“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Holiness is a description of God, a sum of all His divine attributes. His glory is the radiance of His holiness displayed. In essence, there is nothing worth desiring more than the holiness of God.
When John Piper unpacked what it meant for our lives, he asked: How [and/or when] do you feel being loved by God?
Perhaps when He gives us what I want? Perhaps when I feel like being used by God? Maybe when He is making much of me? This can’t be more wrong. Think about it. What does God desire? As much as He loves us, He ought to desire The Best, the infinite valuable, which is His holiness. Jesus, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrew 1:3),” is His holiness make accessible. Logically speaking, this implies that the goal of salvation and of creation is not us, but His holiness. His love for us is not so that we could make much of ourselves, but we could make much of Him and enjoy Him forever. To quote John Piper,
“The love of God is his passion to sustain and exalt His holiness for your enjoyment forever.
He explains further that God undertook the sacrifice of His only son so that we could have the inner revelation that enables us to enjoy making much of Him forever.
In other words, my being used by God is only a by-product in the pursuit of His Holiness. Next time, when I seek His holiness above all things, despise sin because it dishonors God, and when I choose to serve in order to make most of Him and not myself, I know I am loved. For I was dead, but now live again because of His provision through Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:5), so that I could enjoy making most of Him forever.
Holiness is a description of God, a sum of all His divine attributes. His glory is the radiance of His holiness displayed. In essence, there is nothing worth desiring more than the holiness of God.
When John Piper unpacked what it meant for our lives, he asked: How [and/or when] do you feel being loved by God?
Perhaps when He gives us what I want? Perhaps when I feel like being used by God? Maybe when He is making much of me? This can’t be more wrong. Think about it. What does God desire? As much as He loves us, He ought to desire The Best, the infinite valuable, which is His holiness. Jesus, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrew 1:3),” is His holiness make accessible. Logically speaking, this implies that the goal of salvation and of creation is not us, but His holiness. His love for us is not so that we could make much of ourselves, but we could make much of Him and enjoy Him forever. To quote John Piper,
“The love of God is his passion to sustain and exalt His holiness for your enjoyment forever.
He explains further that God undertook the sacrifice of His only son so that we could have the inner revelation that enables us to enjoy making much of Him forever.
In other words, my being used by God is only a by-product in the pursuit of His Holiness. Next time, when I seek His holiness above all things, despise sin because it dishonors God, and when I choose to serve in order to make most of Him and not myself, I know I am loved. For I was dead, but now live again because of His provision through Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:5), so that I could enjoy making most of Him forever.
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