A BEAUTIFUL SONG OF GOD’S GREATNESS. 1st Timothy 1:17. A hymn of praise to the King is always fitting when we recognize all Christ has done for us and is doing through us. Paul once was: a blasphemer who denied Christ's deity, a persecutor who used physical power against Christians, and an injurious, proud, and insolent person. Now, Paul was saved by abundant grace [13b-15], which resulted in a super increase of faith, [2Thes.1:3], allowing God to work with super abounding power, [Eph.1:9], making His servants super conquerors, [Rom.8:37]. Paul became [1:12,16] entrusted, enabled, and an example of someone to whom God showed mercy and acted in grace by His sovereign design.
The sovereignty of the King eternal will never decrease, nor will it ever alter. Giving honor involves expressing value for what is beyond our ability to fully articulate. Glory is an assessment of something or someone that reflects our opinion. Our opinion of God is conveyed through praise and adoration, and this will never change, nor will our appreciation of what God has done for us ever cease.
Christ is exactly like God. He is the radiance of God’s glory and the precise representation of God’s being. As the image of God, Christ relates to His essential nature, not just His appearance. We know what He is like, and thus we understand what God is like. God is invisible because we cannot see a spirit. We don’t even see our own spirit, although we know our spirit, soul, and body make up our being. The man was created in the image of God, but that image was marred and defaced by sin.
When our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, appearing as a man, He made the invisible God visible to humans through a physical body like ours, which was prepared for Him. God was made in human form, seen by human eyes, and spoke audibly. God was present in Christ on earth as a real, actual person who had a body but was not limited by it unless He chose to be. He was tested in all points of humanity but was “without sin.” He even tasted death for everyone as our sinless substitute.
In John's writings, we learn that the audible words of our Lord were God's mind communicating divine truth to us. The Book of Hebrews tells us that God’s glory shone through our Lord Jesus Christ, the expressed image of God seen in Christ. He is the invisible image of God made visible. His words were the unutterable words of the living God expressed to us.
This song rises from a grateful heart! You can feel the joy! The honor given is genuine, not affected or insincere, but real. It comes from within—the expressions of a redeemed soul who has personally experienced God’s grace and has not taken His mercy for granted. The thoughts of a redeemed heart find their way into words that are simple yet deeply felt and profound. Thoughts of his God, his King who has blessed him, echo with strains of holy love from his heart!
What kind of song could I write to express my gratitude for God’s grace? Today, inside my heart, words almost seem to struggle to come out in an orderly way and form clear sentences that voice my thoughts. I love Thee, Lord Jesus, but I have often said that before and meant it every time. I am sure millions more have said the same thing, but it doesn’t fully capture what I want to say about the deep joy I feel in my soul. Still, Paul and others wrote about that long before I was born, describing one who can truly save and keep.
So, I will use their words and add my thoughts to them, some spoken and others left unexpressed. Perhaps more important is the joy that's felt by those around me as I open my heart to the One who knows me best. There may be some words, maybe an attitude, that my Lord God knows are just there for Him. May the music in my heart be a divine interlude that brings Him glory through my silent hymn.
He is the eternal King, forever the Supreme Ruler of the universe. From the eternal past to the eternal future, He will reign forever over humanity, nations, planets, and galaxies that extend far beyond our understanding. In a miraculous act of grace, He was willing to be born as a king on earth, bringing His kingship into humanity. By His holy and divine nature, He was never subject to death. Immortal in His being, His kingdom is eternal in its limitless extent.
Because of His sinless nature, death and sin had no claim on Him, but in grace, He, who was immortal, knew He would die for us when He came. I have never seen His face, but many looked upon Him when He was veiled in human flesh so His glory would not slay them. He’s invisible now in His glorified state, but we have close communion and fellowship with Him in our spirits. Soon, He will be revealed in visible form when our bodies will be made like His glorious body.
To all who believe in the biblical facts about Him, His deity is unquestionable. The “infallible proofs” strengthen our faith. For those who doubt, we point to His wisdom and gracious acts, as seen when He appeared in human form. He lived here for one generation among people like us, performing both normal and supernatural deeds. Many recorded historical events demonstrate that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.”
Honor and glory belong to Him and are due to Him. Honor from men and nations, whose laws are founded on Him, is based on righteousness or condemnation according to His perfect, unchanging standard of right and wrong. Honor is due to Him for who He is, as the King whose kingdom is eternal. Honor for what He has done—offering salvation to each individual—comes from redeemed people who have been saved by His grace.
Glory belongs to the King of kings, whose Gospel spreads throughout the world. Glory is His as the Victor over sin, death, and hell, with His banner of love raised high, declaring that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Glory is rightfully His for His work in the past, from creation to providing redemption for us, and for who He is and the fullness of His eternal salvation. Let every believer dedicate themselves to glorifying Him in spirit and body. He has purchased us with His own precious blood. He is worthy of all adoration, and worship belongs entirely to Him. With faith and a conscience that does not condemn us, we honor Him and sing our praises to God for all His greatness.