Rev. Henry Craik (1805-1866) — Minister of the Baptist Church assembling in Gideon and Bethesda Chapels, Bristol. Wikipedia.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31. NIV.
The sentiment expressed in these words is very frequently on the lips of all who profess to follow Christ; and if we were to judge from the frequency of its repetition, we might conclude that it was well and universally understood; but the practical differences that obviously exist among those who agree in the use of the expression, prove that very contrary meanings are attached to it by different individuals. I would, therefore, in lowly dependence upon the guidance of the Spirit of truth, address to you this afternoon, some remarks, tending, with the Divine blessing, to open up, so far as I myself have been taught, the following particulars, intimately connected with the inspired precept contained in the text:—
First, The meaning of the phrase “the glory of God.”
Secondly, How the creatures are made subservient to this great end.
Thirdly, The practical directions respecting the heart and life, arising out of the consideration of this Divine injunction.
I. The term “glory” is sometimes used in Scripture to denote a condition of temporal dignity and worldly opulence. Thus in Gen. 31:1. we find the word applied to the wealth which Jacob had gained during the period of his sojourning with Laban: “Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s, and of that which was our father’s hath he gotton all this glory.” We find it also employed by Joseph to express that state of external elevation, to which, through the providence of his father’s God, he had attained in the land of Egypt. [Genesis 45:13] A similar application of the term we find in the history of our Lord’s temptation, when it is said, “Satan showed to him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.” [Matthew 4:8] Thus the particular excellence of any object may be called its glory.
The glory of a flower, is its beauty; the glory of a rich man, is his riches; the glory of a great man, is his power; and the glory of a wise man, is his wisdom.
The glory of a flower, is its beauty; the glory of a rich man, is his riches; the glory of a great man, is his power; and the glory of a wise man, is his wisdom. When transferred from shadowy objects to realities, and applied to Him who is the only fountain of all good, it denotes the excellency of his nature and attributes and works, and especially that excellency revealed or manifested by word or action. It is applied to that miraculous symbol of the Divine presence, which filled the tabernacle in the wilderness, and subsequently the temple at Jerusalem. But the passage of scripture which most explicitly unfolds its meaning, is that in which is recorded the manifestation of Jehovah to his servant Moses: “I beseech thee,” says the man of God, “show me thy glory.” In answer to the cry of his faithful worshipper, the Lord promised to proclaim his name, as descriptive of his character, and passed by before Moses, uttering the gracious declaration: ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.” [Exodus 34:6]
By the term “glory,” therefore, when referring to God, we are to understand his essential attributes and character, especially as displayed in the works of creation, providence, and grace.
By the term “glory,” therefore, when referring to God, we are to understand his essential attributes and character, especially as displayed in the works of creation, providence, and grace. It may serve to illustrate this definition, to consider that the glory of any human beings consists in the display of those parts of their conduct which are deemed worthy of admiration. Thus the false glory of warriors and conquerors has ever been sought to be promoted by the declaration and celebration of their deeds of valor; the glory of the beneficent, by the record of their acts of charity; and the glory of men of science, by the name they acquire for the discoveries which they make. Those who desire to extend the glory of such persons, effect their object by extending the knowledge of what has been accomplished by the subjects of their admiration; and in proportion to the degree of manifestation, is the amount of glory attained. So with respect to the Divine character, the glory in itself is infinite, because it consists in the uncreated excellency of infinite perfection; but the manifestation of the glory is increased or diminished according to our knowledge or ignorance of the attributes and acts and character of the most high God. The essential glory of Jehovah consists in his essential perfections; the manifested glory in the record and revelation of them.
All for the Glory of God 