How Biblical Doctrine Makes Us Beautiful

God’s Glory Shining

The Reformation was intimately tied to beauty, goodness, and human flourishing because the Reformers were seeing—through Scripture—God’s glory shine. And as God’s glory is made known, it’s in that light that we are saved. It’s in that light of God’s glory that human lives flourish. It’s in seeing the beauty, goodness, and the truth of God that we come more fully alive.

When God is glorified, humans will be fulfilled, satisfied, and find joy and what they are made to be . . .

So a central statement for summing up the Reformation or a key fruit of Reformation theology would be a classic question and answer: “What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Glad Gospel Tidings

The idea that when God is glorified, humans will be fulfilled, satisfied, and find joy and what they are made to be—this was a guiding principle for the Reformers. They wanted to see God glorified through Scripture so that people might know just how good and merciful and gracious and holy and beautiful and kind and humble and majestic God is so that lives could be liberated from their little idols and their enslaving ways to want him more than those things.

So Reformation truths were essentially about human flourishing, and that’s what you see through so many of the doctrines that they were articulating. Martin Luther said that when he discovered justification, “It was as if I’d entered paradise itself through open doors.”

Why the Reformation Still Matters

Michael Reeves, Tim Chester

This accessible introduction to the Protestant Reformation answers eleven key questions raised by the Reformers, arguing that the Reformation remains vitally important for the church and is still relevant to our lives today.

William Tyndale talked about how the gospel is good news, merry, glad tidings—that makes a man’s heart skip and leap for joy. Again and again you see all the doctrines that they were fighting for are doctrines of glad tidings and great joy. Therefore if we were to back off from these doctrines, it means human shriveling rather than human flourishing.

Michael Reeves (PhD, King’s College, London) is president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology in Bridgend and Oxford, United Kingdom. He is the author of several books, including Delighting in the Trinity; Rejoice and Tremble; and Gospel People.