The glory of God—proclaimed in many biblical passages and the subject of many Christian hymns—is commonly understood to be, in essence, a summary of God’s perfection. For example, a Reformed Christian writer says, “The glory of God is the magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of his many perfections, which he displays in his creative and redemptive acts in order to make his glory known to those in his presence.”
I maintain—following in part the work of David Bradshaw—that the glory of God is God (rather than merely an outward manifestation of God’s goodness and majesty), and therefore that the divine energies (particularly as understood by Orthodox Christianity) are themselves the glory of God. This means the glory of God is intrinsically active and relational, as can be seen in what is called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus, “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:21–23). Bradshaw explains, “The eternal glory of God is not ‘merely’ eternal, but is accomplished and fulfilled through the events of salvation history. This is all the more true of the sharing of the divine glory with the disciples.”
The activity inherent in this can also be seen in Philippians 2:12–13, where the Christians in Philippi are encouraged to work out their salvation, “for it is God who is at work in you (ho energōn en humin), enabling you both to will and to work (energein) for his good pleasure.” Bradshaw emphasizes this energetic reality by adding, “Giving this notion full weight, we could render the passage as follows: ‘it is God who energizes in you both to will and to energize of his good pleasure.’” I want to highlight the final clause in Philippians 2:13, where this energetic work is done for God’s “good pleasure.” More than simply being “contentment with a job well-done,” this concept of God’s pleasure takes on deeper meaning when we read it through the process lens of satisfaction, seeing our synergistic work providing God with intensity of feeling that contributes to the development and progress of all things. This development and progress is novelty, which Marjorie Suchocki identifies as always being God’s initial aim for an occasion. The Bible gives many examples of God working and pursuing newness: doing a “new thing” (Isaiah 43:19); promising to create a “new heavens” and “new earth” (Isaiah 66:22); making a “new creature” of those in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); and even “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
When we look at Alfred North Whitehead’s description in Adventures of Ideas of the supreme harmony that constitutes divine satisfaction, we find zest, adventure, beauty, truth, and peace—this list reminds us of the acts in the divine energies. Since these things are the glory of God, and we share in the divine glory and are energized to pursue novelty which glorifies God, this means every aspect of our lives is in the end utterly glorious.
