THE GREATNESS OF GOD By R.C. Sproul

God is great (Deut. 7:21; Neh. 4:14; Ps. 48:1; 86:10; 95:3; 145:3; Dan. 9:4), greater than we can grasp. Theology states this truth by describing Him as “incomprehensible”—not that He is irrational or illogical, so as to prevent us from following His thoughts at all, but that our minds cannot contain Him, because He is infinite and we are finite. Scripture portrays God not only as dwelling in thick and impenetrable darkness, but also as dwelling in unapproachable light (Ps. 97:2; 1 Tim. 6:16). These two images express the same thought: our Creator is above us; and it is beyond our power to take His measure.

God tells us in the Bible that creation, providence, the Trinity, the incarnation, the regenerating work of the Spirit, union with Christ in His death and resurrection, and the inspiration of Scripture—to go no further—are facts; and we accept them on the strength of His word, without knowing how they can be. As creatures, we are unable fully to comprehend either the being or the actions of the Creator.

As it would be wrong, however, to suppose ourselves to know everything about God (and so in effect to imprison Him in the box of our own limited notion of Him), so it would be wrong to doubt that our concept of God constitutes real knowledge of Him. One of the consequences of being made in God’s image is that we are able both to know about Him and to know Him relationally, in a true if limited way. Calvin speaks of God as condescending to our weakness and accommodating Himself to our incapacity, both in the inspiration of the Scriptures and the incarnation of the Son, in order to give us genuine understanding of Himself. By analogy, the form and substance of a parent’s baby-talk bears no comparison with the full contents of the parent’s mind, which might be expressed in conversation with another adult; but still the child receives true information about the parent from the baby-talk, and responds with growing love and trust.

This is why the Creator presents Himself to us anthropomorphically, as having a face (Ex. 33:11), ears (Neh. 1:6), and eyes (Job 28:10); or as having feet (Nah. 1:3), sitting on a throne (1 Kin. 22:19), flying on the wind (Ps. 18:10), or fighting in battle (2 Chr. 32:8; Is. 63:1-6). These are not descriptions of what God is in Himself, but of what He is to us: the transcendent Lord who relates to His people as Father and Friend. God comes to us in this way to draw us out in love and trust, even though in a way we are always like little children who understand only in part (1 Cor. 13:12).

We should never forget that the purpose of theology is doxology; we study in order to praise. The truest expression of trust in God will always be worship, and it will always be proper worship to praise God for being greater than we know.

Sproul, R.C. The Greatness of God. The Reformation Study Bible. Orlando, Florida: Ligonier Ministries, 594.

THE PURPOSE OF SALVATION

Over the weekend, I was reminded of the purpose of salvation while reading 1 Chronicles 16. Many may feel that this is widely known and does not need to be discussed; however, many conversations I have had and have overheard prove otherwise.


In his book, Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper asks the question, "Why do we cherish being forgiven by God?" According to Piper, "There are answers to this question that would dishonor him, because there are benefits from forgiveness that a person may love without loving God. We might say, 'I cherish being forgiven by God because I hate the misery of a guilty conscience.' Or '...because I want to go to heaven to see my loved ones and have a new body with no sickness.'" If God is not a person’s main reason for wanting to be forgiven, then one can conclude that he or she has the wrong intentions for seeking forgiveness.


In 1 Chronicles 16, David is returning the Ark of the Covenant to the tent that he has pitched for the Lord. The Ark was the most sacred object of the Israelites in the Old Testament, especially during Israel's wandering through the wilderness. It reminded God's people of his presence and promises that he had made with his people and had been faithful to keep. After returning the Ark, David sings a song of salvation and exhorts others to join him in praising God. The lyrics to this song inform the hearer that the ultimate purpose of salvation is to bring glory to God. David asserts, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, ‘Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.' Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever" (1 Chronicles 16:34-36).


Forgiveness is not an end, but a means to an end. Believers have been forgiven so that they will worship God. This will not happen until they understand that the greatest reward of forgiveness is being brought back into a right relationship with God. Piper affirms, "God is the goal of forgiveness. He is also the ground and the means of forgiveness. It comes from him; it was accomplished through his Son; and it leads people back to him with their sins cast into the deepest sea...At great cost to himself God gave us what we needed above all things: himself for our enjoyment forever. God's forgiveness is important for one reason. It gives us God!"

Piper, John. Don't Waste Your Life. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 100-101.

"Quote" of the Week

"Forgiveness is essentially God's way of removing the great obstacle to our fellowship with him. By canceling our sin and paying for it with the death of his own Son, God opens the way for us to see him and know him and enjoy him forever. Seeing and savoring him is the goal of forgiveness. Soul-satisfying fellowship with our Father is the aim of the cross." -John Piper

LEARNING OF GOD'S LOVE FOR THE NATIONS

We had a great service yesterday morning and a wonderful time during the evening presentations. Many of you shared with me how this experience has given you a better understanding of what God is doing around the world. It is important for us to realize, as Jeff said yesterday, that we have been blessed in this country to be a blessing. It does not take long, when reading God's word, to see that He desires to be know and worshiped where He is not. My prayer is that God would create in each of you a desire to be more involved in missions whether it be through learning more about it, giving towards it, and/or looking for opportunities to go and serve. I appreciate your support and look forward to doing this again next year!

MAKING MUCH OF HIM IN MEMPHIS

We had a wonderful mission trip to Memphis, Tennessee. We along with other youth from around the country shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with over 150 people and saw over 50 people trust in Christ for their salvation. Thank you church, family and friends for supporting us financially and prayerfully. Know that you have invested in Kingdom work.

WHY EMPHASIZE MISSIONS?

This month our church is emphasizing missions. This week, the youth of Fellowship Bible Church are working with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) in Memphis, TN. in hopes of reaching citizens of the Mid-South for Christ. Also, on Sunday, July 20th, our church will devote a day to learning about and praying for missions. On this day we will have short-term and career missionaries from India and the Philippines come and speak as well as a national from Brazil.

The reason our church emphasizes missions is because worship is the ultimate goal of the church and is non-existent in many areas of the world. According to John Piper, “Missions exists because worship does not.” A church cannot say that worship is a priority without making missions a priority.

Many, nonetheless, argue that worship and missions are unrelated; defining worship as an act that takes place between an individual and God. Worship, however, is much more than that. Believers are not simply called by God to make much of Him, but are also expected to make others glad in Him so that God can be known and worshiped where he is not. In fact, a desire to do missions should flow from a heart of worship. This “heart of worship” is demonstrated by the psalmist who said, “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad” (Ps. 97:1).

Those churches that do not get excited about missions should question whether or not they are truly worshipping God. Piper affirms, “Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to ‘declare his glory among the nations’” (Ps. 96:3).

Believers must realize that genuine mission ministry will not take place until authentic worship does. My prayer, for evangelical churches everywhere, is that they would be able to say with the psalmist, “(We) rejoice in the Lord…(We) will be glad and exult in you” (Ps. 104:34; 9:2). I also pray that they would desire to see the nations come to enjoy God through Christ for His glory.

Piper, John. Let the Nations be Glad. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 17-18.

"Quote" of the Week

"The great end of God's works, which is so variously expressed in Scripture, is indeed but ONE; and this one end is most properly and comprehensively called, THE GLORY OF GOD." -Jonathan Edwards