The Westminster Confession of Faith is not one I’ve studied in recent years,
but a recent reference by Alistair Begg made me revisit it. Chapter 2 Article II
states in part:
“God has all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He has made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them.”
The
scriptural proof for that statement was taken from Job 22:2-3 (ESV): “Can a man
be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. Is it any
pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to Him if you
make your ways blameless?”
If we accept
this statement of the Confession as true (which some may argue), it should
bring us to our knees in humility. Man cannot give anything to God, but is only
a vessel through which God glorifies Himself. We can contribute nothing to our
salvation, sanctification, service, or worship, except by means of God’s
actions in and through us. When we remember that every breath we take, every
beat of our hearts, and every impulse of our neurons is only possible because
of God’s sustaining grace, we shouldn’t be surprised to realize that we can’t
by our own efforts do anything for God.
It’s easy to
fall into the habit of thinking incorrectly because we use imprecise
terminology. We may say things like, “Let’s worship God together,” or “Glorify
God in your work.” That’s not necessarily wrong to say, since Scripture uses
such commands frequently. However, we need to remember that we can only obey
those commands because God is at work in us to glorify Himself. In the words of
the Apostle Paul, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”
(Philippians 2:12b-13). God initiates and we respond.
I realize
this steps on the toes of man’s free will. These days I wonder if we are really
so free as we think. It often seems more like an illusion to undergird our pride
of self-sufficiency and independence. God’s sovereignty and man’s free will is
certainly not something that I can explain, and far more learned theologians
still debate it. I can only point to the truths of Scripture as God’s Word:
- “The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them He has set the world” (1 Samuel 2:6-8).
- “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).
- “For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God” (Psalm 86:10).
- “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).
Let us
worship and serve the Creator because He has made us and has enabled us to do
so by His grace and mercy!
© 2017 Dawn Rutan.
