Christian Worldview Network - Brannon Howse - What Exactly is God’s Driving Motivation?

There was perhaps no greater theologian apart from the inspired biblical authors than Jonathan Edwards. Of him, Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones wrote:

I am tempted, perhaps foolishly, to compare the Puritans to the Alps, Luther and Calvin to the Himalayas and Jonathan Edwards to Mount Everest...There are so many approaches to this great summit; but not only so, the atmosphere is so spiritually rarified, and there is this blazing white holiness of the man himself, and his great emphasis upon the holiness and the glory of God.[1]

Jonathan Edwards’s singular passion for the glory of God drove him, and it fueled his fire for personal holiness, integrity in preaching, evangelism, revival and missions. My aim in this article is, with the help of Jonathan Edwards and friends, to show clear biblical evidence that God is very motivated by and passionate about His glory. It is in fact His driving motivation, His ultimate and chief end. Verse upon verse can be laid down to demonstrate this beyond any question, but there is only time and space for a fraction of them.

When God refers to Himself as “the beginning and the end” both in the Old and New Testament (see Is 44:6; Rev 22:13), He is speaking to something more than His authority over time – when all created things came into being and when they will cease to be. He is also speaking to something even more than His infinite existence, never beginning and never ending. Concerning God being the first and the last, the beginning and the end, Jonathan Edwards writes:

When God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, the end as well as the beginning, 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 issue. This seems to be the most natural import of these expressions; and is confirmed by other parallel passages; as Rom 11:36: “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.” Col 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.” Heb 2:10: “For it became him, by whom are all things, and for whom are all things.” And in Prov 16:4, it is said expressly, “The Lord hath made all things for himself.”[2]

All things originate from God. He is the beginning of all things. All things culminate in God. He is the end of all things. “End,” here, must be understood in the sense of an aim, intention or purpose. All things exist for God, for His glory. All it takes is a cursory glance at scripture to see how plain this is. In addition to the references Edwards mentioned in the above quote, here are a few other references:

“…bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Is 43:6b-7).

“The Lord has made all for Himself; Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom” (Pr 16:4 – NKJV)

“…yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist…” (1 Cor 8:6)

Not only is God the beginning and the end; that is, not only do all things originate and culminate in Him, but He is also the “middle,” so to speak. That is, all things are created to manifest and display the glory of God, to communicate God’s glory, as Edwards states. Of this he writes:

When God was about to create the world, he had respect to that emanation of his glory, which is actually the consequence of the creation, both with regard to himself and the creature. He had regard to it as an emanation from himself [beginning], a communication of himself [middle], and, as the thing communicated, in its nature returned to himself, as its final term [end]. And he had regard to it also as the emanation was to the creature, and as the thing communicated was in the creature, as its subject. And God had regard to it in this manner, as he had a supreme regard to himself, and value for his own infinite, internal glory. It was this value for himself that caused him to value and seek that his internal glory should flow forth from himself.[3]

So God is the beginning, middle and end of all things. He, as Creator, is their origin . He is the middle in the sense that His glory is the reason all things exist – to manifestly communicate His glory. And He is the culmination of all things.[4]

God’s Own Glory Was the Driving Motivation for His Benevolence Toward His People Israel

God called Israel out from among the pagan nations of the world, entered into covenant with her and lavished her with unending love. And throughout all of this unmerited benevolence, God repeatedly declared His driving motivation toward His people Israel; that being for the sake of His own name – for His own glory:

“Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power” (Ps 106:7-8)

"For my name's 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” (Is 48:9-11)

Why did God keep His covenant with rebellious Israel? The Bible shows us clearly that God’s aim in making and keeping His covenant promises to Israel is to receive glory for Himself:

“Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified” (Is 60:21)

“…to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Is 61:3)

“For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen” (Jer 13:11).

Edwards writes: “The Scripture leads us to suppose that Christ sought God’s glory as his highest and last end.”[5] Now there are many reasons Jesus lived, suffered, died and rose again: to absorb God’s wrath against sin, to show God’s love and grace for sinners, to take away our condemnation and to create a people passionate for good works.[6] However, my goal here is to expound on the chief end of Jesus’s earthly ministry: the glory of God.

1. Jesus’s birth was proclaimed by angels as they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:14). Notice the first words of this proclamation – “Glory to God.” “Peace on earth,” though proclaimed with great joy and hope, was secondary to the praise of God.

2. Being the recipient or observer of a miracle performed by Jesus elicited a proper and somewhat predictable response. Notice how the people correctly responded:

· “And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today" (Luke 5:25-26)

· “And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and ‘God has visited his people!’” (Luke 7:14-16)

3. Jesus Himself announced time and again that His ministry was for the glory of His Father:

· “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood” (John 7:18-19)

· “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again" (John 12:27-29)

· “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” (John 17:1)

· “When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (John 13:31-32).

· “This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God” (John 21:19).

4. When Jesus gave commands and instructions to His disciples, He continually reinforced to them the ultimate end of all He instructed:

· “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16).

