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To be on the safe side however I thought I should also do a word search for clarification of the Greek term that was used for glory. The Greek word in Strong’s Concordance is doxa: Origin is glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective):--dignity, glory(-ious), honour, praise, worship. See also G1380 seem, opinion

From Strong’s Concordance the Greek term Doxa is a noun that is descriptive. Dignity, glorious, honor, praise, worship 

So, it is not appropriate to say that we can substitute the word glory with the word Holiness. So, I will need to be content with the idea that God’s Holiness is his Glory. His Holiness is what makes him worthy of honor, praise and worship. But I still wanted to know more of the Glory and Holiness of God. 

I read a wonderful summation the Intersection of God’s Holiness and Glory, an article written by Randy Bushey. Randy Bushey references Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” He notes, glory “is an expression of resplendent beauty, magnificence, value, riches, dignity, and honour. Glory as the antithesis of shame.” He continues writing, “The Old Testament Hebrew term kabod, and the New Testament Greek word doxa – each translated glory –  carry the sense of weight or heaviness, significant in a culture where value was often measured by heft or mass.” Bushey was struck by the awe inspiring size and opulence of the description of the Temple in the Holy city. Then Bushey draws out a reflection from John Piper in his description of glory in connection with holiness. Glory is the “manifest beauty of his holiness. It is the going public of his holiness. It is the way he puts his holiness on display for people to apprehend”.

Okay so now I have the idea: that God’s Holiness is his glory. God’s Holiness is what makes him worthy of honor, praise and worship. And add to that Bushey’s glory “is an expression of resplendent beauty, magnificence, value, riches, dignity, and honor. Glory as the antithesis of shame.” And John Piper’s Glory “is the going public of his Holiness. 

Randy Bushey is the writer of the article Intersection of God’s Holiness and Glory, in Bethel Chapel of Ontario Canada’s Blog page. September 11 Intersection of God’s Holiness and Glory

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The Glory of the Lord is his Holiness on display. As I think of Moses going to the mountain top to see God face to face. But God redirects his purpose letting him know “thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” Exodus 33:20 But because God knew Moses’ heart and wanting to honor him said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:21-23

I could not help but also recall Isaiah’s vision of the Glory of the Lord. He writes in Isaiah 6:1,” In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Isaiah describes the scene in which one of the seraphims declared to the other “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.“ Isaiah 6:3 Isaiah was astonished by what he was seeing. He was in awe of the majesty, the Glory of God and in verse 5 he writes, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” The Gory of the Lord was on full display and Isaiah recognized his sinfulness in the presence of his Holy God.

The more I know the Holiness of the God who redeemed me the more I can identify with Moses and Isaiah, recognizing my unworthiness to be in his presence. Knowing that his Holiness would condemn me were it not for Jesus’ redemption of my soul, paying the ransom for my condemned soul, and cleansing me from all unrighteousness. If I had to stand before this Holy God in all of his glory, I would be undone. But by the grace and mercy of God my father I can come to him through the work of the Holy Spirit and commune with him and he with me.

Isaiah is the one who lets us know that “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”. Isaiah 64:6

It is our fallen nature. It is our sin nature that we have inherited from Adam that makes us unclean. And as long as we are in our sinful state, we cannot see his face and live. God’s Holiness would consume us. But thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. By his grace and mercy, Jesus is the remedy for our sinfulness. Jesus became the sacrifice that would cleanse us from our unrighteousness. Jesus paid the ransom for our souls with his own life. But Jesus did not merely die, he rose again from the dead with power over sin, death, hell, and the grave. 

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Now we are made spiritually clean as we put our faith in the redeeming blood of Christ. We can now commune in the spirit with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and not fear condemnation. We still experience awe in the presence of our most Holy God, especially when his Glory fills the place where we are.   But now rather than looking to hide we are able like Moses to bask in his Glory and be overjoyed to be in his presence. And one day when this earthly body is done away there will be nothing to keep us from seeing him face to face. We shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 tells us, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 

It is no wonder that Peter urges us to be Holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy.”

We are not to remain in our old habits and manner of living but rather, we are to strive for the Holiness of Christ Jesus. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are to have the mind of Christ Jesus. We are to be like him. Examine your life. Are you becoming more like Christ Jesus or are you the same today that you were last week, last month, last year? If you are not experiencing change in your life. If you are not conforming to the image of Christ Jesus. You are not following the call of God. Consider, why did you surrender your life to Christ in the first place? Will you continue in a life that is in direct contradiction to the call of Christ? What will be the end of such a contradictory life? 

Consider the scene in eternity where men will come before Jesus declaring “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” Matthew 7:22 But Jesus’ reply to them will not be as they would expect, hope for, or desire. Because Jesus has said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” Matthew 7:21 You may have a form of Godliness but if you are not following Christ, if you are not “abiding” (John 15:4-8) in Christ you are at risk of hearing him say, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23