God's Glory, Part One
The end in which God created the World.
Plato once asked, "How do you know what a things function is?" This reflective question is inquiring whether an object has a correct way to function and does this function act towards an ultimate end or purpose. Are our individual acts and pursuits relative to our selves or do they correspond to an ultimate plan which we, and every other individual is a part of?
To answer this question, one must agree that objects have been created and designed for a purpose and that its actions or reactions are corresponding to the way it has been made to function. If it does, then this is what a things function is; It is acting according to its designers plan and purpose. There are no random impersonal acts that just happen by chance.
When asking about "what is the universes ultimate purpose and for our lives" we are seeking an ultimate meaning for the universe and our actions as a whole. If there is an ultimate goal or purpose in life, then there is a mind behind the universe who has created objects to function according to a rational purpose. If the world is rational then God has given reality an interpretation giving matter meaning and a purpose for the functions that take place.
The end for Which God Created the World
Why did God create the world? It certainly was not because he had to or was incomplete with out it. He did not need to create creatures to be loved because God in the Trinity has been in a loving relationship from eternity. God is eternal fullness, that being perfect and complete in all things. His nature is perfection. Because God’s existence and will is the highest perfection that exits, all other finite perfection’s flow from his for their existence. Gods will is the ultimate end for which creation was created and is unfolding too. What is in itself most valuable and eternally perfect is God’s ultimate end in creation. God shows by his works of creation what he values most, that being himself, his glory. He creates to manifest his glory, as his glory is the highest perfection.
Because God has infinite wisdom he knows what he creates will be rationally perfect. Because he is sovereign he knows that his eternal decrees of rules and measures of proceedings will achieve its perfect end for what he created it for. As Ephesians 1; 11 says, "being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Because God is eternally good and is in fact "Love" we know his ultimate purpose in general providence and his final end will be in accordance to his eternal Holiness, Love, Mercy, Justice, and Judgment.
The original ultimate end of creation governs all God’s works that being the emanation and true expression of God’s eternal fullness, his glory. God does everything for his names sake, because there is no higher perfection.
This is what Romans 1;20 confirms,
"For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse"
This verse is telling us that what is made is in fact demonstrating and manifesting God’s invisible attributes (Perfection, Glory).
For his Names Sake
Probably no text in the Bible reveals Gods passion for his own glory more clearly than Isaiah 48;9-11,
"For my names sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another."
John Piper concludes from this verse in his book "Let the Nations be Glad" that the Bible gives six hammer blows to a man-centered way of looking at the world.
For my names sake!
For the sake of my praise!
For my own sake!
For my own sake!
How should my name be profaned!
My glory I will not give to another!
Texts concerning God’s making himself the ultimate end of creation.
The Scriptures speak on all occasions as though God made himself his end in all his works, and as though the same being, who is the first cause of all things, were the supreme and last end of all things. Revelation 1;8 says "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Verse 11; "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and last." Verse 17; I Am the first and the Last." Chapter 21;6, And he said unto me, it is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." Chapter 22;13, I Am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
The meaning of the Texts and its Biblical confirmation
For when God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, the end as well as the begnning, it is implied that as he is the first efficient cause and fountain from whence all things originate; so, he is the last, final cause for which they are made; the final term to which they all tend in their ultimate issues. This seems to be the most natural import of these expressions; and is confirmed by other parallel passages;
Romans 11; 36 "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things."
Colossians 1; 16 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him."
Hebrews 2; 10 "For it became him, by whom all things, and for whom are all things."
Proverbs 16; 4 "The Lord has made all things for himself."
And the manner is observable, in which God is said to be the last, to whom and for whom are all things. It is evidently spoken of as a fitting and suitable thing, a branch of his glory; a meet prerogative of great, infinite and eternal Being; a thing becoming the dignity of him who is infinitely above all other beings; from which all things are by whom they consist; and in comparison with whom all other things are as nothing.
Jonathan Edwards makes a beautiful insight when he says that God has created the world ( a thing) to become the dignity of him who is infinitely above all other beings.
The Ultimate end of God’s providence
God’s providence is the power that is in all things which directs every atom and event in history from the beginning to the end to demonstrate Gods glory. God is in charge over all things. He has ordained all our days, even the good and the evil that befalls us.
