²⁵ Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past …

Doxology means “a word of glory” coming from two Greek words: “logos,” meaning word, and “doxa,” meaning glory or praise. Verse 25 is the beginning of a doxology, which ends in verse 27 with, “to … God … be the glory ….” Not uncommon in the NT, Paul (Eph 3:20, 1 Tim 1:17), Peter (2 Peter 3:18), Jude (Jude 24-25) and John (Rev 4:11, 19:1) include doxologies in their writings. What exactly is a doxology? What does one do when saying, “To Him … be the glory”?

To give God glory is to verbally call out our desire for Him to be glorified. Remember, to glorify means to make known the true nature of God so that others might appreciate Him more. A doxology enhances God’s reputation, not so much among other human beings, but with God Himself. We are made in His image, and as such we were created to reflect His true nature in the world around us, and to be a reflection back to Him, like a spiritual mirror. God desires to see Himself in us, in all His glory.

So when we strive to be Christlike, we step into the shower of His pleasure: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt 3:17). He is pleased at the reflection of His Son in us. To speak out a word of glory and praise, then, is to verbalize our effort to enhance His reputation by speaking good things back to God about Himself. We, in essence, give Him glory by doing this. He already knows His own true nature, so we are not adding to His glory or telling Him something He doesn’t already know. But coming from His own image bearers it gives Him pleasure, for it shows to Him that we have come to know His glory.

A doxology goes even further—it speaks to others who hear us glorifying God and brings a word of confidence based on the Lord’s character or activity in our lives. In the case of the Romans, God is to be glorified in His ability to establish the believers in their faith through the message of grace and of Jesus Christ. We bring doxology into others’ lives when we tell them about God’s glory in what He has done in our lives and what He will do in theirs. The Scripture is replete with divine promises, and as we grow in our spiritual lives, we become better able to speak doxology into peoples’ lives by reminding them of those promises. All this is for the sake of making God’s reputation great in the minds and hearts of others.

Lord, You are glorious. I want to help others see You in Your great glory!