The Happiness of God… Jonathan Edwards
11 January 2009
6 Comments
It is evident by both Scripture and reason, that God is infinitely, unchangeably, and independently glorious and happy; that he cannot be profited by, or receive anything from, the creature; or be the subject of any sufferings, or diminution of his glory and felicity, from any other being. Jonathan Edwards, The End for Which God Created the World
Infinitely, unchangeably, and independently glorious and happy! AND he cannot be profited by OR receive anything from, the creature.
Remember this, that God IS happy, all the time… because His will is always accomplished, and His will is always gloriously good. May we enter into His joy every day even when we do not understand….
Chris:
This is an all in one comment.
Your tribute to Donna and your marriage is very cool – a joy to read.
CS Lewis – I have to be careful to remind myself the C – in CS stand for Clive, not Canon…although, in my opinion – he’s close, very close.
Re: giving – to paraphrase the above mentioned; he thinks giving a little beyond our comfort is a good rule of thumb – to whom, what, when, where…I guess there we can (need to) rely on our relationship with God.
There is one apparent benefit to the obvious gloom of today’s woes; its dark. Light, standing in contrast, gets more “bang for its buck.” But here again, I’m challenged to act, not in what I think is right, but to REMEMBER to ask “what should this surrendered creature do?” Your right! Obey. Which is no easy task. My surrendered will does not always know the pernicious nature fallen my will. Sooner or later it becomes clear. Most often later.
Re: Edwards – do you think we add to the smile on God’s face? Do you think we contribute to His joy? He’s infinite in every attribute except the ones he chooses to leave open to addition..?
Love to read your postings Chris. Thanks.
Becka
Hi Becka,
I have thought about how we bring a smile to God’s face. I think we do, however I think it is still from Him, to Him and through Him. What do i mean? The best example is the hope chests I create for my daughters. It was designed and created by me only. The hope chest didn’t do anything in and of itself. Yet, after it is done, I look at it and take great delight and joy in the creation! It brings me joy, but it is a dependent joy. In and of itself, it cannot do anything that wasn’t a result of my creative efforts. All analogies break down so I don’t want to take it too far. If we could only see how truly infinite God is and that yes he does take great delight in the sons of man, yet…. since He truly is infinite in every way, He cannot be improved upon by any created being! This is the stuff and substance that makes me revel in our great God. As CS Lewis said it, there is this “divine humility” that God allows us to bring him pleasure when we have nothing to bring. It is mysterious and lovely. I am so grateful he is MY FATHER!
He is always happy because His will is always accomplished. He knows the endgame!!!
“God is infinitely, unchangeably, and independently glorious and happy; that he cannot be profited by, or receive anything from, the creature…”
Beautiful. Such truth is good to be reminded of often!
Thank you for posting this quote, Mr. Taylor.
“Jesus wept.”
Gary,
Thanks for your comment. It has sparked a response that I will post soon!
[...] is a response to a comment on my post “the happiness of God.” I felt it important to post on this because so many of us glibly make statements about God’s [...]
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