Apparently this is what J. S. Bach wrote on every piece of music he wrote.
As I think and write on Reformation Sunday morning 2006, in another part of our home the strains of
and glory give to God alone.
It captivated him, just as it did the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:33–36, and the prophet Isaiah before him. No wonder the Westminster Divines placed it at the start of the Westminster Shorter Catechism:
Man’s chief end is to glorify God.
Undoubtedly Bach wrote SDG on his music as more than an acknowledgment that he wanted to bring glory to God through his music; it was an acknowledgment that soli deo gloria was his principal purpose in life—his chief end.
So the question is what is my chief end in life? Is it PFW or XYZ or SDG?
Thanks for sharing these thoughts on “SDG”. This principle, particularly as expressed in the life work of J.S. Bach is utterly inspiring to me.
Chandler Branch, Exe. Dir.
Soli Deo Gloria