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God Most High (El Elyon) · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, the deep dive where we sift
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through sources to bring you illuminating insights, maybe
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some surprising facts, and hopefully a chuckle or two along
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the way. We really aim to give you a
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shortcut to getting well informed, you know, without
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making you feel overwhelmed. That's right.
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And we try to go beyond just the surface, connecting the dots,
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seeing the bigger picture of what things mean.
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Our goal is for you to walk away with hopefully a clear outlook
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and maybe a fresh understanding. OK, so today we are taking a
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really close look at a truly grand concept, El Elian God Most
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High. We've got a stack of articles,
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research notes here to guide us, and our mission really is to
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understand the full scope of this biblical title.
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You know, from its earliest mentions all the way through to
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how it shaped Reformed theology and how it impacts everyday
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Christian living. It's pretty fundamental stuff.
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Oh, absolutely. This concept, it speaks volumes
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about God's sheer elevation, doesn't it?
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His enthronement above absolutely all rule and
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authority. And that's such a vital truth
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for our age, which, let's be honest, is often so focused on
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earthly concerns. Yet what's really interesting as
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you dig into the sources is how biblical exultation is never
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just abstract. It always, always joins cosmic
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sovereignty with covenant grace. We'll see how this name, El
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Aelyon, kind of acts like a golden thread all through
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Scripture, showing God's majesty woven right through his mercy.
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That's it. And for us, getting a handle on
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God as El Elyon isn't some minor theological footnote.
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It is, to borrow that phrase from our sources, the granite
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foundation of Reformed theology and piety.
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We'll discover how minimizing this truth, well, it can really
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erode belief. But getting it right, honoring
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it, can restore the church's vitality and a believer's
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personal happiness. All right, let's unpack this
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concept right from the beginning in Scripture.
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Let's watch how this golden thread first appears.
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Our sources point to a pretty dramatic first appearance.
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They certainly do. Our sources take a street to
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Genesis 14, verses 18 to 20. It's a very brief, almost her
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scene, but it's kingly is Abram and Melchizedek.
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And this right here is the very first biblical disclosure of the
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name El Eleon. You have Melchizedek, this
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mysterious priest, king of Salem.
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He steps out and he blesses Abram, and he introduces God
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using this specific title, El Elian, possessor of heaven and
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earth. OK, that moment, Abram and
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Melchizedek, it's so concise, like you said, but it feels
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packed with meaning. Our sources call it a first
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biblical disclosure. What's so striking about this
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being the first time we hear El Elian?
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Why not say back in creation or during the flood narrative?
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What does its origin in this specific sort of historical
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battlefield encounter tell us about God?
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Most ties. That's a really sharp
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observation, and it gets right to a vital insight from our
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sources. First, the meaning of the name
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itself is quite revealing. The Hebrew root ALH in Elian.
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It means to ascend or to go up. It points to something
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unsurpassable, high elevated beyond compare, and pairing it
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with L, the generic word for God, shows the supreme height
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belongs to God alone. He is the ascended 1.
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OK, so most high. Right.
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But here's what's really compelling and why this context
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matters. It's deliberate, joining right
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from the start of this cosmic sovereignty with covenant grace.
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Think about it. The Most High God, he's seated
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far above the petty squabbles and battlefields of earth.
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Yet the text says he's the possessor of heaven and earth.
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He owns the very ground where these kings are fighting.
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So. He's transcendent but also
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imminent involved. Involved exactly.
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This shows transcendence welded to covenant.
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The God who possesses everything also Stoops.
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He condescends to ally himself with his people.
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With Abram here, our sources really highlight this.
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It's not just about God's raw might over everything, it's
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about His might being deployed with and for his people.
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El Elian's height isn't distant, it's the very foundation of his
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covenant. That makes sense.
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It's revealed not in some abstract way, but right after
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Abram's victory. Yes, the revelation comes not in
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some, you know, grand cosmic light show, but in a very
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earthly critical moment for Abram.
