How Do You Glorify God?

One phrase heard routinely in church and in discussions among Christians is “glorify God.” In fact, many believers are well acquainted with the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man?” The famous answer is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”

But what does it mean to glorify God? Perhaps a better question is this: How does a Christian glorify God?

Perhaps your immediate answer focuses on moral behavior and obedience to God’s commands. In other words, you might say that God is glorified when you cultivate biblical virtues. For example, God is glorified when you speak the truth instead of lying. God is glorified when you refrain from coveting another person’s possessions and are instead grateful for what you have been given. God is glorified when you practice biblical generosity, pray, attend church, or share the gospel with others.

I would not argue against any of those ideas, because God is glorified when we recognize His authority, submit to His will, and live lives of ordinary obedience as His redeemed people.

But I believe we need to understand more precisely what it means to glorify God and how we can do so consistently. While studying for a sermon on Romans 15:1–6 (you can watch the sermon by clicking the button below), I found the following definition in a short commentary by Andrew Naselli. I used it when explaining the meaning of verse six. Naselli writes:

“Glorifying God is a way of thinking, feeling, and acting that makes much of God. It shows that God is supremely great and good. It demonstrates that God is all-wise and all-satisfying. We most glorify God when He most satisfies us.”¹

I appreciate this definition because it moves believers beyond merely thinking good or right thoughts about God. Glorifying God is not passive; it is active. God’s people must think rightly about Him, but they must not stop there.

One of my seminary professors began a course on the formation of doctrine by reminding us that the most important thing we will ever think is what we think about when we think about God. That saying has stayed with me. Yet, as true as it is, simply thinking right things about God is not enough. It is equally important that what we believe about God—particularly His attributes and character—shapes both our feelings and our actions. If having right thoughts about God does not move you to love, desire, and serve Him above all else, you are not actively glorifying Him.

Believer, after reading the definition above, can you say that you are actively glorifying God in your life? Are you more satisfied in Him than in anything else? Are you convinced that God is supremely great and good? Do you trust God’s wisdom more than your own? Do you love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Do you live each day as though God truly matters to you? Would those who know you best agree with your answers to these questions?

Glorifying God is not optional for those to whom He has granted full pardon for sin and everlasting life. Make it your aim to apply this definition to your own soul and dedicate your entire life to glorifying “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Andrew David Naselli, Romans: A Concise Guide to the Greatest Letter Ever Written, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2022), 186. ↩︎