Isaiah 64; 8 "O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay and you our the potter and all of us are the work of your hand."
Jeremiah 20; 23 "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps."
Proverbs 19; 24 "Mans steps are ordained by the Lord, How can man understand his ways."
Isaiah 45; 7 "I Am the Lord and there is no other, I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity, I the Lord do all these things."
As I have said in great detail in my other works, Evil is evil in itself, but God has a morally good reason for its existence. God has made vessels of clay for glory and some for destruction both for his ultimate glory ( Rom 9; 1-33). God ultimate Justice and Holy wrath will be demonstrated for eternity upon those who have rejected Gods glory. Suffering also has a mysterious power in it, like medicine, to heal us and force the compassion of God to flow out of our lives to others. It is part of the universe to manifest God’s love through his people. Jesus Christ was perfected through suffering. It is the sting of pain that brings out the biblical love that suffers long, counting no wrongs, loving our enemies to the point of death.
Isaiah 46; 9-11 "I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me. My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please, what I have said I will bring about, what I have planed I will do."
God without fail will manifests the greatest good, love, justice, mercy, judgement that exists to demonstrate his eternal glory. Everything that happens will rebound to God’s glory.
"From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Rom 11; 36)
As there is an infinite fullness of all possible good in God, a fullness of every perfection, of all Excellency and beauty and of infinite happiness. This fullness is capable of communication, or emanation ad extra; so it seems a thing pleasant and valuable in itself that this infinite fountain of good should send for abundant streams. And as this is in itself excellent, so a disposition to this in the Divine Being, must be looked upon as an excellent disposition. Such an emanation of good is, in some sense, a multiplication of it. So far it may be looked on as an increase of good. And if the fullness of good that is in the fountain is in itself excellent, then the emanation, which is as it were an increase, repetition, or multiplication of it is excellent.
Since there is an infinite fountain of light and knowledge, that this light should shine forth in beams of communicated knowledge and understanding, and as there is an infinite fountain of holiness, moral excellence, and beauty, that so it should flow out in communicated holiness. And as there is an infinite fullness of joy and happiness, so these should have an emanation and become a fountain flowing out in abundant streams, as beams from the sun. This appears reasonable to suppose that it was God’s last end that there might be a glorious and abundant emanation of his infinite fullness of good and that the disposition to communicate himself, or diffuse his own fullness was what moved him to create the world.
God creates creation to manifest his perfections and creates creatures to taste his perfect nature and express it back to him.
The Whole is of God.
The emanation or communication of the divine fullness, consisting in the knowledge of God, love to him, and joy to him, has relation indeed both to God and to the creature; but it has relation to God as its fountain, as the thing communicated is something of its internal fullness. The water of a stream is something of the fountain; and the beams of the sun are something of the sun. And again they have relation to God as their object; for the knowledge communicated is the knowledge of God; and the love communicated is the love of God, and the happiness communicated is, the joy in God. In the creatures knowing, esteeming, loving, rejoicing in, and praising God, the glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledge; his fullness is received and returned. Here is both an emanation and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature, and is reflected back to the luminary. The beams of glory come from God, are something of God, and are refunded back to again to their original. So that the whole is of God, and in God, and to God; and he is the beginning, and the middle and the end.
The Chief end of man
The first question of the Westminster Catechism states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. God has created us to behold his attributes in a finite form to manifest his perfect nature. God created us as moral creatures to manifest his character of goodness to others. God has created creatures so that his perfect nature can be glorified in his saints and reflect back his glory to himself. All that we experience and taste that is good is what we have received as being created in God’s image. It is his moral heart that has been placed in our hearts to beat forth his love. Without God’s light shining in our hearts there would be no goodness felt in the world. For what we have, is only what we have been created to feel and express.
2 Corinthians 4; 6 "For it is God who has commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
For many of us we live our lives living for ourselves, enjoying everything for our own sakes. But there is an ultimate end for us having this beating heart. It is to love others and by doing this we are manifesting Gods glory in his creation. Trinity love, is loving others we the same love you love yourself. God delights in shining his fullness in to our hearts so that we can enjoy him and have fullness of life forever. God in seeking his glory seeks the good of his creatures because the emanation of his glory implies the communicated Excellency and happiness of his creatures. When we feel God’s love we with love others and love God back, God’s love is not selfish for he is an eternal trinity.
