Glorify

Concept

To glorify means to honor, praise, or magnify — to cause another's excellence and worth to be recognized and celebrated. In Scripture, the primary object of glorification is God: human beings are created to glorify God, and all of creation declares his glory (Ps. 19:1). Jesus spoke of glorifying the Father through the completion of his redemptive mission (John 17:4), and the Father glorified the Son in the resurrection and ascension (John 13:31–32; Phil. 2:9–11). The New Testament also speaks of believers being glorified — transformed to share in the divine glory as the final stage of salvation (Rom. 8:30). The Westminster Shorter Catechism's famous answer, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever," crystallizes this biblical theme.