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Enjoying God Blog

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In a recent article at desiringgod.org John Piper described why he finds Reformed Theology so beautiful and appealing. I was especially blessed by the following.

God’s commitment to making himself supreme and glorious and central is not megalomania, because unlike our self-exaltation, God’s self-exaltation draws attention to what gives us the greatest and longest joy — namely, himself. It doesn’t work that way with us. That’s why we don’t like human beings who exalt themselves. Our self-exaltation draws people away from the one thing that can satisfy their souls: the infinite worth and beauty of God in Christ.

If I say, “Look at me,” I’m your enemy. If God says, “Look at me,” he’s your friend. If you obey me when I say, “Come, drink at the fountain of my resourcefulness,” you will die. If you obey God when he says, “Come, drink at the fountain of my infinite resourcefulness,” you will live. When God exalts himself, he is loving us. He is showing and offering the one thing that can satisfy our souls forever — namely, God. If Psalm 16:11 is true (“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”), what should he do to love you?

He should stand on every mountain and in every church, and say, “I am that great. I am that great. I will satisfy.” In our very experience of supreme satisfaction in him, his ultimate purpose is fulfilled — namely, the magnifying of his own all-sufficient, all-satisfying glory, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. This is the answer to the accusation of God’s megalomania: when he offers us himself at the cost of his Son’s life, he is both magnifying his own worth and satisfying our souls forever. There is a name for this, and it is not megalomania. It is love.

2 Comments

Yes God is God and He is holy and majestic. However, I don't really like Piper's theology because it downplays humanity's potential and greatness. We are sinners, depraved, yes. But humans have done, and continue to do some remarkable things. We have created mind boggling inventions, such as the computer we are using. We are made in God's image and have glory ourselves. Piper's theology seem excessive and out of balance, IMO.
If we consider the wonders of Creation, we already know that God provided sufficiently for every human that would ever live. In Revelation, John points to two sources of poverty and suffering: human rage (the Fire Horse Rider), and human greed (the Black Horse Rider). Perhaps these are truly demonic: but, elsewhere in the Bible, demons only function at human invitation. So, I think that the symblism (Fire and Black) is more likely a disclosure of how bad human motivations really are: a full disclosure of the depths of human depravity. Is God sovereign over that too? Well, yes, that's kind of the point of Revelation. But God has already displayed that greatness of which you write, in Creation. Salvation is yet to come.... (later in the Bible).

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