Some theologians claim that all God's desires culminate in a single desire: to assert and to maintain God's own glory. On its own, the idea of a glory-seeking God seems to say that God, far from being only a giver, is the ultimate receiver. As the great twentieth-century theologian Karl Barth disapprovingly put it, such a God would be "in holy self-seeking . . . preoccupied with Himself"10. In creating and redeeming, such a God would give, but only in order to get glory; the whole creation would be a means to this end. In Luther's terms, here we would have a God demonstrating human rather than divine love.
Some theologians propose that God's ultimate aim is to establish and uphold His own glory, portraying God as primarily a receiver rather than solely a giver. This perspective suggests that God's actions, including creation and redemption, serve this self-centered purpose; everything He does is aimed at garnering glory for Himself. Such a view raises concerns about the nature of divine love, particularly when comparing it to the human experience of love.
Karl Barth, a prominent theologian, criticized this interpretation, suggesting that it portrays God as selfishly consumed with His own glory. In contrast, Luther would argue that this notion reflects a conditional form of love, where divine generosity is merely a means to an end, undermining the essence of giving and forgiveness that characterizes true divine love. This challenges the understanding of God's nature and His relationship with humanity.