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After a battle where human kings are grabbing for territory and
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spoils and Melchizedek, he disappears almost out of
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nowhere, bringing this heavenly perspective to Abrams very
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grounded victory. He doesn't just bless Abram, he
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blesses Abram by El Ilion, attributing reading the victory
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squarely to God Most High, not Abram's strategy or strength.
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And Abram's response is key too, isn't it?
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The tithing. Absolutely crucial.
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Abram giving Melchizedek a 10th of everything is his tangible
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acknowledgement of God's supreme ownership.
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Ownership over the victory, ownership over the spoils,
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ownership over Abram himself. And this stands in such sharp
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contrast to just a few chapters earlier in Genesis 11, the Tower
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of Babel. There people were striving,
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climbing, trying to make a name for themselves, reaching for the
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heavens by their own effort. Human centered ambition, right?
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Building their own way up. Exactly.
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But here Abram bows before the Heavenly One, whose name
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naturally towers beyond any human grasp or achievement.
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Abram becomes great precisely by not trying to grasp greatness
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for himself, but by acknowledging the greatness of
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Li Leon. So this early appearance, it
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really sets the stage for this recurring theme.
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True exaltation comes from God's supreme position and His
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gracious choice to associate with His people, not from human
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climbing. It's fascinating how this isn't
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just a one off title, but something that keeps unfolding.
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We've seen this majestic name, El Elian unveiled with Abram.
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How does it resonate in Israel's worship and later history?
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Does this golden thread keep running?
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Oh, definitely. It runs right into the heart of
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Israel's worship. Psalm 47 versus one and two take
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this very confession from Genesis 14 and bring it into
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Israel's liturgical life, their public worship.
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The Psalm explicitly identifies YHWH, the personal covenant God
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of Israel, with the Most High El Elian, the supreme sovereign
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over all nations. You hear that universal call,
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clap your hands. All peoples shout to God with
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loud songs of joy. For the Lord, the Most High is
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to be feared, A great king over all the earth.
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So it connects Israel's specific God YHWH with this universal
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supreme title, El Ilion. Precisely.
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And this highlights the harmony, not the tension, between God's
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grace and his kingship. The Psalm isn't just saying God
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is high in an abstract sense. It's calling all people to
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recognize YHWH as the king over all the earth.
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This means Israel's particular experience of YHWH to saving
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acts like subduing nations before them, choosing their
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heritage. These specific mercies are
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presented as proof of his universal dominion.
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I see. So his specific actions for
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Israel demonstrate his universal authority.
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You got it. Redemptive grace and absolute
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kingship aren't competing ideas. They resonate together.
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God demonstrates his most high status precisely by tending to
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his chosen people. And our sources Note that this
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liturgical logic, this way of thinking found of the Psalms,
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stands right behind the conviction of the Westminster
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Divine's later on that Providence and redemption are
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really two sides of the same coin.
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The God who governs all history. He does so, ultimately, for the
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sake of his covenant people and his redemptive plan.
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So when Israel sang Psalm 47, they weren't just praising their
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tribal deity. Not at all.
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They were worshipping the Most High God of all the earth, who
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had graciously chosen them, yes, but whose reign extended far
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beyond their borders. This liturgical confession
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trained them week after week, generation after generation, to
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see their particular calling within a vast universal plan
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directed by Elian himself. OK, so this understanding of
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Elian shapes how Israel sees God's rule over everything, not
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just their covenant. What else do our sources point
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out about how this title keeps appearing and developing in the
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Old Testament? Well, the title El Elian pops up
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quite frequently and reveals A consistent theological pattern.
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Take Deuteronomy 32, verses 8:00 and 9:00.
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It speaks of El Elion setting the boundaries of the nation's.
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Just think about that God Most High as the one who draws the
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lines on the world map, showcasing His divine
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sovereignty over global distribution.
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That's quite a picture. It is, and there's that
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interesting textual point our sources mentioned.
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The Masoretic Text reads according to the number of the
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sons of Israel, while the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Septuagint
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read according to the number of the sons of God or angels.
