The Glory of God In All Things?

Last Sunday, the sermon topic was "The Glory of God Alone", Part 1 of a short, 5 sermon series on the foundations of our faith. During that sermon, I mentioned that all creation was made for the glory of God. I think most people understand that and accept it. The most challenging aspect of this, if it is true, it includes all of creation, not just the tidy and pleasant parts that we normally ascribe to God, but the things that make us uncomfortable as well...all of creation. As such, God's glory is revealed, not only in the redemption and deliverance of His people, but in the judgment of those who reject Him. 

I know this is hard to fathom. One of the difficulties in processing this thought is that we hear "God's glory" and think "God's delight." God, obviously does not delight in condemning the very ones He created. (Eze 18:23, 32). Yet the glory of His perfect plan is revealed in both deliverance and condemnation, the condemnation being used, for His purposes, as a backdrop for His holiness and perfect righteousness. 

Let me share some of the resources and the thought processes I used in developing this concept, prior to including it in the sermon:


Isaiah 55:11 says
"11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.", 

This is a clear indication that His word saves and condemns it is a two-edged sword and a stumbling rock. Given that all men are equally wicked when the Gospel is preached to them, and that all deserve only the wrath of God, the mercy showed to one group is made more manifest, by contrast, by the justice showed on the other group. And the more an attribute of God is visible to the creation, the more He is 

glorified.


Let me quote Jonathan Edwards from "The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2"

SECT. II.

Why the sufferings of the wicked will not be cause of grief to the righteous, but the contrary.

1. ...the just damnation of the wicked will be an occasion of rejoicing to the saints in glory. It will not be because they delight in seeing the misery of others absolutely considered. 
And whereas the heavenly inhabitants are in the text (Isaiah 43) called upon to rejoice over Babylon, because God had avenged them on her; it is not to he understood, that they are to rejoice in having their revenge glutted, but to rejoice in seeing the justice of God executed, and in seeing his love to them in executing it on his enemies.
2....the sufferings of-the damned will be no occasion of grief to the heavenly inhabitant, ...It will be an occasion of their rejoicing, as the glory of God will appear in it. The glory of God appears in all his works: and therefore there is no work of God which the saints in glory shall behold and contemplate, but what will be an occasion of rejoicing to them. God glorifies himself in the eternal damnation of the ungodly men. God glorifies himself in all that he doth; but he glorifies himself principally in his eternal disposal of his intelligent creatures, some are appointed to everlasting life, and others left to everlasting death.
...Particularly,
(1.) They will rejoice in seeing the justice of God glorified in the sufferings of the damned. The misery of the damned, dreadful as it is, is but what justice requires. They in heaven will see and know it much more clearly, than any of us do here. They will see how perfectly just and righteous their punishment is, and therefore how properly inflicted by the supreme Governor of the world. They will greatly rejoice to see justice take place, to see that all the sin and wickedness that have been committed in the world, is remembered of God, and has its due punishment. The sight of this strict and immutable justice of God will render him amiable and adorable in their eves. They will rejoice when they see him who is their Father and eternal portion so glorious in his justice.
... on this account will they sing joyful songs of praise to God, as we see the saints and angels do, when God pours the vials of his wrath upon antichrist; Rev 16.:5-7. They sing joyfully to God on this account, that true and righteous are his judgments; Rev 19:1-6. They seeing God so strictly just will make them value his love the more. Mercy and grace are more valuable on this account. The more they shall see of the justice of God, the more will they prize and rejoice in his love.

(2.) They will rejoice in it, as it will be a glorious manifestation of the power and majesty of God. God will show his own greatness in executing vengeance on ungodly men. This is mentioned as one end of the destruction I of the ungodly; ” What if God, willing to show his wrath, and make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?” God will hereby show how much he is above his enemies. There are many now in the world, who proudly lift up themselves against God. There are many open opposers of the cause and interest of Christ. “They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. 192 ” Then God will show his glorious power in destroying these enemies.

The power of God is sometimes spoken of as very glorious, as appearing in the temporal destruction of his enemies; Exod 15:6. “Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.” But how much more glorious will it appear in his triumphing over, and dashing in pieces at once, all his enemies, wicked men and devils together, all his haughty foes! The power of God will gloriously appear in dashing to pieces his enemies as a potter’s vessel. Moses rejoiced and sang when he saw God glorify his power in the destruction of Pharaoh and his host at the Red sea. But how much more will the saints in glory rejoice, when they shall see God gloriously triumphing over all his enemies in their eternal ruin! Then it will appear how dreadful God is, and how dreadful a thing it is to disobey and condemn him. It is often mentioned as a part of the glory of God, that he is a terrible God. To see the majesty, and greatness, and terribleness of God, appearing in the destruction of his enemies, will cause the saints to rejoice; and when they shall see how great and terrible a being God is, how will they prize his favour! how will they rejoice that they are the objects of his love! how will they praise him the more joyfully, that, he should choose them to be his children, and to live in the enjoyment of him!


Another quote from Edwards:

"It appears that all that is ever spoken of in the Scripture as an ultimate end of God's works is included in that one phrase, the glory of God. In the creatures' knowing, esteeming, loving, rejoicing in and praising God, the glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledged; his fullness is received and returned. Here is both the emanation and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature and is reflected back to the luminary. The beams of glory come from God, and are something of God and are refunded back again to their original. So that the whole is of God and in God, and to God, and God is the beginning, middle and end of this affair." (Dissertation Concerning the End for Which God Created the World)

Then we have the Westminster Confession of Faith:


Chapter III
Of God's Eternal Decree
III. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels[6] are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death.[7]]
V. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, has chosen, in Christ, unto everlasting glory,[9] out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto;[10] and all to the praise of His glorious grace.[11]
VI. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto.[12] Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ,[13] are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified,[14] and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation.[15] Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.[16]
VII. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extends or withholds mercy, as He pleases, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by; and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of His glorious justice.[17]

We see these same principals developed in Ex 15, when the destruction of Pharaoh's armies is described in the Song of Moses is described as "highly exalted" (Ex 15:1) "majestic in power" (Ex 15:6), "majestic in holiness" (Ex 15:11) and overall described as extolling the virtues of God (Ex 15:2). The net result of this "majestic" (to magnify, glorify, from the "Complete Word Study Dictionary, Old Testament" by Baker) work is to throw the fear of God into His enemies (Ex 15:14-16). 

We see these concepts echoed clearly in Prov 16:4 as well. Some struggle with the idea of God "being in the presence of evil" yet this verse tells us He created the wicked! There is no evil in God, but a truly omnipresent God would have a hard time not encountering it. We find a similar parallel in God's relationship to darkness. Though there is no darkness in God, He encounters it, has sovereign authority over it (Gen 1:4-5) and uses it for His glorious purposes (Ex 10:21-22).

Ultimately, in dealing with these difficult subjects, we all have to answer just one question, "How sovereign do I believe God really is?" Either He is absolutely, completely sovereign over everything, or there are areas beyond His control, beyond His influence, apart from His authority and...indeed, areas of creation that were not made for His glory. 

Personally, I'm much more comfortable with a God who is far bigger than I can imagine, one who challenges me and stretches me in areas like this, one who cause me to fall on my face, as Job did, crying out, "I have spoken of things too wonderful for me to understand!"

Soli Deo Gloria! Either it's all for the glory of God...or only some of it.