The Keys to Spiritual Growth (eBook)

Unlocking the Riches of God

John MacArthur (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2001 | 1. Auflage
192 Seiten
Crossway (Verlag)
978-1-4335-1741-9 (ISBN)

Infos

John MacArthur explores a range of biblical passages to reveal the riches of God in Jesus Christ, riches that will help us continue to grow in faith and spirit.

John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he has served since 1969. He is known around the world for his verse-by-verse expository preaching and his pulpit ministry via his daily radio program, Grace to You. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. MacArthur is chancellor emeritus of the Master's Seminary and Master's University. He and his wife, Patricia, live in Southern California and have four grown children.

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THE
MASTER PURPOSE

The Glory of God

If you were to go out on the street and ask ten people at random to name what they considered to be the greatest theme in all the world, you would probably get a variety of answers: money, love, marriage, sex, freedom, security, status, pleasure, peace, happiness.

But from God’s viewpoint, there is only one answer. It is the greatest theme in all the universe. It is the purpose of creation, the primary goal of the Christian life, and the reason for everything God has done or will do.

What is it? The answer is found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The first question asks, “What is the chief end of man?” And here’s the answer: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” The writers of the catechism believed every Christian should understand that he exists for God’s glory and God is for his enjoyment.

Someone may object that we are basing too much on the catechism, even though it is based on Scripture. But the paramount importance of the glory of God is not just someone’s idea. It is supported directly by the Word of God. In Psalm 16:8 David writes, “I have set the LORD continually before me.” That refers to giving God glory. In making this statement David is saying in effect, “In everything I do, my attention is given to God. All that I do, I accomplish with my focus riveted on God. It’s all for His glory and His honor and His will.”

The result of such a focus is found in verse 9: “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.” That is another way of saying that he found great joy in God. So here was David’s goal—to live always to the glory of God and consequently to enjoy God forever. That is the same point that the catechism is making.

The supreme objective in the life of any man or woman should be to give God glory. And the consequence of doing that will be unbounded joy. Spiritual maturity comes from concentrating on the person of God until one is caught up and lost in His majesty.

GOD’S INTRINSIC GLORY

What do we mean by glorifying God? We can look at this practically from two aspects. The first concerns God’s intrinsic glory, the glory that God has in Himself. In Isaiah 6:3, the seraphim cried out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”

God’s intrinsic glory is a part of His being. It is not something that was given to Him. If men and angels had never been created, God would still possess His intrinsic glory. If no one ever gave Him any glory, any honor, or any praise, He would still be the glorious God that He is. That is intrinsic glory—the glory of God’s nature. It is the manifestation and combination of all His attributes. We cannot give it to Him; we cannot diminish it. He is who He is—“the God of glory” (Acts 7:2).

Human glory is quite unlike that—it is not intrinsic; rather, it is imparted to a person from outside his or her essential being. We speak of people being exalted and honored. But if you take off a king’s robes and crown and put him next to a beggar, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. The only glory a human ruler enjoys is that which is given him by the trappings of his office.

All of God’s glory is part of His essential being. It is not granted to Him, nor does it derive from any source outside of Himself. So the glory God possesses is thus very different from any form of human glory.

In addition to various Old Testament references, such as Psalm 24:7-10, the New Testament also teaches that God is a God of glory. The Gospels tell us that during His earthly life, the Lord Jesus Christ was divine glory incarnate (John 1:14).

The raising of Lazarus illustrates the Savior’s glory. When Jesus ordered the removal of the stone that sealed Lazarus’ grave, Martha protested. But Jesus answered, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).

How was God’s glory displayed in that instance? In the manifestation of His power—the same power He used to create the universe. Martha did not give the Lord Jesus that glory; He already had it. In raising Lazarus, He put it on display.

Jesus later prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me” (John 17:24). The answer to that prayer will be realized in the time described in Revelation 21:23. The New Jerusalem will have no need of sun or moon, “for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” How beautifully that shows God’s glory as an essential, intrinsic part of His very nature! Since the glory of God is part of His essential being, it is something He does not give to anyone else. In Isaiah 48:11 He says, “My glory I will not give to another.” God never divests Himself of His glory.