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Now, this might seem like a small detail, but it adds
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nuance. If it's sons of Israel, it
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clearly highlights God's specific covenant plan.
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Even the partitioning of nations is ordered ultimately for his
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chosen people's inheritance. If it's sons of God, it suggests
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a kind of cosmic counsel, maybe angelic beings who are
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themselves subordinate to El Elian, making his supremacy even
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more sweeping over all spiritual and earthly authorities.
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Either way, he's in charge of setting up the nation's.
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Either way, the central point is El Elian's unchallengeable
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sovereignty over the global order.
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He's the ultimate geographer, the ultimate ruler of nations,
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right down to their borders. Then you have psalms like 83 and
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91. They explicitly call upon El
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Elian in prayers for deliverance.
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Psalm 91.1 is famous. He who dwells in the shelter of
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the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty, that
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shelter of the Most High. It means fighting refuge under
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God's supreme, unassailable protection.
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So his height provides safety. Exactly.
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It's more than just poetry. It's a statement about the
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practical reality of God's guardianship.
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If you're in the shelter of the Most High, His very being, His
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elevated status, His untouchable position is your refuge.
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Who can possibly reach you? If you're dwelling with the Most
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High, it provides this incredible confidence.
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Ultimate Stacy isn't in human strength or clever plans, but in
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resting under the all-encompassing shadow of El
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Eleon. It's meant to be a deep comfort
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for the anxious soul. That's a powerful image, but
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there's a flip side too, right in Isaiah.
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Yes. A crucial negative contrast
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comes in Isaiah 14, verses 13 to 15.
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This is that famous taunt against the king of Babylon, he
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boasts. I will ascend to heaven above
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the stars of God. I will set my throne on high.
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I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
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I will make myself like the Most High.
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Hubris personified. Totally.
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He's trying to usurp the very title imposition of El Elian,
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but what happens? He's cast down the Sheol to
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lowest decks. This passage powerfully
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demonstrates that any misuse of this height language, any
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attempt to claim that supreme position, is the ultimate
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antithesis to the genuine Elian. It underscores his unique,
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unchallengeable elevation. It mirrors Babble again, doesn't
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it? Trying to climb up.
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It does. It's that same primal pride, and
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the fall is just as swift and absolute.
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It shows that all human or even angelic attempts to climb to
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divine heights are doomed to humiliating failure.
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The true Most High tolerates no rivals.
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His elevation is exclusive. It's his alone.
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OK, it's clear the Old Testament consistently hammers home
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Elian's supreme authority Ordering creation, delivering
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his people, judging the proud. So what happens when this
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soaring truth finally intersects with the person of Jesus Christ
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in the New Testament? Does the concept shrink or does
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it intensify? It absolutely intensifies the
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New Testament. Writers pick up the title
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without lessening its weight one bit, and they apply it directly,
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unequivocally to Jesus. Look at Luke's infancy
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narrative, Luke 1 verses 32 and 35.
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Twice the Angel Gabriel calls the child to be born Son of the
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Most High. This immediately signals that
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the incarnation God becoming flesh doesn't somehow reduce
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divine transcendence. Instead, it makes that very
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transcendence manifest in a human person.
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So Jesus embodies the Most High. Yes, the supreme status of God
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isn't lessened by Him becoming human.
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It's revealed through His humanity.
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Gabriel's announcement identifies this humble baby with
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the highest heavenly authority. It sets Jesus apart from any
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mere prophet or earthly king right from the start.
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He is uniquely divine. And it's not just angels, even
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demons. Get it?
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Mark chapter 5, verse seven, that encounter with the demon
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possessed man Legion. The demons, keenly aware of the
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spiritual hierarchy, cry out recognizing Jesus as Son of the
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Most High God. They immediately acknowledge His
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spiritual supremacy and their utter subjection to Him.
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That's a striking confession from an enemy source.
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It really is. This legion, this host of evil
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spirits, knows instantly who Jesus is.
