Glorifying the name of Christ
What is God’s glory? While God’s name is his character, God’s glory is the effect of that character. God’s name describes and dictates his actions, motives, and means, while his glory consists of what results from them. God’s name and his glory cannot be separated. His name causes his glory.
To glorify God means to increase how much of God’s goodness is seen by ourselves and others. To glorify God is to increase understanding and valuation of who, how, and what God is and why he is that way through learning more about him and living more fully as he would in your place.
To magnify the name of Christ or to glorify the name of Christ or to sanctify the name of Christ all refer to slightly different ways of helping others increase the accuracy and depth of their perception of the goodness of God. Nothing you do can make the name of Christ better than it already is. However, you can help others to see more of the greatness of God than they did before.2
The Son glorified the Father by learning and living his character as a man on earth.3 You glorify the Son by learning and living his character in this life.4 You glorify the name of Christ by learning and living it yourself5 and by doing all you can to help others to do the same.6
Footnotes
- 1. And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it. (2 Nephi 9:24) ↩
- 2. Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. (Deuteronomy 32:3) ↩
- 3. Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. (3 Nephi 9:15) ↩
- 4. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word....For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me....I am glorified in them. (John 17:6, 8, 10) ↩
- 5. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:8) ↩
- 6. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. (Ephesians 3:13) ↩