Does Sin Glorify God?

I wrote a post on Facebook some years ago that made people ask if sin glorified God. Upon making that post, I knew it would be liable for misinterpretation. But I love the question. I anticipated it. I expected it. And I was ready for it. At least it has allowed me to write on that which I cherish so much: The sovereignty of God and its relation to everything that exists, including sin, Satan, evil, suffering, and pain. I wrestled with it for almost two years (from age 19 to nearly age 21). And God was merciful. He took me on a journey into the dynamics of His sovereignty for more than a year, resulting in two books I wrote (I am still on the journey to date―a journey to knowing more about His sovereignty).

Now, the answer to the question is really vast and complex. But I will try to unpack. Whatever I am saying here has already been explained in greater detail in those two volumes (though not yet published).

I have explained before that we should, as the Bible instructs, live every bit of the day’s activities to the glory of God, in the here and now; that God’s calling is our daily life, but does it glorify God when we sin during the day’s activities?

That’s a very good question. And the answer is No and Yes. Let me give you why the answer is both No and Yes, as revealed in the Bible.

Sin Does Not Glorify God

No, sin does not glorify God. When I say your daily life, every activity in it, is God’s call on your life, it does not necessarily mean sin is included. When I use the word necessarily, I mean, from a biblical perspective, sin is not an essential manner whatever in the everyday life of the Christian. When God saved and redeemed us, it was to make us holy in being and doing in the everyday. “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling [namely, our everyday life], not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Grace, according to the Bible, is God’s sovereign disposition and His loving action to treat guilty people, namely, sinners, better than they deserve to the end of glorifying His grace (Ephesians 1:4-7).

When God sees sin, He condemns it, is displeased by it, and is grieved by it. Sin dishonors God. The negative sinful events that happen in everyday life, which are God’s call (or that tragic calamity that happens, i.e, we being sinned against by another) in and of itself, right now with these immediate effects around it, are not producing maximum glorification of God. Otherwise, I don’t think Paul would’ve commanded, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), if there is no other way you do it. That is, there’s a way to fail at it, right? So the answer is no, sin does not glorify God. Not every activity in everyday life glorifies God. There is a way to drink or eat that is sinful. And it is sinful because it is not done in faith (see Romans 14:23). That applies to every activity you do in your everyday life. Faith is the soul’s delight in God. When you take God at His word, you delight in Him to do all He promised to do and all that He promised to be for us in Christ. On the other hand, sin is any thought or feeling, or speech or action that comes from a heart that does not treasure and delight in God over all things. Hence, eating or drinking (and every other activity in everyday life) is sinful when you value or treasure it above God. Therefore, it is obvious that sin cannot, in and of itself, aim to glorify God. Because sin at its root seeks to extinguish the value of God’s glory.

Sin Glorifies God

But you’ve got to stop at this moment, then, and step back and say, “Is God helpless when sinful activities happen in the everyday? If sin devalues the glory of God, is God not powerful enough to stop sinful activities?”

The idea here is somewhat controversial. Yes, sin does glorify God. I tremble as I write. When all is said and done and you look at everything (everything!) that happens in the everyday, then even those things that did not glorify God in the here and now will work out in the eternal purpose so that the “big panorama” of the divine delight will display the glory of God better than any other world would have. God glorifies Himself by enjoying what He does.

God has a purpose. And that purpose is to glorify Himself. Yes. The purpose of God is to glorify God. That’s why the Creator God exists, and that’s why everything exists―from the tiniest molecule to the highest mountain to man and the devil and sin. Oh, I really tremble as I write. Now I don’t know if you can make that distinction. God loves His glory infinitely, and since God governs the world and every event in it, by His providence and sovereignty and supremacy, right down to the roll of dice according to Proverb 16, therefore He is working in a way that, short-term, He is being dishonored in many ways in the everyday activities; but in the big picture―His ultimate purpose and plan―even the dishonoring is going to work for His total, ultimate glorification.

I concluded with this statement in How to Live your Everyday Life to the Glory of God: When you believe in the sovereignty of God, you will bask in the thought that God works all things together for good “according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28) and that “he makes everything work out according to his plan” (Ephesians 1:11). Let me add more scriptures to prove my position: “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36). “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory... for You created all things, And by your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11). “Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, things we see and things we can't; the spirit world with its kings and kingdom [evil powers], its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory” (Colossians 1:16, The Living Bible).

Does this mean we should sin since in the end everything will glorify God? No, God forbid. Part of God’s glory is His wrath and just judgment. If you don’t stop sinning, your sinfulness will glorify God in your destruction. God hates sin. Because sin dishonors and devalues His glory. Hence, the justice of God demands that God punish sin. God must glorify Himself. It’s either He glorifies Himself in your salvation and ongoing sanctification (“Christ... received us to the glory of God... [so] that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy...” [Romans 15:6, 9]) or He glorifies Himself in your destruction (see Romans 9:22-24; John 3:18; compare with Romans 11:36).

---

O. O. Living answered the call to follow Jesus Christ at the age of fourteen after hearing the teachings of a Christian lady. He is the founder and teacher of Godcentered Christianity. Living is the author of 5 books, including A Godcentered Life and most recently, Joy to the World.