Doxology:

Worship Pastor Justin Taylor

R.C. Sproul said, “Theology must always end in doxology: the joyful praise of our Creator; otherwise we have not truly studied the things of God.” Doxology is an admission of God’s glory. We don’t cause His glory. We confess it!

Doxologies Ascribe Glory to God

Doxologies are words of praise that are formulated for use in a worship service. It’s an expression of praise to God, and we find them primarily in the letters of the New Testament

• Doxologies are designed for use in community. Most of the letters in the New Testament were written to communities, house churches, city churches. They were meant to be read aloud to a congregation. (Hebrews 10:25)
• Doxologies are designed for use in personal prayer.
• Doxologies are worth committing to memory. (Acts 2:42)

Doxologies often begin with “To Him“, and they are typically formal in tone, poetic, and very doctrinally dense. (Rom 11:36; Rom 16:25-27; Eph 3:20-21; 1 Peter 4:11; Jude 1:25; Heb 13:20-21, etc.)

Doxologies Train Our Grammar for Worship

The doxologies written by Paul in the New Testament were actually inspired by the Holy Spirit. God has not only given us every reason to praise Him, but in the doxologies He gives us the words with which to praise Him.

The words and phrasing are not typical for how we speak today, but don’t be tempted to “fix them”, or improve them because we need to assume the Author got it right the first time! We adapt our speech to His very words. In time, your heart will begin to match those prayers and you will begin to naturally pray that way.

Doxology Completes Theology

We move from the explanation of theology to the experience of doxology. The subject is still the same, but we are making a decided turn from the examination of the things of God to an encounter with the Living God Himself! Doxology is not a response to what you read in your theology – it is a response to Him. (John 5:39)

Doxology Always Happens in Relationship

The New Testament doxology writers never talk about the bigness or greatness of God off by Himself, aloof, uninvolved, or in isolation. It is always about the glory of His love and mercy in dealing with us. We realize how much He loves us and what He did for us in relationship that causes us to sing out to Him! The glory of God is completely irrelevant to us until it touches us in Jesus Christ.

It is Jesus who perfectly ascribes glory to God. It is Jesus who perfectly trains our grammar for worship. It is Jesus who completes our theology. It is in Jesus‘ relationship with His Father that we now share in that intimate relationship. This is why Jesus is the subject of every doxology by which we ascribe glory to God.

The place where God’s glory

touches us is in Jesus.

What a reason to sing!