Sep 27, 2020
Originally Presented: March 29th, 2009
Scripture Reading: Romans 16:25-27
It is fitting for the book of Romans to end with a doxology ('word of praise'). There are many doxologies in the Bible … Rom 11:36; Heb 13:20,21; Jude 24,25. Here, after his long and detailed unfolding of the gospel of Christ, Paul stops explaining and simply worships.
The main point of this very long and complex sentence is seen when we put the first few words of the doxology with the last few words. "Now to Him . . . be the glory forever. Amen." This is both a statement of fact and a longing of the redeemed soul.
The fact is that God is glorious. His glory is the display of His intrinsic worth, His inestimable value, His utter uniqueness. His glory does not rest on human recognition. God is glorious whether or not anyone recognizes it.
This doxology is also a longing in the soul of Paul (and all believers) that God be seen and honored, in all the world, as possessing infinite worth. To 'glorify' God is to prize Him supremely for who He is.
The means of God's receiving His rightful honor is the person of His Son ("through Jesus Christ" in Rom 16:27) and the work of redeeming a people for His own name. The effect of this process of redemption is that God's people are strengthened. "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel . . ." (Rom 16:25).
God has created a universe which He knew would be corrupted by sin so that His full glory would be on display forever . . . seen in His mercy toward the redeemed and in His justice toward the wicked, with God the Son being the Lord and Judge of all.