Our moral actions are to bring glory to God.
1 Corinthians 10; 31 "Whether therefore you eat or drink, or what ever you do, do all to the glory of God."
1 Peter 4; 11 "That in God all things may be glorified."
Philippians 1; 10-11 "That you may approve things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ Jesus, unto the glory and praise of God."
In giving creatures an ever-increasing likeness to God, God makes himself first cause and last end.
There are many reasons to think that what God has in view in an increasing communication of himself through eternity is an increasing knowledge of God, love to him, and joy in him. And it is to be considered that the more those divine communications increase in the creature the more it becomes one with God, for so much the more is it united to God in love, the heart is drawn nearer and nearer to God, and the union with him becomes more firm and close and at the same time the creature becomes more conformed to God. The image is more and more prefect and so the good that is in the creature comes forever nearer and nearer to an identity with that which is in God. Who has a comprehensive prospect of the increasing union and conformity through eternity. It must be an infinite strict and perfect nearer, conformity and oneness.
So that the eyes of God who perfectly sees the whole of it in its infinite progress and increase, come to an eminent fulfillment of Christ’s request in John 17; 21-23. That they all may be ONE, as the Father is in me (Jesus) and I in him, that they also may be ONE is us; I in them and thou in me that they may be perfect in one.
Our Pains, Sufferings and Failures with not destroy Gods glory
Many of us think that when we are suffering or failing God we are in fact hindering God’s glory shining. But this is impossible, God created everything for his glory. Our sins are evil but God has an ultimate good purpose for them. In our pain he will show us his comfort, in our failures of sin, he will show us his mercy. To those who reject him to the end, God will be glorified when his holy wrath and justice will punish and bring perfect goodness to all wrongs that have taken place. There will be eternal happiness for those who love Gods glory and there will be eternal justice and judgement of God’s glory on those who hate his glory. But those who love God and fail him he will hold by his grace to demonstrate the glory of his grace. Most of our suffering are part of redemptive suffering, which is a pain that perfects the moral attributes of God in us as we learn to get closer to God. He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness (Heb 12;10). True love, suffering long. 2 Corinthians 12; 9 " For my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness
Plato once asked, "How do you know what a things function is?" This reflective question is inquiring whether an object has a correct way to function and does this function act towards an ultimate end or purpose. Are our individual acts and pursuits relative to our selves or do they correspond to an ultimate plan which we, and every other individual is a part of?
To answer this question, one must agree that objects have been created and designed for a purpose and that its actions or reactions are corresponding to the way it has been made to function. If it does, then this is what a things function is; It is acting according to its designers plan and purpose. There are no random impersonal acts that just happen by chance.
When asking about "what is the universes ultimate purpose and for our lives" we are seeking an ultimate meaning for the universe and our actions as a whole. If there is an ultimate goal or purpose in life, then there is a mind behind the universe who has created objects to function according to a rational purpose. If the world is rational then God has given reality an interpretation giving matter meaning and a purpose for the functions that take place.
The end for Which God Created the World
Why did God create the world? It certainly was not because he had to or was incomplete with out it. He did not need to create creatures to be loved because God in the Trinity has been in a loving relationship from eternity. God is eternal fullness, that being perfect and complete in all things. His nature is perfection. Because God’s existence and will is the highest perfection that exits, all other finite perfection’s flow from his for their existence. Gods will is the ultimate end for which creation was created and is unfolding too. What is in itself most valuable and eternally perfect is God’s ultimate end in creation. God shows by his works of creation what he values most, that being himself, his glory. He creates to manifest his glory, as his glory is the highest perfection.
Because God has infinite wisdom he knows what he creates will be rationally perfect. Because he is sovereign he knows that his eternal decrees of rules and measures of proceedings will achieve its perfect end for what he created it for. As Ephesians 1; 11 says, "being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Because God is eternally good and is in fact "Love" we know his ultimate purpose in general providence and his final end will be in accordance to his eternal Holiness, Love, Mercy, Justice, and Judgment.
The original ultimate end of creation governs all God’s works that being the emanation and true expression of God’s eternal fullness, his glory. God does everything for his names sake, because there is no higher perfection.
This is what Romans 1;20 confirms,
"For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse"
This verse is telling us that what is made is in fact demonstrating and manifesting God’s invisible attributes (Perfection, Glory).
