Short Summaries of

Sermons on Ephesians

by Rev. Ralph Allan Smith

Soli Deo Gloria!

(Eph. 1:6)

The Reformation was famous for three latin phrases that served as the battle cry of the Lutherans and Calvinists. Sola Scriptura, the Scripture only--by this the Reformers meant that the Holy Scriptures alone are the ultimate authority for Christian faith and practice. For the Roman Catholic Church human tradition and the authority of the Pope were considered essential aids to understanding the meaning of the Scripture (by the way, the Reformers did not refer to the Roman church as "catholic." They referred to its adherents as "Papists" and to the church as "the church of Rome," etc.. The word Catholic means "universal" and could not be ceded to the Roman fold. Indeed "Roman Catholic" would have been considered an oxymoron.) The effect of this doctrine was and is to undermine the authority of the Bible and to place the authority of the Church in its stead. Man could thus have no direct relationship with God nor any means of testing the truthfulness of the teaching of a particular church or leader. Against this the Reformers protested, confessing their faith in sola Scriptura.

The second famous latin phrase of the Reformation was sola fide, faith alone (another famous latin phrase makes a similar point sola gratia, grace alone). This phrase also was both a protest against Rome and a confession of faith. The doctrine of justification, the cornerstone of the Lutheran church, was one of the most important grounds of conflict. Once again the issue of church authority was central to the debate. Are we justified before God by faith alone without the intermediate sanction of the Roman church or any other human authority, or does justification depend, even if only partially, upon the church's ceremonies? The answer of the Bible is clear: sola fide.

Both of these phrases, however, pointed to a more ultimate concern, what may be called the most basic concern of the Reformation, which was expressed in the words, soli Deo gloria, "to God alone be the glory." The Reformers believed that this motto not only expressed the true Christian perspective on the doctrine of salvation, but also what is essential to the true Christian doctrine of God.

God's Glory In Man's Salvation

In Ephesians chapter one Paul's special emphasis is on the glory of God in our salvation. The plan of the Father to save us from sin has as its ultimate goal "the praise of His gracious glory" (1:6). The Son's work in executing salvation ends in "the praise of His glory" (1:12). The Holy Spirit is given to the people of God as a guarantee of their salvation "unto the praise of His glory" (1:14). The threefold praise of God's Truine glory is grounded in the fact that our salvation is wholly God's work. Reformation monergism, the doctrine of both Luther and Calvin, is not only grounded in the theology of Augustine but, more importantly, in that of Paul. God plans man's salvation before the world is even created (1:4). He chooses those whom He will save and determines to exalt them to the highest blessings that can possibly be bestowed on a creature (1:5). In time, He actually saves them by the death of the Incarnate Son (1:7) and the elect are given the blessing of the indwelling of God the Spirit as a seal of grace (1:13-14). There is no room here for man's work or man's glory. When salvation is complete, the only thing man can say is "blessed be God!" Which is exactly what Paul does say here in Ephesians 1:3-14.

Roman Catholic theology and Arminian theology--which are essentially the same in their doctrines of man and sin--compromise the Biblical soli Deo gloria by ascribing salvation partially to man. If man makes any fundamental contribution to salvation, he gains "praise" for himself. He will be able to boast that he is a Christian because of his personal goodness, his purity of heart, his comparatively less depravity, his good works, or whatever. It is precisely this kind of mentality that Paul reprobated when he wrote: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).

Salvation by grace means absolute monergism. This means predestination according to God's free will, not ours. It means that nothing in man can be cited as a cause of election, or as the basis for the reception or retention of grace. God saves alone and to Him alone goes the glory.

God's Glory in Creation

It is important to note that a Biblical confession of soli Deo gloria means more than just that salvation aims at the glory of God. From the very beginning the creation of the world had as its ultimate meaning the revelation of God's glory: "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens." "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." (Psa. 8:1; 19:1; for other references to God's glory, both in creation and salvation, cf.: Psa. 8:1,5; 19:1; 22:23; 24:7, 8, 9, 10; 29:1, 2, 3, 9; 45:3; 57:5, 11; 62:7; 63:2; 66:2; 72:19; 76:4; 79:9; 84:11; 86:9, 12; 96:3, 7, 8; 97:6; 102:15, 16; 104:31; 105:3; 108:5; 111:3; 113:4; 115:1; 138:5; 145:5, 11, 12; 148:13).

Non-Christians have actually complained that in Christianity God is allowed to seek His own glory, but man is not. This attitude reflects the Biblical definition of sin, man seeking to make himself a god. Sinful man selfishly seeks his own glory for his own sake, but God does not. The Triune God seeks His own glory because that is only right and proper. The Father seeks the glory of the Son because the Son is worthy to be honored and praised. The Son seeks the glory of the Father because it would be perverse not to acknowledge the glory of the Father. The Father, Son, and Spirit eternally seek one another's glory and rejoice in one another because of who they are. It could not be otherwise.

Apart from the fact that man is indebted to God for life, breath and all good things, it is only right for a man to glorify God, just as it is only proper that a man should be moved at the sight of the stars on a clear night, or the sight of beautiful mountains, the ocean or any other spectacular manifestation of God's glory in the creation. A man who is unmoved when confronted by the beauty of the created world is not merely dull, he is perverse. But God is infinitely more glorious than His creation. He deserves our adoration and praise even apart from the good things He does for us.

Glorify Him

"What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever." We were created and redeemed to glorify Him. As a sinner man seeks to steal the glory that belongs to God and take it for himself: "For all have sinned, and are coming short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Paul is speaking of the fact that we do not fulfill our created purpose. We were made to glorify Him, but we fall short of that. We do not glorify Him by our thoughts, words, or actions as we should.

As redeemed sinners we are restored to the original purpose of man. We can now seek His glory and enjoy Him. Though we remain sinners in this life, redemption means that we can truly live for Him. To glorify God should be the passion of our lives. It is our highest calling. For all eternity we will enjoy Him. We will rejoice in His power and greatness, singing His praise. We will be forever amazed by new revelations of the beauty of God. And each new revelation of the wonder of His glory will bring us to a greater appreciation that this great and wonderful God loved us and sent His Son to redeem us from our sins. Blessed be God!