The glory of God

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever Amen.

QUESTIONS arise when we discover that no translations of the New Testament (except the AV), record the Doxology other than in a footnote. Why? It is not found in the best of the earliest manuscripts, though it is included in some very ancient ones from the 2nd century such as the Didache or Teaching of the Apostles.

There has been much scholarly discussion about this, but all are agreed that the Doxology is both appropriate and biblical in its contents and intentions.

One suggestion is that in the early church, following OT practice, each of the seven prayers was said aloud by the congregation while the person leading the service added a doxology after each petition; then the full doxology would be pronounced after the final petition. This could be why only what was spoken by the worshippers was recorded. Possible but cannot be proved!

Bishop Ryle wrote: ‘Let us examine ourselves and see if we really desire the things we are taught to ask for in the Lord’s Prayer.’ His point was that if we care little or nothing for the kingdom, the power and the glory of the God, then it is unlikely that we will have any sense of our dependence upon him, or of our need for his forgiveness and protection from evil. John Stott emphasises the Trinitarian nature of the Prayer and our dependence on the Father’s provision for daily needs, the Son’s forgiveness of sins and the Spirit’s protection in the dark hours of trial — hence the appropriateness of the Doxology ascribing glory to God, that is, to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Christian Scriptures are replete with doxologies. See for example Psalms 146 to 150 where the call to ‘Praise the Lord’ occurs thirty-six times. The necessity of giving glory to God was heard from Christ’s lips (eg, John 8:50; 17:4, 5).

And, of course, the hymns of praise used by the 1st century church are to be found embedded in various passages in the New Testament book of Revelation (eg, 4:8, 11; 5:9-10).

Let us examine ourselves and see if we really desire the things we are taught to ask for in the Lord’s Prayer.

Calvin comments at the end of his exposition of the Lord’s Prayer: ‘This doxology was added not only to warm our hearts to press towards the glory of God, and warn what should be the goal of all our supplications, but also to tell us that all our prayers, here set down for us, have no other foundation but God alone, in case we should put any weight upon our own merits.’

Totally in accord with the Doxology of the Lord’s Prayer are the words of Psalm 24 used for centuries in our presbyterian communion service: Ye gates lift up your heads on high, Ye doors that last for aye, Be lifted up that so the King of glory enter may.

Therefore, each Lord’s Day let us ‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!’ (Psalm 100:4) Soli Deo gloria!