For his Names Sake
Probably no text in the Bible reveals Gods passion for his own glory more clearly than Isaiah 48;9-11,
"For my names sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another."
John Piper concludes from this verse in his book "Let the Nations be Glad" that the Bible gives six hammer blows to a man-centered way of looking at the world.
For my names sake!
For the sake of my praise!
For my own sake!
For my own sake!
How should my name be profaned!
My glory I will not give to another!
Texts concerning God’s making himself the ultimate end of creation.
The Scriptures speak on all occasions as though God made himself his end in all his works, and as though the same being, who is the first cause of all things, were the supreme and last end of all things. Revelation 1;8 says "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Verse 11; "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and last." Verse 17; I Am the first and the Last." Chapter 21;6, And he said unto me, it is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." Chapter 22;13, I Am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
The meaning of the Texts and its Biblical confirmation
For when God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, the end as well as the begnning, it is implied that as he is the first efficient cause and fountain from whence all things originate; so, he is the last, final cause for which they are made; the final term to which they all tend in their ultimate issues. This seems to be the most natural import of these expressions; and is confirmed by other parallel passages;
Romans 11; 36 "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things."
Colossians 1; 16 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him."
Hebrews 2; 10 "For it became him, by whom all things, and for whom are all things."
Proverbs 16; 4 "The Lord has made all things for himself."
And the manner is observable, in which God is said to be the last, to whom and for whom are all things. It is evidently spoken of as a fitting and suitable thing, a branch of his glory; a meet prerogative of great, infinite and eternal Being; a thing becoming the dignity of him who is infinitely above all other beings; from which all things are by whom they consist; and in comparison with whom all other things are as nothing.
Jonathan Edwards makes a beautiful insight when he says that God has created the world ( a thing) to become the dignity of him who is infinitely above all other beings.
The Ultimate end of God’s providence
God’s providence is the power that is in all things which directs every atom and event in history from the beginning to the end to demonstrate Gods glory. God is in charge over all things. He has ordained all our days, even the good and the evil that befalls us.
Isaiah 64; 8 "O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay and you our the potter and all of us are the work of your hand."
Jeremiah 20; 23 "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps."
Proverbs 19; 24 "Mans steps are ordained by the Lord, How can man understand his ways."
Isaiah 45; 7 "I Am the Lord and there is no other, I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity, I the Lord do all these things."
As I have said in great detail in my other works, Evil is evil in itself, but God has a morally good reason for its existence. God has made vessels of clay for glory and some for destruction both for his ultimate glory ( Rom 9; 1-33). God ultimate Justice and Holy wrath will be demonstrated for eternity upon those who have rejected Gods glory. Suffering also has a mysterious power in it, like medicine, to heal us and force the compassion of God to flow out of our lives to others. It is part of the universe to manifest God’s love through his people. Jesus Christ was perfected through suffering. It is the sting of pain that brings out the biblical love that suffers long, counting no wrongs, loving our enemies to the point of death.
Isaiah 46; 9-11 "I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me. My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please, what I have said I will bring about, what I have planed I will do."
God without fail will manifests the greatest good, love, justice, mercy, judgement that exists to demonstrate his eternal glory. Everything that happens will rebound to God’s glory.
"From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Rom 11; 36)
As there is an infinite fullness of all possible good in God, a fullness of every perfection, of all Excellency and beauty and of infinite happiness. This fullness is capable of communication, or emanation ad extra; so it seems a thing pleasant and valuable in itself that this infinite fountain of good should send for abundant streams. And as this is in itself excellent, so a disposition to this in the Divine Being, must be looked upon as an excellent disposition. Such an emanation of good is, in some sense, a multiplication of it. So far it may be looked on as an increase of good. And if the fullness of good that is in the fountain is in itself excellent, then the emanation, which is as it were an increase, repetition, or multiplication of it is excellent.
Since there is an infinite fountain of light and knowledge, that this light should shine forth in beams of communicated knowledge and understanding, and as there is an infinite fountain of holiness, moral excellence, and beauty, that so it should flow out in communicated holiness. And as there is an infinite fullness of joy and happiness, so these should have an emanation and become a fountain flowing out in abundant streams, as beams from the sun. This appears reasonable to suppose that it was God’s last end that there might be a glorious and abundant emanation of his infinite fullness of good and that the disposition to communicate himself, or diffuse his own fullness was what moved him to create the world.
