• Home Page
  • Bible College
    • About FLBC
    • Academics
    • Student Life
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Aid
    • After FLBC
  • Seminary
    • About
    • Academics
    • Admissions
  • About Us
    • Mission
    • Our Beliefs
    • History
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Accreditation
    • Assessments
    • Campus & Location
    • Campus Library
  • News
  • Events
  • Calendar
  • Donate
  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Students
  • Alumni
    • What We Do
    • Alumni Association
    • Referral Opportunity
    • Transcript Request
    • Alumni Testimonies
    • Alumni Job Opportunities
  • Capital Campaign
    • Student Life Center Webcam
  • Athletics
    • FLBC Athletics
    • Basketball Live Stream
  • Choirs
  • Gospel Teams
  • Summer Teams
  • Live
  • Chapel
  • Prayer Updates
  • Stories
  • Students
  • Alumni
    • What We Do
    • Alumni Association
    • Referral Opportunity
    • Transcript Request
    • Prayer Support
    • Alumni Testimonies
    • Alumni Job Opportunities
  • Student Life Center
  • Athletics
    • FLBC Athletics
    • Basketball Live Stream
  • Music
  • Gospel Teams
  • Summer Teams
  • Contact
  • Donate
Free Lutheran Bible College and SeminaryFree Lutheran Bible College and Seminary
    • Home
    • Bible College
      • About FLBC
      • Academics
      • Student Life
      • Admissions
      • Tuition & Aid
      • After FLBC
    • Seminary
      • About FLS
      • Academics
      • Admissions
    • About Us
      • Mission and Objectives
      • Our Beliefs
      • History
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Accreditation
      • Assessments
      • Campus & Location
      • Library
      • Wedding Event Request
    • News
    • Events
    • Stories
    • Resources
      • Blogs
      • Videos

    Blog

    • Home
    • Blog
    • Blog
    • SOLI DEO GLORIA—FOR THE GLORY OF GOD ALONE

    SOLI DEO GLORIA—FOR THE GLORY OF GOD ALONE

    • Posted by Jerry Moan
    • Date October 29, 2017

    Last in a five-part “Solae of the Reformation” series by AFLC Schools faculty

    Back in the sixteenth century, a humble baker named Veit Bach fled Hungary because of his Lutheran beliefs, settling in Thuringia in central Germany. Veit’s great-great-grandson recalled his passion for music: “He found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern [a small stringed instrument similar to a mandolin], which he took with him even into the mill and played upon while the grinding was going on. . . . And this was, as it were, the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants.”

    The great-great-grandson who penned these words was none other than Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), regarded by many as the greatest composer in the history of Western music. Bach grew up in the shadow of the Wartburg castle where Luther was confined after he gave his famous “Here I stand” speech. He attended the same Latin School in Eisenach that Luther had attended as a child two centuries earlier. From cradle to grave, Bach lived and worked in a part of the world where, as one writer put it, “Luther was a great deal more compelling than gravity.”

    Guided by his Lutheran convictions, J. S. Bach devoted his life to creating music to the glory of God. “The aim and final end of all music,” he affirmed, “should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” As he set about composing, he lived out this conviction repeatedly, marking his blank manuscript pages with the initials, “J. J.” (Jesu Juva—“Help me, Jesus”), or “I. N. J.” (In Nomine Jesu—“In the name of Jesus”). At the end of his compositions, Bach regularly inscribed the letters “S. D. G.” (Soli Deo Gloria—“To God alone, the glory”). Bach, like Luther before him, understood that all of life can and should be lived for the glory of God alone. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31, ESV).

    As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing of his 95 Theses, sparking the Protestant Reformation, let’s remember that the real celebration is not about glorifying a mere man for what he did. Ultimately, it’s about glorifying God for what He has done for us in Christ! This is the heart of the Christian message. As sinners, we struggle to render all glory to God with a sincere heart. But Luther reminds us, “The Holy Spirit convicts the whole world of sin (John 16:8) and proclaims the righteous Christ and His glory alone. It is the office of an evangelical preacher to proclaim the glory of God alone” (Luther’s Works, 17:172-173).

     

    Pastor Jerry Moan
    Professor of New Testament
    AFLC Schools
    Plymouth, Minnesota
    AFLC Promotion for October is H.I.S. Fund

    ©2017 Ambassador Publications. Used by permission.

    • Share:
    author avatar
    Jerry Moan

    Previous post

    JoyAnn Dahl
    October 29, 2017

    Next post

    Intercessor Team Update – November 2
    November 2, 2017

    Leave A Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Bible College

    • FLBC
    • Academics
    • Student Life
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Aid
    • After FLBC

    Seminary

    • About
    • Academics
    • Admissions

    About Us

    • Mission and Objectives
    • Our Beliefs
    • History
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Accreditation
    • Assessments
    • Campus & Location
    • Library
    • Request Info
    • Visit Us
    • Apply Now

    Calendar Links

    • ical Feed Instructions
    • Academic Calendar
    • Chapel Services
    • Basketball Schedule
    • Event List

    Resources

    • Resources-Blogs

    Contact

    logo

    (763) 544-9501

    FLBC: flbc@flbc.edu

    FLS: fls@flbc.edu

    Quick Links

    • Live Stream
    • Chapel
    • Basketball Schedule
    • Prayer Updates
    • Summer Teams
    • Gospel Teams
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Service Opportunities
    • About the AFLC
    • Post a Job Opportunity

    FLBC Schools

    • Mission and Objectives
    • Our Beliefs
    • History
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Accreditation
    • Assessments
    • Campus & Location
    • Library

    Forms

    • Apply
    • Transcript Request
    • Donate
    • Make a Payment

    Find Us

    Free Lutheran Bible College & Seminary
    3134 E. Medicine Lake Blvd
    Plymouth, MN 55441-3008

    © COPYRIGHT 2021 FREE LUTHERAN BIBLE COLLEGE

    • Privacy
    Login
    [miniorange_social_login shape="longbuttonwithtext" theme="default" space="4" width="240" height="40"]

    Login with your site account

    Lost your password?