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Their frantic plea. What have you to do with me,
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Jesus, son of the Most High God? It's this involuntary confession
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of his rank. It's not some calm theological
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statement. It's a primal shriek of
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recognition from beings who understand spiritual authority.
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It just underscores that Elian's authority, embodied in Christ,
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is so absolute that even his fiercest enemies cannot deny it.
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OK so angels and demons recognize him.
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Any other examples? Yes, look at Acts 16 verse 17.
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There is that strange incident with a slave girl possessed by a
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spirit of divination, a Python spirit.
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She follows Paul and his companion, shouting.
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These men are servants of the Most High God who proclaimed to
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you the way of salvation. Now she's doing this, likely for
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disruptive or malicious reasons, empowered by a demon.
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But she paradoxically speaks truth.
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Her words, using the title Most High God, unwittingly point to
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the reality being proclaimed by the apostles.
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It shows the the disruptive effect of the gospel of the
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assaulted Christ, even in a Pagan setting, through a
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corrupted source. The truth about the Most High
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breaks through, exposing the emptiness of paganism.
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But the book of Hebrews really digs into this right?
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With Melchizedek again. Yes, Hebrew 7 is absolutely
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decisive. Here.
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Melchizedek reappears, but not just as a historical figure.
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He's presented as a Type, A foreshadowing of the eternal
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priest, King Jesus Christ. The entire argument of Hebrews 7
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hinges on understanding Melchizedek as the priest of the
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Most High God from Genesis 14. His unique priesthood prefigures
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Christ's, but Christ surpasses it infinitely because, as
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Hebrews argues, Christ holds his priesthood permanently because
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he continues forever. His priesthood being after the
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order of Melchizedek guarantees salvation completely, utterly.
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The logic is tight. Only a priest installed by Elian
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himself. A priest whose order is superior
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to the temporary Levitical one can minister an unassailable
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eternal covenant. This concept, grounded in Christ
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as the ultimate fulfillment of the Melchizedekian priesthood
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tied to Eleon, provides the very ontological bedrock for
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doctrines like definite atonement and the perseverance
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of the Saints. Because his priesthood is tied
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to the Most High God. Exactly.
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It rests on Christ's unchangeable status as the
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eternal High Priest serving the Most High.
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The author argues Christ's work, his sacrifice, is ongoing.
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Intercession is secured by the unshakable authority of El Eon
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himself. This gives believers an absolute
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assurance. Your salvation isn't fragile or
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temporary because your high priest is eternally enthroned,
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serving under the authority of and as the Son of the Most High
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God. His priesthood is as high as El
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Eon himself. OK, so taking all this biblical
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data together from Genesis right through to Hebrews, what's the
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big picture of Ella Leon? What are the key takeaways for
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us? Well, when you put all these
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texts together, you see a remarkably clear biblical
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trajectory, a consistent unveiling.
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Elian stands sovereignly above creation.
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He ordains the course of nations, he rescues the
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oppressed to call on him, he humbles proud empires that defy
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him, and ultimately he culminates his self revelation
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in the God man, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High.
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Each appearance, each mentioned adds depth and color to this
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unchanging theme. Absolute supremacy joined
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intrinsically with Covenantal mercy.
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It's. Not one or the other.
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Never. It's always both.
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And for Reformed theology, this means God's sovereignty isn't
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some, you know, abstract philosophical idea.
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It's a core scriptural confession.
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The Most High actively directs every single detail for His
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covenant purposes, not detached governance.
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It's purposeful, active, moment by moment direction of all
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things, for the good of His people and the display of His
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glory. And that affects our assurance.
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Absolutely. Assurance for believers isn't
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just wishful thinking or a subjective feeling.
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It rests firmly on the objective reality of a priest, King Jesus,
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whose throne no rival can ever preach, because he is the Son of
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the Most High. You can have a settled peace, a
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deep confidence, because your hope is anchored in this Most
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High God, whose might is absolute and whose priest is
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eternal. Which leads to how we should
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worship him. Right worship, consequently,
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must be fundamentally vertical. It must be oriented upwards.
