Love Above Glory

by Dr. Peter A. Kerr

Much of Christian theology has been framed—often unintentionally—around the idea that God’s ultimate purpose is His own glory. The language is familiar, deeply embedded, and frequently well-meant. Scripture certainly speaks of God’s glory filling the earth (Ps 19:1; Isa 6:3), of Christ being glorified (Jn 17:1), and of creation declaring God’s praise. Yet problems arise when glory is treated not as the fruit of God’s life, but as His primary motive.

When glory becomes the starting point, love is easily reduced to a means. Creation risks appearing instrumental. Redemption can sound strategic. Suffering may be justified as necessary for display. Faith itself can begin to feel like participation in a cosmic economy rather than communion with a living God.

There is a better starting point—one that is deeply biblical and richly traditional: God is holy. Holiness, in Scripture, is not distance, severity, or self-preoccupation. It is fullness. It is the radiant unity of goodness, truth, and love. God does not act in order to become glorious. God is glorious because He is holy-love (1 Jn 4:8).

Creation, then, does not arise from divine need or self-assertion, but from abundance. God creates because holy love overflows. This is why Scripture consistently grounds God’s actions in love rather than self-interest. “God so loved the world, that He gave…” (Jn 3:16). “In love He predestined us for adoption” (Eph 1:4–5). “The Lord appeared… saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’” (Jer 31:3). The logic is always the same: love precedes gift; gift precedes glory.

Glory, in this light, is not what God seeks, but what love naturally generates when received. Glory is the radiance of holiness reflected back from creation that freely delights in God. Just as light fills a room when lamps are lit, so glory fills creation when love is welcomed. God does not extract glory from creatures; He elicits it by giving Himself.

This distinction matters. If glory is primary, then love risks becoming conditional—offered insofar as it serves a higher aim. If love is primary, then glory becomes a gift returned, not a debt demanded. Scripture leans unmistakably toward the latter. Jesus does not reveal a God who secures allegiance through power, but one who washes feet (Jn 13:1–5), suffers rejection (Isa 53:3), and lays down His life “not to be served, but to serve” (Mk 10:45).

Even divine judgment fits this pattern. God’s opposition to sin is not the defense of honor, but the protection of love. He resists what destroys His creatures because He loves them (Heb 12:6; Ezek 18:23). Wrath is not God safeguarding His glory against insult; it is holy love refusing to bless what deforms communion.

Understanding God as love above glory also reframes faith. Faith is not assent offered to magnify God’s reputation, but trust that opens the heart to receive His life (Rom 5:1–5). Obedience is not performance for approval, but participation in love’s order (Jn 14:15). Prayer is not leverage, but alignment with a goodness already reaching toward us (Matt 7:11).

Most importantly, this vision protects the character of God. It assures us that God does not will suffering for spectacle, permit evil for narrative effect, or withhold Himself until properly acknowledged. God’s posture toward creation is always first an invitation. Glory follows when love is received; it does not precede it.

This is a simple but often forgotten truth: God does not love in order to be glorified. God is glorified because He loves.

To begin with holy-love is not to diminish God. It is to see Him as Scripture presents Him—holy, abundant, patient, and endlessly generous. From that starting point, everything else finally makes sense.