Bible Verses About God’s Glory

What does the Bible say about God’s glory?

Romans 3:23 tells us we all fall short of the glory of God but begs the question, what is the glory of God? First, God’s glory of God is visible, and it’s something we should strive to attain. But, unfortunately, most people seek their own glory and not that of God’s when they seek to shine a light upon themselves. Find out how to seek God’s glory and improve your relationship with the Creator below. 

Christian quotes about glory of God

“What is the glory of God? It is who God is. It is the essence of His nature; the weight of His importance; the radiance of His splendor; the demonstration of His power; the atmosphere of His presence.” Rick Warren

“We do not seg ment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.” R.C. Sproul

“God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together. What comfort and encouragement this should be to us. If we are going to learn to trust God in adversity, we must believe that just as certainly as God will allow nothing to subvert His glory, so He will allow nothing to spoil the good He is working out in us and for us.” Jerry Bridges

What is the Glory of God?

The elegance of God’s spirit is the source of His glory, and it’s very visible when He decides to show us (Acts 4:31). It is the beauty that springs from His character, from everything He is, rather than an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty. It can be seen in the earth and in man, but it comes from God, not from them. God’s omnipresent splendor, which is reflected in each of His characteristics individually, endures forever.

One look around outside can show the sheer magnitude of God’s abilities, clearly more fantastic than men. The heavens and skies proclaim God’s handiwork from leaves to the Fibonacci sequence displaying a creator invented the earth and everything else (Psalm 19:1). Romans 1:19-20 say, “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

1. Isaiah 43:7 (ESV) “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

2. Isaiah 44:23 “Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and revealed His glory in Israel.”

3. 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

4. Psalm 8:1 (KJV) “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”

5. Psalm 57:5 “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.”

6. Isaiah 66:18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.”

7. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

8. Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”

9. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

10. Revelation 18:1 “After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.”

11. Deuteronomy 10:17 “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”

12. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 “We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.”

What does it mean that God is the King of Glory?

Psalm 24:7-10 talks of God’s great power before ending with the proclamation that God is the King of glory. In Hebrew, glory translates to kabad, which means heavy along with a sense of power and gravity. When the Psalmist called God the King of glory, he was showing awe for the power of God, who is the only one who deserves glory. The title “the Lord of glory” is used to describe Jesus in 1 Corinthians 2:8 as Jesus is God (John 8:58). According to Psalm 24:3–4, only Jesus has “clean hands and a pure heart” and is able to “ascend the mountain of the Lord.”

13. Psalm 24:7-10 (NKJV) “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.”

14. Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

15. 1 Corinthians 2:8 “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

16. Luke 19:38 (NASB) “shouting: “Blessed is the King, the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

17. Revelation 17:14 (ESV) “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

18. Jeremiah 10:10 “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.”

We were created for God’s Glory

Men and women were made to reflect well on God and were even created in His image (Isaiah 43:7, Genesis 2:26). Through the tangible world, His glory is exposed to man’s consciousness in various ways. The sight of the mountains, the sea, a tree, the human body, and so much more show why God deserves the glory. God can reveal Himself to all men in this way, regardless of their race, heritage, or place.

Ultimately, we were made for God’s pleasure (Revelation 4:11). All things were made by him and for him, as stated in Colossians 1:16. Humanity was not made to amuse or entertain God, despite the fact that we were created for His pleasure. God is a creative Being, and creating is something He enjoys doing. God is a personal Being, and having other beings with whom He may establish sincere relationships makes Him happy. Humans possess the capacity to know God and, as a result, have the capacity to love God, worship Him, serve Him, and commune with Him (Genesis 1:27).

Humans were not made by God because of a need for them. Being God, He has no need. He was not looking for a “friend” because He had no sense of loneliness in all of eternity. He may love us, but that does not mean He needs us. God, the unchangeable One, would still be God even if we never existed (Malachi 3:6). The eternal existence of the I AM (Exodus 3:14) was never a source of dissatisfaction for Him. Since God is perfect, His conduct when creating the universe was perfect since He only did what pleased Himself.

God did not create “peers” or entities that were on par with Himself. He could not do so logically. For the simple reason that there would be two gods—and that would be impossible—if God created another entity with equal might, wisdom, and perfection, He would no longer be the one true God. There is no other god save the LORD (Deuteronomy 4:35). Everything that God makes must necessarily be inferior to Him.