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Psalms, prayers, preaching. They must center on God Himself,
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on His Majesty, His attributes, His works, not primarily on
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entertaining humanity or meeting felt needs.
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The biblical explanation of Elsaya services this firm
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foundation for all doctrine and all Christian duty.
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It's a constant call to lift our eyes.
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OK, so that rich biblical picture of Elian, that's the raw
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material. How does this find clear
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systematic expression in the, let's say, the dogmatic core of
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Reformed theology, especially within something like the
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Westminster Standards? That's exactly where we see this
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biblical outlook distilled and systematized the Westminster
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standards, particularly the confession of faith.
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They really crystallize scriptures of vision of God's
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absolute supremacy. Just look at their open
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declaration in chapter 2. There is but one only living and
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true God. That one only immediately echoes
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the uniqueness and supremacy inherent in El Elian.
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The Westminster divines, the theologians who wrote these
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documents in the 1640s, they very deliberately crafted them
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to present a God who towers infinitely above every creature,
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every crisis, every concern. And we see the supremacy shining
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through, particularly in, I'd say 3 main areas drawn from the
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confession. OK, what's the first area the.
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1st is God's divine being. Focusing on his essayety and
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simplicity, WCF 2.1 states that God is infinite in being,
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imperfection, almost pure, spirit, invisible, without body
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parts or passions, immutable, immense, eternal,
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incomprehensible, Almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most
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absolute. That's quite a.
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It is, and right there, Most absolute, infinite in being that
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points directly to his aseity. That's the theological term for
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God's self existence, his independence.
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The name Elion itself implies this.
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For God to be truly Most High, he can't depend on anything else
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for his existence, his attributes, or his actions.
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No origin precedes him. No outside influence
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fundamentally changes him. He's life in himself.
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He doesn't get his Dean from anywhere else.
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Exactly. If he did, he wouldn't be most
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high, He'd just be, you know, high up, but still dependent.
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This guards against any idea that God has created or could
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somehow be improved or diminished.
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And linked to this is God's simplicity.
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The confession says he's without body parts or passions.
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Now, simplicity sounds simple, but it's a profound concept,
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isn't it? Very profound.
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It doesn't mean God is easy to understand, means he's not
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composed of different pieces or attributes that could ever be
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separated or conflict with each other.
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He doesn't just have love, justice, wisdom.
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He is love, He is justice, He is wisdom, perfectly and
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indivisibly. So his attributes are his
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essence. Correct.
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This is critical for his status as El Elian because it means he
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is utterly unified, perfectly complete, and therefore
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unchanged, changeable, immutable in his very being.
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His love won't fade, his justice won't bend, His wisdom won't
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decrease, because these aren't detachable parts but his eternal
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essence as the Most High. This teaching directly counters
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any view of God as well, changeable, uncertain, or
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emotionally volatile in the human sense.
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A God who could be outranked by history or need crucially input
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wouldn't be most high, maybe just near high.
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OK, those are deep theological waters.
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Sayity. Simplicity.
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How do our sources show these concepts aren't just abstract
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ideas, but offer genuine pastoral comfort?
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How does knowing God is most high in this way actually help
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us? That's the crucial link.
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This doctrine provides immediate and profound pastoral comfort.
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Think about it, when you as a believer face constantly
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shifting circumstances, maybe a sudden job loss, a scary
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diagnosis or relationship breakdown, or just the daily
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roller coaster of your own emotions, you can rest upon one
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whose life never fades, whose love is never mood driven.
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Because he's simple and unchanging.
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Precisely if God were composed of parts, those parts could
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theoretically change, decay, or be in conflict.
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But because the uncomposed, simple God remains holy and
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eternally disposed to keep his covenant promises, because
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nothing in him can fragment or fade, you have this incredibly
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solid anchor. His love for His people isn't a
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part of them that might diminish, it is His very being.
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His promises aren't temporary passions or whims, they're
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rooted in His immutable, most high nature.
