my glory even for a split second, over His, then everyone must begin to worship me above God. So God being God, means He cares for His glory above all and more important than all. And since He is God and sovereign, that means His glory is always the highest goal in every single thing. God will always get His glory, since He is God and that is what He cares about above all.

Second, since we are not God, God cares about His glory always above ours, and our own individual well-being. God getting His glory, means that every single action He does to us, is always for His glory. For God to show us grace, he is getting His glory first. For God to show us justice (what we deserve), He is getting His glory. For God to create a plan to save a people for Himself, is God getting His glory first. For God to then send His Son, to live perfectly and die perfectly, is for God to get His glory. For God then to make a certain person alive and impute, through faith, the righteousness of Christ, is for God to get His glory. And finally for the Holy Spirit to enter a person and apply the work of God, is for God to be getting His glory. Everything happens, especially in God's salvation, for His glory alone.

Thirdly, we are simply benefactors of the glory of God. We are living and existing, on the coat tails of the glory of God. This teaches us first, at the end of the day, it is only God's glory that matters. We pale in comparison to the glory of God. In fact, we do not even exist in the same map or sphere, as the glory of God. Secondly as benefactors of the glory of God, we are shown grace and are given the death of Christ, becasue it glorified God. If it did not glorify God, then we would not be shown grace and Christ would not have died. Christ died above and beyond for the glory of His Father above anything else. And lastly, as benefactors of the glory of God, we exist for the glory of God. This means, as Paul says, we must do every single thing for the glory of God alone, period.

Soli Deo Gloria, is my driving machine. The grace of God is like the oil of my engine. The faith of God is like the gas in the tank. The life and death of Christ alone is the body and parts of the car. But the glory of God is the engine that moves the car. Everything we do must be for the glory of God. And to do anything, other than for the glory of God, is a sin and falling short of it. And as Romans, among other places, shows, every single person is born falling short of the glory of God. But after God's grace alone brings salvation to me as an individual who has faith alone, and through Christ alone I am saved, I must then realize and live for the glory of God alone. Since salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone it is always and only will be for the glory of God alone. I must live in this comfort and contentment becasue then I can live for the Soli Deo Gloria.