But believers can reflect God’s glory, as Moses did when he came down from the mountain (Exodus 34:30-35). More than that, God’s glory shines from within every Christian (2 Corinthians 3:18). But God never imparts His glory to anyone apart from Himself. That is, His glory is in believers only because He Himself indwells them. The glory never becomes ours; God never divests Himself of His glory.

This is similar to the relationship between Pharaoh and Joseph in Genesis. Pharaoh gave Joseph his ring, symbolizing royal authority. He also gave him a gold chain (Genesis 41:42). Joseph became Pharaoh’s representative, with full imperial privileges. Joseph essentially ruled Egypt. His word was law. But there was one thing Pharaoh did not give up—his glory. He told Joseph, “Only in the throne I will be greater than you” (v. 40). He did not give up his glory.

Likewise, God’s glory is something that He does not share with any created being. It is intrinsic to Him—the sum of His attributes. It cannot be added to or diminished.

MAGNIFYING GOD’S GLORY BEFORE OTHERS

You might ask, if God’s glory cannot be added to or increased in any way, why do we speak of bringing glory to God? How can one give God glory if God’s glory is absolute and intrinsic?

Actually, when we speak of glorifying God, we’re talking about magnifying God’s glory before the world. We can, of course, add nothing to the glory that is His very essence, but we can reflect and amplify God’s glory to others.

That was Paul’s point in Titus 2:10, where he wrote that Christians should seek to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.” That verse is not speaking of adding anything to God’s attributes. By living a holy life, we affect the testimony about God in the world. We don’t adorn God; we adorn the doctrine, or teaching, about God by allowing people to see His glory reflected in the way we live. Jesus told His disciples to live so that people can “see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). So while we cannot add anything to God’s intrinsic glory, our lives can reflect His glory and magnify it in other people’s comprehension. That’s how we bring glory to God.

We can also give God glory through spoken testimony. In 1 Chronicles 16:24 David says, “Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” When we declare the great things God has done in our lives, He is glorified.

We also give God glory when we praise Him. David said of God, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). After making that declaration, David summed up: “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name” (v. 13). David recognized that God possessed intrinsic glory and that He ought to be praised because of it.

The New Testament also speaks of praising God for His glory. Paul does so in 1 Timothy 1:17: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” At the end of his epistle, Paul praises God for being the One “who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen” (6:16).

Jude echoes that same theme: “To the only God our Savior . . . be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 25). And in Revelation we find great hosts of people proclaiming God’s glory (5:13). The New Testament commands us to lead lives that glorify God. Paul prayed that “Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body” (Philippians 1:20). He desired to exalt Christ in the eyes of the world. He exhorted the Corinthians to “glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). In other words, use your body in such a way as to give glory to God. Finally, Paul gave this all-inclusive command in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything we do, even something as mundane as eating and drinking, is to be done to glorify God.

GOD’S GLORY THROUGH THE AGES

God’s plan for the ages involves successive manifestations of His glory. History is the unfolding of God’s glory in the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.5.2001
• Verlagsort: Wheaton
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Religion / Theologie ► Christentum ► Moraltheologie / Sozialethik
• Schlagworte: Apostle Paul • Bible study • body of Christ • Christ • Christianity • Christian Life • Church • Colossians • commandments • Confession • Corinthians • David • Disciples • Doctrine • Ephesians • Evangelism • Faith • Fellowship • Forgiveness • Glory of God • God • gods love • gods plan • gods will • Grace • Hope • Jesus • Love • Mercy • Nonfiction • Obedience • Pastor • Praise • Prayer • Redemption • Religion • Salvation • spiritual growth • Spirituality • spiritual journey • witnessing • Worship
• ISBN-10: 1-4335-1741-8 / 1433517418
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-1741-9 / 9781433517419