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This provides tremendous stability for the soul, allowing
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you to face the unpredictable waves of life with a steady gaze
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fixed on the unchanging El Elian.
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That really does make these doctrines concrete.
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OK, so that's God's inherent nature is most high.
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What about his actions, His relationship to the world, to
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history, to our lives? That brings us to the second key
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area, His eternal decree and providential government.
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God's supremacy as El Elian radiates through His eternal
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plan. WCF chapter 3, verse one is
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famous or perhaps infamous to some.
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God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of
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His own will, freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever
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comes to pass. Whatsoever comes to pass that's
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comprehensive. Maximal, isn't it?
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Nothing is excluded. Whether it's the movement of
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galaxies to the fall of the single Sparrow, the course of
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empires, of the details of your life, it's all embraced within
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His eternal counsel, His decree. Now the confession is very
21:01
careful here. It immediately guards against
21:04
turning this into simplistic fatalism or making God the
21:06
author of sin. It emphasizes that this decree
21:09
doesn't violate the liberty or contingency of secondary causes.
21:13
Things like human choices, natural laws.
21:15
Our choices are real and have real consequences.
21:18
God's decree doesn't eliminate our responsibility.
21:20
So it's not like we're puppets. Not at all.
21:23
The Divine's maintain that God's decree works through, not
21:26
against, these secondary causes. It's a deep mystery how His
21:30
absolute sovereignty coexist with genuine human agency.
21:34
But they affirmed both because Scripture affirms both.
21:37
And this truth undergirds doctrines like unconditional
21:39
election, God's free choice to save certain individuals, and it
21:42
actually fuels missions. Why?
21:44
Because God's decree includes the means as well as the ends,
21:48
the preaching of the gospel is the ordained means by which God
21:51
gathers his elect. So we preach boldly, knowing God
21:53
will use it to accomplish His sovereign purpose.
21:55
OK, that's the eternal decree. How does that relate to his
21:58
ongoing work, his Providence? WCF Chapter 5 extends this
22:02
principle of sovereign decree into the ongoing reality of
22:04
daily life through the doctrine of providential government.
22:08
It says God the Great Creator does uphold, direct, dispose,
22:11
and govern all creatures, actions and things from the
22:14
greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy
22:17
Providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge and His
22:21
immutable decree. This is Elian in action.
22:24
It's His eternal supremacy translated into moment by
22:27
moment, meticulous, caring governance over everything He's
22:30
made. Upholding, directing, disposing,
22:33
governing all creatures, actions and things.
22:36
Wow. It's breathtaking when you
22:37
really let it sink in. It means the seemingly random
22:41
events, the global crises, the personal struggles.
22:44
None of it is outside the scope of El Elian's active, purposeful
22:47
governance. And this brings enormous
22:49
pastoral application. When you face unemployment or
22:52
persecution for your faith or a chronic illness, you have more
22:54
than just human empathy to lean on.
22:57
You have the confession that the Most High God is actively
22:59
steering all things, even the painful things, towards your
23:02
ultimate good and His ultimate glory.
23:04
That doesn't necessarily remove the pain though.
23:06
No, it doesn't deny the reality of pain or suffering, but it
23:10
puts it into an eternal perspective under an
23:13
unassailable sovereignty. It frees you from the tyranny of
23:16
thinking everything is random chance or meaningless chaos.
23:19
It fuels persevering prayer, not just asking God to change the
23:23
circumstances, but trusting His wisdom within them.
23:26
Knowing Elianan is in control allows you to pray with
23:29
confidence and rest in His larger plan, even when you can't
23:33
see it. That makes sense.
23:34
So God's being a city, simplicity and his decree in
23:38
Providence establish his complete supremacy.
23:40
Now you mentioned John frames Lordship Triad earlier.
23:43
How does that authority control presence help systematize this
23:46
understanding of Elian found in the Westminster standards,
23:49
right? John Frames Lordship Triad is a
23:50
really helpful lens, I think, for seeing how the different
23:53
facets of Elian supremacy as articulated in the standards
23:58
hang together and apply to all of life.