· “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13-14).

· “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8-9)

The apostles reminded Christians time and again what God’s ultimate aim is in our election, justification, sanctification and glorification (i.e. salvation).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph 1:3-6) Notice how these verses build toward a climax, that being the praise of God’s glorious grace. Our salvation in its entirety is for the glory of God.

“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:15)

“so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:10-11).

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

God created the Church to fulfill many purposes. The New Testament both prescribes and describes what the Church is all about. In my upcoming articles, I will go into greater detail about why the Church exists. Reasons include devotion to apostolic teaching, communion, fellowship, generosity toward those in need, thankfulness and praise to God and missions outreach. That last point, missions, is something that needs to be addressed just a bit here. The Great Commission is to be taken very seriously and the Church is accountable to Jesus for obedience to this command. So many churches have imploded, turning themselves completely inward, becoming a sort-of members only social club where zero energy, time and prayer are put into taking the Gospel out of their four walls. In response to this tragedy, an upcoming generation of young pastors, seeing this self-destructive sinful pattern, have made it their life’s calling to turn the Church’s focus outward, putting all their energy, time and prayer into reaching the lost. Missions, or mission, is regarded by these pastors as the ultimate end for which God created the Church, and Matthew 28:19-20 is employed in defense of this position. While both an inward ministry and an outward mission are integral aspects of the Church’s function, they are not ultimate ends. The ultimate end is an upward focus on the glory of God. Everything else flows out of this, the highest and ultimate end of the Church.[7]

There are at least two obvious reasons why missions cannot be the primary end for which God created the Church. First, missions is man-centered. If the previous verses haven’t made it clear, let me say it again. Man is not the center of anything in God’s economy. God is! Everything revolves around Him. Second, missions is temporary. When this present age passes, missions will also cease to exist. John Piper writes:

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.[8]

Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish…Missions begins and ends in worship.[9]

Scripture clearly points to the glorifying of God as the ultimate purpose of the Church, even over missions and ministry to the saints. Again, it must be understood that ministry and missions are both biblical mandates for the Church to obey, but they are not the ultimate end for which the Church exists. Churches that place either missions or ministry at the top of their priority list are not following the teachings of Jesus or the Apostles on how the Body of Christ is to function. God’s glory is to be central in the Church. The New Testament doxologies remind the local churches what is to be the prime focus of our lives, the ultimate purpose for which we are here. This is my personal favorite: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:20-21). In God’s Church, it’s all about God! To Him be the glory.

The Church is timeless in the sense that, upon its inauguration by Jesus, it will never cease to exist. We, His body, His bride, will live forever with Him in eternity. All ministries and missions to men will cease, in time. But the Church’s ultimate purpose, to joyfully glorify God, will go on forever. [10]

When Christ returns to judge the earth and bring all His saints into their reward, His ultimate aim will be His own glory. The saints will glorify God with ever-increasing joy for all eternity.

“…when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev 4:11)

“And I beheld, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, "Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever” (Revelation 5:11–13).

I have demonstrated ample biblical evidence that God’s ultimate end in all things is the glory of His own name. His benevolence toward Israel, His Son’s life, death and resurrection, His Church – we who are His body – and His return at the end of the age all point to one truth – all things begin and end in God and are for His glory. “Turn to me, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.”[11] To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

[1] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Puritans: Their Origins and Successors, (Banner of Truth, 1987), p. 355.

[2] Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol 1. Section I.

[3] Ibid., Section VII.

[4] Now this is not to say that all “means” lead to God as the “end.” One might attempt to construe Edwards’s argument to mean that “all roads lead to God.” This is not what is meant by God being the end. The purpose of God is His own glory, and God created us for that same, ultimate purpose - to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. However, all things in His creation are not fulfilling that end. But ultimately, God will receive glory from all His creation, either in the joyful praise of His saints in this life and the one to come or in His righteous eternal judgment upon the wicked, for “…at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow…to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).

[5] Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol 1. Section III

[6] This incomplete list is borrowed from the chapter headings of John Piper’s book entitled Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (Crossway Books: 2006). See the table of contents for a full (but surely not exhaustive) list of reasons. Better yet, read the book.

[7] Churches that are not guided by an upward focus on the glory of God will become “lost.” God’s glory serves as a North Star guiding the Church not only to do what is right, but to do it for the right reason. If God is removed as the blazing center, as Piper would say, then a lesser god will fill the vacuum. That is, man will become “god.” This can be clearly seen in these Self-Esteem, Emergent and Seeker “Churches,” where man’s ego is glorified and God’s glory is debased. More to follow.

[8] John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad, Second Edition, (Baker Academic, 2003), p. 17

[9] Ibid.

[10] I should note here that some readers may be troubled that this section of the article is not as scripture-saturated as the others. However, nearly every book in the New Testament, which contains the very verses we personally cherish and obey, was written to local churches that were expected to obey them corporately as well. Put simply, all previous references apply to this section as well.

[11] Is 45:22