Question
Gramps,
I know you defined “glory” in a previous post, but how does it relate to “worship”?? I know we are taught that part of the difference between Christ’s plan and Satan’s plan is that Christ said to Heavenly Father, “and the glory be thine forever,” whereas Satan wanted the glory in his plan. And I always thought that the “glory” was in reference to worship, and that Satan wanted to be worshiped while Christ wanted people to only worship the Father. But there are many references that indicate that we worship both the Father and the Son in the scriptures as well as from the mouths of modern prophets. But there are also references (like from Joseph F. Smith) stating that we worship only the Father in the name of the Son. I really don’t want to deny Christ of worshipful praise if that is expected, but I also don’t want to give him too much praise if I’m not supposed to. Thanks so much for your thoughts on this!
Poe
Answer
Poe,
There are several things in your question that I need to address.
Let me start by first stating that Christ can never be given enough praise for the crucial role He played in our Salvation. Without Christ and His atonement, there would be no mistakes allowed on Earth, and no chance for us to progress…..ever. So your final sentence, where you don’t want to give Christ too much praise- you can’t. It’s not possible.
Elder Maxwell said:
“Mortal experience points evermore to the Atonement of Jesus Christ as the central act of all human history. The more I learn and experience, the more unselfish, stunning, and encompassing His Atonement becomes!
When we take Jesus’ yoke upon us, this admits us eventually to what Paul called the “fellowship of [Christ’s] sufferings” (Philip. 3:10). Whether illness or aloneness, injustice or rejection, etc., our comparatively small-scale sufferings, if we are meek, will sink into the very marrow of the soul. We then better appreciate not only Jesus’ sufferings for us, but also His matchless character, moving us to greater adoration and even emulation.
Alma revealed that Jesus knows how to succor us in the midst of our griefs and sicknesses precisely because Jesus has already borne our griefs and sicknesses (see Alma 7:11–12). He knows them firsthand; thus His empathy is earned. Of course, we do not comprehend it fully any more than we understand how He bore all mortal sins, but His Atonement remains the rescuing and reassuring reality.
No wonder, of all the things for which we might praise Jesus when He comes again in majesty and power, we will praise Him for His “loving kindness” and His “goodness”; moreover, we will go on praising Him for ever and ever! (D&C 133:52; see also Mosiah 4:6, 11; Alma 7:23). We will never need to be coaxed.”
And the praise we give Christ for His gift for us, is not “expected”. It is a natural result of understanding how helpless we would have been had He not stepped in and cleared the way for us. The Savior is without ego and always has pure motives. He is motivated simply by love- His love for us, and His love for Heavenly Father.
Second, your question brings to mind a scripture. Moses 1:39 reads: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” In this scripture God is assuring us that He is sincere in desiring our eternal success. It doesn’t define glory in the way you are wanting it defined, but it gives a hint that I love. This hint, though not doctrine, indicates that God is benefiting from our Salvation as much as we are. And that He is constantly working to help us succeed.
Which leads into your point about Satan and Jesus where Jesus said “the Glory be thine forever”. When Christ made that statement, he assured us that whatever benefit God receives for our success, Christ was not claiming for himself. He was giving God His due place of honor, His allegiance, and not seeking to usurp the Heavenly throne as Satan did.
Finally we need to discuss worship. What you may not understand about worship is best explained by Bishop Dean M. Davies, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. He said:
“When we worship God, we approach Him with reverent love, humility, and adoration. We acknowledge and accept Him as our sovereign King, the Creator of the universe, our beloved and infinitely loving Father.
We respect and revere Him.
We submit ourselves to Him.
We lift our hearts in mighty prayer, cherish His word, rejoice in His grace, and commit to follow Him with dedicated loyalty.
Worshipping God is such an essential element in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ that if we fail to receive Him in our hearts, we will seek for Him in vain in our councils, churches, and temples.
…
When we worship God, we acknowledge and receive Him with the same reverence as those ancient people of the Americas. We approach Him with incomprehensible feelings of wonder and awe. We marvel in gratitude at the goodness of God. And thus, we acquire hope.
We ponder God’s word, and that fills our souls with light and truth. We comprehend spiritual vistas that can be seen only through the light of the Holy Ghost.10 And thus, we acquire faith.
As we worship, our souls are refined and we commit to walk in the footsteps of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And from this resolve, we acquire charity.
When we worship, our hearts are drawn out in praise to our blessed God morning, noon, and night.
We hallow and honor Him continually—in our meetinghouses, homes, temples, and all our labors.
When we worship, we open our hearts to the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Our lives become the token and expression of our worship.
My brothers and sisters, spiritual experiences have less to do with what is happening around us and everything to do with what is happening within our hearts. It is my witness that true worship will transform ordinary Church meetings into extraordinary spiritual feasts. It will enrich our lives, broaden our understanding, and strengthen our testimonies. For as we incline our hearts to God, like the ancient Psalmist, we “enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: [we are] thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Hope you’ve found this helpful.
Gramps