God creates creation to manifest his perfections and creates creatures to taste his perfect nature and express it back to him.
The Whole is of God.
The emanation or communication of the divine fullness, consisting in the knowledge of God, love to him, and joy to him, has relation indeed both to God and to the creature; but it has relation to God as its fountain, as the thing communicated is something of its internal fullness. The water of a stream is something of the fountain; and the beams of the sun are something of the sun. And again they have relation to God as their object; for the knowledge communicated is the knowledge of God; and the love communicated is the love of God, and the happiness communicated is, the joy in God. In the creatures knowing, esteeming, loving, rejoicing in, and praising God, the glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledge; his fullness is received and returned. Here is both an emanation and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature, and is reflected back to the luminary. The beams of glory come from God, are something of God, and are refunded back to again to their original. So that the whole is of God, and in God, and to God; and he is the beginning, and the middle and the end.
The Chief end of man
The first question of the Westminster Catechism states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. God has created us to behold his attributes in a finite form to manifest his perfect nature. God created us as moral creatures to manifest his character of goodness to others. God has created creatures so that his perfect nature can be glorified in his saints and reflect back his glory to himself. All that we experience and taste that is good is what we have received as being created in God’s image. It is his moral heart that has been placed in our hearts to beat forth his love. Without God’s light shining in our hearts there would be no goodness felt in the world. For what we have, is only what we have been created to feel and express.
2 Corinthians 4; 6 "For it is God who has commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
For many of us we live our lives living for ourselves, enjoying everything for our own sakes. But there is an ultimate end for us having this beating heart. It is to love others and by doing this we are manifesting Gods glory in his creation. Trinity love, is loving others we the same love you love yourself. God delights in shining his fullness in to our hearts so that we can enjoy him and have fullness of life forever. God in seeking his glory seeks the good of his creatures because the emanation of his glory implies the communicated Excellency and happiness of his creatures. When we feel God’s love we with love others and love God back, God’s love is not selfish for he is an eternal trinity.
Our moral actions are to bring glory to God.
1 Corinthians 10; 31 "Whether therefore you eat or drink, or what ever you do, do all to the glory of God."
1 Peter 4; 11 "That in God all things may be glorified."
Philippians 1; 10-11 "That you may approve things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ Jesus, unto the glory and praise of God."
In giving creatures an ever-increasing likeness to God, God makes himself first cause and last end.
There are many reasons to think that what God has in view in an increasing communication of himself through eternity is an increasing knowledge of God, love to him, and joy in him. And it is to be considered that the more those divine communications increase in the creature the more it becomes one with God, for so much the more is it united to God in love, the heart is drawn nearer and nearer to God, and the union with him becomes more firm and close and at the same time the creature becomes more conformed to God. The image is more and more prefect and so the good that is in the creature comes forever nearer and nearer to an identity with that which is in God. Who has a comprehensive prospect of the increasing union and conformity through eternity. It must be an infinite strict and perfect nearer, conformity and oneness.
So that the eyes of God who perfectly sees the whole of it in its infinite progress and increase, come to an eminent fulfillment of Christ’s request in John 17; 21-23. That they all may be ONE, as the Father is in me (Jesus) and I in him, that they also may be ONE is us; I in them and thou in me that they may be perfect in one.
Our Pains, Sufferings and Failures with not destroy Gods glory
Many of us think that when we are suffering or failing God we are in fact hindering God’s glory shining. But this is impossible, God created everything for his glory. Our sins are evil but God has an ultimate good purpose for them. In our pain he will show us his comfort, in our failures of sin, he will show us his mercy. To those who reject him to the end, God will be glorified when his holy wrath and justice will punish and bring perfect goodness to all wrongs that have taken place. There will be eternal happiness for those who love Gods glory and there will be eternal justice and judgement of God’s glory on those who hate his glory. But those who love God and fail him he will hold by his grace to demonstrate the glory of his grace. Most of our suffering are part of redemptive suffering, which is a pain that perfects the moral attributes of God in us as we learn to get closer to God. He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness (Heb 12;10). True love, suffering long. 2 Corinthians 12; 9 " For my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness
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