I entreat you to devote one solemn hour of thought to a crucified Saviour--a Saviour expiring in the bitterest agony.
Think of the cross, the nails, the open wounds, the anguish of His soul.
Think how the Son of God became a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that you might live forever.
Think as you lie down upon your bed to rest, how your Saviour was lifted up from the earth to die.
Think amid your plans and anticipations of future gaiety what the redemption of your soul has cost, and how the dying Saviour would wish you to act.
His wounds plead that you will live for better things.-Albert Barnes
Do you realize the seriousness of this gospel you believe in? I don't believe we do, because we seem to accept Jesus but then casually go on in the patterns of the world. We thank God for forgiving all our sins and then immediately entertain ourselves with the things He did to get rid of. We praise Him on Sunday mornings and then spend the rest of our week praising ourselves.
"His wounds plead that you will live for better things." That better thing is Himself. We were made to make much of Him and so that's where we will find supreme joy. The whole story of the cross is a story of God seeking to make much of Himself by showing of His glory to undeserving sinners. The cross was the most God-glorifying act in history. And by embracing this grace and immersing ourselves in the gospel everyday, we get to lose ourselves in worship of this King. What could bring more joy?
"The more I behold God's glory in the gospel, the more lovely He appears to me. And the more lovely He appears, the more self fades into the background like a former love interest who can no longer compete for my affections."- A Gospel Primer (Milton Vincent)
You make some wonderful points, but I must say that I strongly disagree with the concept that the primary reason for Jesus dying on the Cross was to glorify God -- rather, I believe it is LOVE. I think it is wrong to view God as One who is asking Himself, "What would bring the most glory to Me?" instead of as One who is motivated by LOVE. God calls us to be like Him, the embodiment of LOVE, and yet evangelical leaders are seeking to dim His Character, His glorifying acts of LOVE and JUSTICE, down to their own finite understanding. It is an injustice! Let us do this injustice to God's Character, His LOVE, His glory, and His ways no more! We must stop and ask: Why is the greatest commandment to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul & strength rather than to glorify Him? How can grace, blessings & good shown to wicked men who wreak havoc on innocent people glorify a purely just God? If God is about glory more than Love why did He write history in a way that would allow any shame to touch His good Name? Why? God is LOVE. What does that really mean? We can't miss it or we will have missed Him more than you can now know. What do all His commandments mean, really, as He seeks to bring us into alignment with Him -- Who do these commandments tell us He really, truly is?! Let us know Him as He is.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post-- I want to find more glory in what God has done and less glory in myself and the world. Thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteSide note: I always love what you write!!
Nicole - Thank you for sharing your thoughts. There are a couple reasons why I think that the primary purpose of the cross was to glorify God.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, God is loving. I agree with you on that one. but He definitely doesn't love us to make much of us. We're definitely not lovable. and it would be idolatry for God to make much of anything but Himself. The whole reason He loves sinners is to make much of Himself. to show off His mercy. It's His grace that we get to also reap the benefits. but that doesn't mean the cross is about us.
It's easy for us as humans to not like the idea of God wanting to glorify Himself, but that's because we have an incomplete view of who God is. He is glorious! and doing what will bring Him the most glory is really the most loving thing He could do.
Also, the Bible itself says that His glory was the reason He sent His Son. Ephesians 1:11-12 "...so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” It was David's prayer in Psalm 25:11, "For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great."
You mentioned the question, "Why is the greatest commandment to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul & strength rather than to glorify Him?" I actually don't think it's one or the other, but rather that we glorify Him by loving Him with all our heart... To give Him all of our affection and lives is to make much of Him. It says something about His worthiness.
"If God is about glory more than Love why did He write history in a way that would allow any shame to touch His good Name?" We see a very small piece of God's story. Romans 9:22-23 says, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.” God will be glorified in the end, and if He is glorified by punishing wickedness or showing mercy to some sinners, then He'll do that.
Hopefully that clarifies where I'm coming from. I'm am very grateful for the benefits I receive through the cross. I think it was the most loving act in history. but I also think it was the most God-glorifying act. And His glory is the greatest cause of all.