Given our understanding of God’s absolute holiness and sovereignty, we are astounded that He would take man and “crown him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5) and that He would have the audacity to refer to us as “friends” (John 15:14-15). As to why God made us, God made us for His enjoyment and so that we, as His creatures, can enjoy knowing Him.

19. Isaiah 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

20. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”

21. Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

22. Psalm 100:3 “Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

23. Isaiah 43:1 “Now this is what the LORD says–He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!”

24. Romans 8:28 “And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

25. Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

26. Romans 11:36 “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

27. Ephesians 1:5-7 “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

28. Colossians 1:16 “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

29. Matthew 5:16 (NASB) “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

The glory of man vs the glory of God

Since God is the source of glory, He will not let man, man’s idols, or nature claim honor. God is jealous of His splendor according to Isaiah 42:8. Paul refers to this jealousy for His own glory in Romans 1:21-25 when he discusses how people worship the created instead of the Creator. Instead of giving God credit for God’s glory, they worshiped the animal, tree, or man as though its beauty came from within. This is a prevalent form of idolatry. Everyone has ever made this mistake. We have “traded” God’s glory for man’s. 

Many people trust in worldly goods, earthly connections, their powers, talents, beauty, or others’ goodwill. These people despair when these things fade and fail. God’s glory is constant, and as we go through life, we will see it appear in people, forests, stories of love or heroism, fiction or non-fiction, or our lives. In the end, God wins. Only Jesus Christ leads to God. If we are in Christ, we will find all beauty in heaven where nothing will fade away.

Although we have been allowed to rule the planet for God’s glory, we only wish to do it for human glory. At Babel, the righteous task that God had given humans became distorted and twisted. Nothing is wrong with constructing a building, but when it’s for the purpose of showing our glory instead of God’s, it becomes an issue because then we are not following His instructions.

30. Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

31. John 7:18 “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”

32. Romans 12:3 (NIV) “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

33. Hebrews 1:3 (NASB) “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

34. Romans 1:23 “and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”

35. John 17:22-24 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

36. John 5:44 “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

37. Philippians 3:18-19 “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

38. Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.”

39. Proverbs 16:18-19 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”

40. Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV) “for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

41. Isaiah 48:11 “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.”

How do we glorify God?

In Colossians 3:17, Paul says the overall principle for a believer’s life is to focus on, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” In the rest of the chapter and into the next, Paul explains what it means to accomplish everything for God’s glory. First, he explains how we should address how we think, deal with our fleshly cravings, and care for and respect one another. He then points out the foundation that supports that kind of behavior and thought. Finally, Paul urges us to ensure that all we say and do is done for God’s glory.

The solution is to deliberately make room for the message of Christ to dwell richly in us. We can be confident that all we say and do is done for God’s glory as His Word molds us. The Word should alter how we communicate, giving us opportunities to encourage and instruct one another—again, this is always to be done in a spirit of thanksgiving to God. We can glorify God through worship, time in His presence through prayer, and recognition of our sin and limited ability. We can truly appreciate His magnificence for a richer, fuller life by focusing on God. 

42. Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

43. 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.”

44. 1 Chronicles 16:28-29 “Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

45. Psalm 103:17-18 (NLT) “But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!”

46. Colossians 3:23 (ESV) “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

47. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB) “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

48. Psalm 86:12 “I will give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forever.”

49. Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

What does it mean that Christ in us is the hope of glory?

Colossians 1:27 says, “to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This essentially means that through Christ’s death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection, we have the hope of glory for both the Jewish people and gentiles. In the New Testament, a “mystery” is something God formerly hid but has now revealed. Christ in us is our future glory’s former mystery, as in the mystery was Jesus, now fulfilled. 

When you think of Christ in us, for any believer, Jew, or Gentile, it means you have salvation for eternity. This scripture confirms that Jesus Christ opened salvation to Gentiles and that redemption is ultimately for the next life. Jesus gives us hope. Our earthen vessel holds this treasure (2 Corinthians 4:7). We may believe this because Christ lives in our hearts and provides eternal hope in glory.

50. Colossians 1:27 “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.“

51. 1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

52. 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

53. John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

54. 2 Peter 1:17 “He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

55. Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”

What does it mean that the heavens declare the glory of God?

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare God’s glory and the sky His handiwork.” This is one of nature’s clearest scriptural declarations that shows God’s magnificence. We are to learn about the universe as God’s work is clearly on display. As stated above, Romans 1:20 tells us, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

We may be sure that employing science to explore is valid since “the heavens declare the glory of God,” however, men tend to follow science without consideration for God’s creation of science. We offer God more glory the more we understand about the world we live in. The more we learn, the more proof we have that He is the one who created the laws of nature. To have the right connection with God, a person must have both a personal faith in Christ and a working knowledge of the Bible. However, one simply needs to take a sincere look at the world to recognize that God is real.

56. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

57. Psalms 50:6 “And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.”

58. Psalm 8:3-5 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.”

59. Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

God’s glory leads to praise

1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “So eat, drink, and do everything to God’s glory.” We must do everything for God’s honor. From drinking water to eating a midnight snack, do so in God’s honor for His glory. Additionally, you study and write to glorify God. In any scenario, there are many ways to glorify God. Here’s one method to glorify God. The shift may be subtle, but over time you will soon remember the Lord in all you do and to your eternal home (Ephesians 1:11).

60. Philippians 4:20 “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:20

61. Romans 11:36 “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”

62. Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”

63. Ephesians 1:12 “in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

64. Isaiah 6:3 (ESV) “And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

65. 1 John 5:2 “This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands.”

66. 1 John 2:3 “By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.”

Experiencing the glory of God

Humans are self-centered, focusing on our comforts, wants, control, and money (James 3:14-16). But our lives do not revolve around us; instead, we should be looking to the interest of others (Philippians 2:4). When we look toward the interest of others, we become selfless-minded like God, which leads to eternal life (Galatians 5:22-23). First, to experience the glory of God, you must turn from the ways of the world. 

God made His glory to be seen, but because of sin, we cannot bear the incredible sight without death. His glory seems unattainable, which is why people sometimes focus on what we think is attainable, earthly power and treasures. God wants you to praise Him with excitement and awe, focusing our efforts in this life on Him and not on His creation. Before we can be in God’s glory, we must first turn to Him and follow His ways as He knows all and sees all with a full picture of everything all at once (Colossians 1:16). 

God’s glory in the skies and earth has not changed as it is displayed in regular individuals like us. Moses’ face glowed after meeting God on Mount Sinai in the Old Testament. His face was so bright they veiled him. We have better access to God than Moses had through Jesus Christ. While Moses briefly saw God’s splendor, it faded. We have God’s spirit; thus, we radiate forever. God’s presence never leaves because he dwells within you. As you yield more to the Holy Spirit, you become a trophy of God’s grace, and God’s glory radiates from you.

Think about when you get a new car, let’s say it’s a Ford Fiesta. Before you got the car you barely noticed any Ford Fiesta’s on the road. Now that you own one, you see them every time you are out driving. Why? Because it’s now in your mind to look for that car because it’s part of your life. When we look for God’s glory, we start to see it everywhere while we did not before. Start looking for God’s presence and it will find you and you will see it in everything everywhere.

67. Psalms 46:10 “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

68. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 “We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

Examples of the glory of God

The Bible provides some examples of the glory of God. Ezekiel saw God who dwells in us and described Him as having “the likeness as the appearance of a man…as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward…as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about” (Ezekiel 1:26-27). 

When God met Israel on Mount Sinai, they saw the same thing. Exodus 24:17 states that God’s glory looked like fire to the Israelites and Ezekiel. This may sound terrifying or unpleasant, but it is not, as God’s glory is good. In His goodness and perfection, He annihilates evil. Therefore, God had to safeguard Moses when he wanted to view God’s grandeur unfiltered (Exodus 33:19, 22-23). Under the Old Covenant, Jesus’ blood had not washed away sin, and God’s brightness would have scorched Moses.

On Pentecost, 120 Christians prayed in Jerusalem’s upper room, and the believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-4) and gained God’s Glory. The fiery God who appeared to Habakkuk, the column of fire that descended on Sinai, entered the chamber, separated Himself, and sat on the believers (Habakkuk 3:4). Because they were reborn, they absorbed Him—fire and all. His language was even spoken. They did not return to normal afterward. Instead, they emerged from there like light from darkness. They preached the gospel, performed miracles, and the Lord added daily to the Church.

69. Leviticus 9:23 “And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.”

70. Exodus 24:17 “To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”

71. Ezekiel 43:2 “and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.”

72. Ezekiel 3:23 “So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.”

Conclusion

The attributes of God that are unseen are made manifest in His splendor. God’s grandeur is revealed in Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is where God’s glory is most visibly revealed. The glory of God encompasses everything that has ever been spoken in the Bible as the ultimate goal of God’s actions that lead to eternal salvation living in His presence. The whole world is full of God’s glory, according to Isaiah 6:3, and when we live our lives focused on God, we will find His Glory.