24:01
First, you have authority. Because God is El Elian Most
24:04
High, all His commands carry absolute binding weight.
24:07
They issue from the ultimate throne, the throne above all
24:09
other Thrones. His word isn't just good advice,
24:12
it's law, it's decree. That's why the confession
24:15
insists in WCF 1.2 that Scripture alone as God's Word is
24:19
the rule of faith in life. Because he's the ultimate
24:21
authority. He's the ultimate legislator.
24:24
His pronouncements aren't subject to human review panels
24:26
or cultural vetoes. This applies to the 10
24:29
Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, the call to repent and
24:32
believe. All of it is authoritative
24:33
because it comes from the Most High.
24:35
Our conscience is bound to His Word alone.
24:38
Second, there's control. This reflects the eternal decree
24:42
and the doctrine of Providence we just talked about.
24:44
It secures God's effective rule over everything.
24:47
As we said, no molecule drifts outside his grasp.
24:50
It's not just that He permits things.
24:52
He actively superintends every event, ensuring His ultimate
24:55
purposes are never ever thwarted.
24:57
He's always in control. Always.
24:59
His control is absolute, ensuring His plan unfolds
25:03
exactly as He determined from eternity.
25:05
This provides that deep comfort and assurance we discussed.
25:08
And 3rd, there's presence. Now, this might seem
25:11
counterintuitive for the Most High God, but it's crucial.
25:14
Although he is infinitely transcendent, Elian is also
25:17
intimately near to his people. The Lord is near to all who call
25:21
on him. As Psalm 145 says, the
25:23
Westminster Standards embed this truth deeply in their doctrines
25:27
of covenant and worship. Think about the regulative
25:29
principle of worship again, WCF 21.
25:32
It's often misunderstood as just being about liturgical
25:34
strictness, but fundamentally, it's a practical acknowledgement
25:37
of Elian's lordship. Only the Most High God gets to
25:40
dictate the terms of how He's to be approached and praised.
25:43
We don't invent it, He reveals it.
25:45
So his authority dictates how we experience his presence in
25:49
worship. Exactly.
25:50
And this has profound corporate application for the Church.
25:53
It means that the Word read and preached the sacraments rightly,
25:57
administered baptism in the Lord's Supper, and prayer
26:00
offered in Christ's name. These ordinary means of grace
26:03
aren't just human activities, they are the divinely appointed
26:06
channels, the Royal Rd. by which the Most High God draws near to
26:10
his people, and by which his people draw near to him.
26:14
Any human innovations in worship, however appealing or
26:17
seemingly effective they might be, if they aren't warranted by
26:20
scripture, they risk becoming a kind of battle of self exalting
26:24
religion focusing on human creativity rather than divine
26:27
appointment. So the triad helps tie it all
26:30
together. His right to rule, his ability
26:32
to rule, and his condescension to be with his people on his
26:35
terms. That's a great way to put it.
26:36
So reflecting on the Westminster Standards overall, what kind of
26:39
theological guy do they offer us when we center on this doctrine
26:42
of Ellie Gillian? Well, these three areas we've
26:44
touched on, God's divine being, His eternal decree, and His
26:47
providential government, all eliminated by Frames Lordship
26:50
triad. They really formed the dogmatic
26:52
core of divine supremacy and Reformed theology.
26:56
As CD secures God's absolute loftiness, the decree extends
27:00
that sovereignty across all eternity.
27:02
Providence applies it moment by moment in time, and the Lordship
27:06
Triad helps us see how all thought, all history, all
27:08
devotion comes under this one sovereign canopy.
27:12
The Westminster Divine is essentially provided the Church
27:14
with the theological road map where every single point, every
27:17
doctrine ultimately leads upward, pointing to the reality
27:20
of El Elian God Most High. It's not just a collection of
27:24
beliefs, it's a coherent system where every part finds its
27:26
meaning and reference point in the God who reigns supreme, yet
27:30
graciously engages with his creation.
27:32
It's an invitation to view all of reality through that lens.
