1689:2.1. God and the Holy Trinity (God is for His glory)

The Lord our God is one, the only living and true God.1  He is self-existent2 and infinite in being and perfection. His essence cannot be understood by anyone but him.3  He is a perfectly pure spirit.4  He is invisible and has no body, parts, or changeable emotions.a He alone has immortality, dwelling in light that no one can approach.5  He is unchangeable,6immense,b,7 eternal,8 incomprehensible, almighty,9 in every way infinite, absolutely holy,10 perfectly wise, wholly free, completely absolute. He works all things according to the counsel of his own unchangeable and completely righteous will11 for his own glory.12  He is most loving, gracious, merciful, and patient. He overflows with goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. He rewards those who seek him diligently.13  At the same time, he is perfectly just and terrifying in his judgments.14  He hates all sin15 and will certainly not clear the guilty.16

Commentary

The Westminster Confession of Faith says that the 'chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever'. Today what I want to highlight in the confession is the phrase: "He works all things according to the counsel of his own unchangeable and completely righteous will for his own glory."

If the chief reason for our existence is to glorify God (John Piper says we glorify God by enjoying Him) and if God has an unchangeable and righteous will, that means whatever our lot is in life serves God's ultimate purpose of bringing glory to Himself and this is good. And if our ultimate enjoyment is found in God, we will be ok with His will. We can be ok and not understand why. We can be grieved at an immense tragedy and know simultaneously that we are in God's secure and righteous will. And as we remember that God is ultimately for His glory we can rest certain that we will persevere in Christ because our salvation is grounded God's unchanging passion to bring Himself glory through our salvation. Here are a few passages of Scripture worth meditating on today.

Psalm 113: 3 says:

3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases. (NKJV)

After Job's immense suffering, he confesses:

2 “I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. (Job 42:2 NKJV)

The Lord says in Isaiah 46:10

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)

And Proverbs 16:4

4 The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. (NKJV)