Majesty is one of those words we hear somewhat frequently in
church circles, but we seldom use it in everyday speech in America. I’m not sure
we have a real sense of what it means. If
we lived under a monarchy, we might have a glimpse of what majesty looks like
in an earthly ruler, but even then, I suspect the root meaning might be tainted
by our prejudice or simple familiarity. If you didn’t happen to care for His
Majesty, Prince Harry, for example, your sense of the title would be colored.
I encountered the word in a devotional reading recently, and
I realized I didn’t have a clear idea of what it meant. So, I did what English
teachers do: I looked up the etymology of majesty. I shouldn’t have been surprised
to learn it was from the Latin root “major.” It was the synonyms for major that
really got my wheels turning: important, serious, or significant. Significant
is from “sign”; this made me ask if there is a sign of God in my life when I
declare His majesty. I had to ask myself how important or serious God is in my
everyday life.
Next I decided to see what word in the Greek New Testament was
translated as majesty. It is megas (μέγας) or a derivative. Not too many years ago the word “mega” was quite common
in popular speech as a synonym for awesome or excellent (eg. Bill and Ted’s
adventure) or rad (as in radical). When Jude offers, “glory, majesty, power,
and authority” to God (v.25), he piles up words that have their ultimate mega-fulfillment
in God alone. God deserves all the glory (excellence, preeminence, dignity: δόξα) because He has the power (strength: κράτος) to accomplish His will, and He has the authority (legal right: ἐξουσία) to do as He pleases.
I cannot truly “worship
His majesty” as the beautiful old chorus directs unless I submit to that
majesty in my everyday life. If I submit, there will be evidence because as
someone has said, you only truly believe that which appears in your behavior.
Or as Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Or
James’ proclamation as J.B. Phillips renders it: “bare faith [belief] without a
corresponding life is… useless and dead.” (James 2:17)
I fear there are too
many useless Christians parading around today. Here is one example to test the
usefulness of your faith: are you wearing a face mask in public places?
Seriously. In his
article on The Gospel Coalition, Brett McCracken gives four biblical reasons
to wear a mask. The two most significant are that it shows love to our neighbor
(the Greatest Commandment) and it shows respect for authority. McCracken also
list the concepts of respect for weaker brothers and using our freedom for the
sake of the Gospel.
There are so many
other ways that you can reveal God’s majesty, His significance in your life:
pay your taxes, drive the speed limit, give a “significant” portion of our
money to the cause of Christ, refuse to gossip, discover your spiritual gift
and use it. There are more, but I have already quit preachin’ and gone to
meddlin’, as someone has said. That’s the point. Our faith should “meddle” with
our behavior. You are the only Jesus some people will ever see. How will you
show His majesty?
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