and exchanged the proper opinion (glory) of the incorruptible God with the likeness of an image of corrupt man and birds and four-footed animals, and crawling things – Romans 1:23.
Glory means, “to have or express a proper opinion”. Its root concept is grounded in an opinion, notion, or judgment concerning someone.
When we express glory to God, we are actually voicing a proper view of Who He is. In the first chapter of the book of Romans, we see the impact on those who reject a proper opinion of God as they change His image to be that of corrupt humans, birds, four-footed animals, and even creeping things, while not giving the Creator glory. That is, not expressing a proper opinion of Who God really is.
Due to Adam’s trespass and sin, we all have fallen short of God’s opinion of us – for all sinned and fall short of God’s proper opinion, Romans 3:23 (Romans 5:12 – Adam’s sin is passed to all of us). God never expects us to live up to His glory, for He shares His glory with no one (Isaiah 42:8). Romans 3:23 is referring to His opinion of us as Humans. When God created Adam, He blessed Him (Genesis 1:28). When Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, his conscience became aware of the difference between what is beneficial and what causes calamity. However, in determining to break God’s law, Adam separated himself from God in his spirit, bending his nature to corruption, which he passed down to all of us (Genesis 5:3). He corrupted what God blessed. Although we have a corrupt nature, we still have a conscience and the knowledge of good and evil; therefore, God’s opinion of all humans involves their ability to do what is right.
When it comes to the gospel of the Christ, it has a proper opinion (glory) because there is only one Gospel (1 Timothy 1:11 – glorious gospel; Romans 1:16 ability to save; Galatians 1:6; 3:1-3 bewitched to believe another gospel). The Gospel of the Christ contains initial salvation and how to live out the salvation we now have in Christ. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, all according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Christian life is lived out from faith, not law (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:12). For God created a new creation in which Christ is the head and the Church is His body (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In Christ, God also has an opinion of us. One that we can boast concerning (Romans 5:1-2). In Adam we were condemned, but in Christ we are righteous before God (Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:30). This is an opinion that we should be lining up our frame of mind with concerning ourselves (Colossians 3:1-3). God says we are righteous, therefore let us act accordingly, not by works of our own righteousness, but through righteous works that come from faith (Philippians 3:9).
When we see the glory of God, we see Him for Who He really is. Those who reject who God is, also discard a proper opinion of Him, for they do not want to know Who He truly is; rather, they make up their own gods by conforming their opinion of God to that of corrupt humans and the worship of sticks and stones to justify their unrighteousness in their own eyes, claiming to be wise while darkening their minds and becoming foolish in their thoughts. Our lives as Christians glorify God to those around us by living a life that properly expresses who we are in Christ. For by this life we have in Christ, we can manifest a character that truly expresses a proper opinion of God’s opinion of those He has saved, thereby giving God glory.
