THE 5 SOLAS SERIES

God’s Glory

ALONE

THE MAJESTIC HEART OF CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE

What the Reformers Taught … and Why It Still Matters

DAVID VANDRUNEN

MATTHEW BARRETT, SERIES EDITOR

ZONDERVAN

God’s Glory Alone—The Majestic Heart of Chrisitan Faith and Life

Copyright © 2015 by David VanDrunen

ePub Edition © October 2015: ISBN 978-0-310-51582-1

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

VanDrunen, David, 1971-

God’s glory alone—the majestic heart of Christian faith and life: what the reformers taught … and why it still matters / David VanDrunen.

192 pages cm.—(The five Solas series)

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-310-51580-7 (softcover)

1. Glory of God—Christianity. 2. Reformed Church—Doctrines. I. Title.

BT180.G6V36 2015

231—dc23

201501936

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Chris Tobias/Outerwear for Books

The Five Solas Series

Edited by Matthew Barrett

Contents

A Note from the Series Editor

Acknowledgments

The Glory of God in Reformed Theology

1. Soli Deo Gloria Among the Reformation Solas

2. The Glorious God, Glorified Through Us: Soli Deo Gloria in Reformed Theology

The Glory of God in Scripture

3. In the Cloud: God’s Glory Made Visible

4. The Brightness of His Father’s Glory: The Glory of God Incarnate

5. The Glory of Christ in the Glorification of His People

Living for God’s Glory Today

6. Prayer and Worship in an Age of Distraction

7. The Fear of the Lord in an Age of Narcissism

8. Glorifying God in an Age That Is Passing

Select Bibliography

Scripture Index

Subject Index

A Note from the Series Editor

What doctrines could be more foundational to what it means to be an evangelical Protestant than the five solas (or solae) of the Reformation? In my experience, however, many in evangelical churches today have never heard of sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone), sola gratia (by grace alone), sola fide (by faith alone), solus Christus (by Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).

Now it could be that they have never heard the labels but would recognize the doctrines once told what each sola means. At least I pray so. But my suspicion is ...

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About God’s Glory Alone—The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life

Historians and theologians have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations, often referred to as the ‘solas’: sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia, sola fide, and soli Deo gloria. These five statements summarize much of what the Reformation was about, and they distinguish Protestantism from other expressions of the Christian faith. Protestants place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to do all things for God’s glory.

In God’s Glory Alone—The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life, renowned scholar David VanDrunen looks at the historical and biblical roots of the idea that all glory belongs to God alone. He examines the development of this theme in the Reformation, in subsequent Reformed theology and confessions, and in contemporary theologians who continue to be inspired by the conviction that all glory belongs to God. Then he turns to the biblical story of God's glory, beginning with the pillar of cloud and fire revealed to Israel, continuing through the incarnation, death, and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and culminating in Christ's Second Coming and the glorification of his people. In light of these wonderful biblical themes he concludes by addressing several of today's great cultural challenges and temptations—such as distraction and narcissism—and reflecting on how commitment to God's glory alone fortifies us to live godly lives in this present evil age.

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