… to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Paul wraps up his letter to the Romans with a summation of the purpose of every believer’s life: to bring glory to God.*
I had the amazing privilege of traveling the world playing soccer and telling people about Jesus. On my first international trip, our coach challenged us with this saying: sola dei gloria. These profound Greek words were tattooed on his arm, serving as a reminder to himself about the reason that he lived.
You would never guess that this coach had a history of drug and alcohol abuse. You would never guess that this man had abused and used women. Jesus Christ had completely transformed his life. The words sola dei gloria were the natural response of someone radically saved from a life of sin and death. The words sola dei gloria mean, “to God alone be the glory.”
Paul, throughout his writings, gives us an idea of what giving the glory to God looks like in this life:
through unwavering faith (Romans 4:20)
through accepting one another (Romans 15:7)
through agreeing with the promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20)
through enduring hardship (2 Corinthians 4:15)
through being filled with the love, knowledge, insight, and righteousness of Christ (Philippians 1:9-11)
through anything that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31)
In these ways and others, we may bring glory to God in this life. Paul points out, though, that the ascribing of glory to God never ends; it extends throughout eternity. God deserves eternal praise.* Heaven will be an eternal worship service, but for the first time in the experience of humanity since Adam and Eve, we will have the amazing gift of seeing the face of God while giving Him glory!*
When we live our lives sola dei gloria, we are joining in on the song of eternity. Eternity does not start when you die. Eternity is today.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to sing a song of praise. Perhaps God wants you to broaden the areas of your life that you live for Him. Maybe today God would ask you to agree with His promises, accept one another, hold fast to your faith, or allow His righteousness to fill you.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 589). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 420). InterVarsity Press.
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 547–548). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (p. 516). Zondervan Publishing House.