Does God Share His Glory?
“To God alone be the glory.”
That is the meaning of Soli Deo Gloria—a cherished Protestant phrase meant to safeguard divine sovereignty, exclude human boasting, and magnify the supremacy of God.
Latter-day Saints affirm without hesitation: All glory originates with God.
We worship Him. We depend on Him. We owe Him everything.
But the question is not whether God is glorious.
The question is whether He intends to keep that glory to Himself—or to share it.
The Protestant Concern—and the Biblical Correction
Protestant concern: If God shares His glory, then He ceases to be uniquely divine.
Biblical correction: If God does not share His glory, then He is no Father at all.
Soli Deo Gloria, as it is often understood, treats God's glory like a trophy: exclusive, static, and untouchable. But in scripture, glory is not a zero-sum possession—it is a covenant inheritance. The Bible repeatedly teaches that God’s children are not only called to worship Him, but to become like Him.
What Glory and Power Has Christ Received?
Jesus Christ is God. And He was given:
Matthew 28:18 • John 17:2 • Romans 1:4
“All power… in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
“Power over all flesh.” (John 17:2)
“Declared to be the Son of God with power… by the resurrection.” (Romans 1:4)
This is the fullness of divine power and dominion.
Now the question follows—what does Christ intend to do with that glory?
What Glory and Power Are We Offered?
Revelation 3:21 • Romans 8:17 • Revelation 21:7 • Psalm 82:6 • Galatians 4:7 • 1 John 3:2 • Matthew 5:48
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
“Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17)
“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God.” (Revelation 21:7)
“Ye are gods… and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6; John 10:34)
“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son… an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:7)
“When he shall appear, we shall be like him.” (1 John 3:2)
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
These verses are not vague compliments or poetic flourishes.
They define the eternal destiny of God’s children.
The same glory Christ received from the Father, He now offers to us—not instead of Him, but in Him.
Scripture Teaches Progression Toward Divine Likeness
If Jesus is God—
And if He received all the Father’s glory—
And if He now offers that same glory to us—
Then the conclusion is not heresy.
It is biblical.
God’s plan was never to remain alone in glory.
It was to raise children in His image:
John 17:22 • John 15:8 • Hebrews 2:10 • 2 Peter 1:4
“The glory which thou gavest me I have given them.” (John 17:22)
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” (John 15:8)
“To bring many sons unto glory.” (Hebrews 2:10)
“That ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4)
This is not man exalting himself.
This is God exalting His children.
Will You Wrest the Scriptures?
Some will still resist this truth.
Not because the scriptures are unclear—but because the tradition they inherited insists otherwise.
But we ask plainly:
- Will you deny Romans 8:17, which declares us joint-heirs with Christ?
- Will you reinterpret Revelation 3:21 to mean something other than what it says—that we will sit with Him in His throne?
- Will you diminish John 17:22, where Jesus says He has given us the same glory the Father gave Him?
- Will you wrest Psalm 82:6, repeated by Christ Himself in John 10:34: “Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High”?
Will you reduce God’s promises to metaphor—just to preserve a tradition that denies our divine inheritance?
The Glory of God Is Exaltation—Not Exclusion
A God who is threatened by the growth of His children is not sovereign—He is insecure.
A Father who withholds His glory is not righteous—He is rivalrous.
But the true and living God—our Eternal Father, the Father of spirits—is not diminished when His children grow to be like Him.
He is glorified by it.
“This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
That work is carried out through His Son, Jesus Christ, who was given “all power in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18), and who now extends the same covenantal glory to us:
“The Spirit beareth witness… that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16)
“And if children, then heirs—heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17)
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)
Those who hope to be like Christ do not passively wait to be glorified.
They purify themselves—actively aligning their will to His, and becoming partakers of His divine nature.
Jesus Christ is not the source of our divine inheritance—the Father is.
But Christ is the One who makes that inheritance possible.
He is the Firstborn of the Father, the perfect Son, the mediator of the covenant, and our Redeemer and exemplar.
This is not exaltation apart from God.
It is exaltation through the Son, by the will of the Father, in the power of the covenant.
To become like Christ is to fulfill the Father's plan.
To inherit what Christ inherited is to glorify the Father.
Final Plea: Read the Scriptures Again
You have been taught that glorifying God means denying your own divine potential.
But the Bible says otherwise—and always has.
We are children of God.
We are heirs of His glory.
We are destined to be like Christ.
And Christ has already given us the glory He received from the Father.
Let the plain words of scripture speak louder than inherited warnings of tradition.
God’s purpose is not to remain alone in glory.
His purpose is to glorify His children.
Let us glorify Him—by becoming like Him.
And if any man still doubts,
let him answer the scriptures plainly—
but let him not wrest them to his own private interpretation.