27:35
It's really quite something, how this truth, this vision of God
27:38
as Elian, seems to echo down through the centuries.
27:40
It feels both ancient and foundational.
27:43
How has this understanding of God Most High been carried
27:45
forward and perhaps deepened through the different eras of
27:48
church history? It is remarkable, isn't it?
27:50
You really do see this consistent witness from the
27:53
earliest Christian centuries. The church has confessed the God
27:55
who towers, as Ephesians one puts it, far above all rule and
27:59
authority and power and dominion.
28:01
And each historical period, facing its own challenges and
28:04
questions, added its distinct perspective, contributing to
28:07
what you could almost call a grand historical hymn to El
28:11
Eliam. So where do we see this in the
28:13
early church? Well, you see it very clearly
28:16
with features like Irenaeus of Lyons back in the 2nd century.
28:19
He was battling Gnosticism, a major challenge back then.
28:22
Gnosticism often taught there is a lesser, maybe even flawed
28:25
creator God responsible for the messy material world, separate
28:29
from a truly supreme, unknowable spiritual being.
28:32
Split between the Creator and the Most High.
28:34
Exactly. But Irenaeus insisted no.
28:37
The one sovereign Creator who formed the visible cosmos is the
28:40
very same Most High God who redeems us through Jesus Christ.
28:44
He completely collapsed that false Gnostic divide.
28:46
He affirmed that the God who spoke the world into existence
28:49
is the same Most High God whose Stoops save us.
28:53
This preserved both the universality of God's rule over
28:55
creation and the particularity of His saving mercy in Christ,
28:59
showing it all flows from the One Supreme God.
29:01
OK, so Irenaeus fought Gnosticism with El Elian, what
29:04
about Athanasius? Athanasius in the 3rd century
29:07
famously fought against Arianism.
29:10
Arianism, as you know, denied the full divinity of Christ,
29:13
teaching the curia de creak. He was a created being, maybe
29:16
the highest creature, but still a creature.
29:19
Athanasius argued powerfully that this view undermines the
29:22
very nature of El Ilion. He showed that if the Son is, as
29:25
the Nicene Creed would later affirm, eternally begotten of
29:28
the Father's essence, then the Father's supreme exaltation
29:31
isn't some distant, solitary attribute.
29:33
Instead, it's a living communion of glory shared eternally
29:36
between the Father of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
29:39
The Father's status as El Elyon demanded that the Son who fully
29:41
reveals Him must also be of the same supreme uncreated essence.
29:45
Because worshipping a creature would compromise the worship of
29:47
the Most High. Precisely for Athanasius, the
29:50
very height of Elton Elion necessitated the Co quality and
29:53
Co eternity of the Trinity. And then you have Gustin in the
29:56
4th and 5th centuries. He absorbed these earlier
29:58
insights and painted this rich picture of the Most High as the
30:02
one whose sovereign happiness, his blessedness, overflows in
30:05
creation. And then, through grace, he
30:08
draws restless, seeking human hearts upward to find their rest
30:11
in Him alone. Remember his famous line from
30:14
the Confessions. You have made us for yourself, O
30:16
Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.
30:20
That's a yearning for the Most High.
30:21
I'll guess and show how God's supreme self-sufficiency, his
30:25
aseity, isn't selfish, but it's the very source from which all
30:28
created goodness and redemptive grace flow out to us.
30:31
It's amazing how they use this doctrine to counter major
30:33
heresies. Now moving into the medieval
30:35
period, the schoolman, they had a different, more philosophical
30:38
approach. Did they maintain this focus on
30:40
the Most High? They did, albeit often using
30:42
different language. The medieval schoolman blended
30:45
biblical theology with rigorous philosophical reasoning.
30:48
To explore the nature of El Elian, take Anselm in the 11th
30:52
century, his famous definition of God as that then which
30:55
nothing greater can be conceived.
30:57
ID Comius Cogitari non protest. The ontological argument.
31:01
Right. Well, it's known as a
31:02
philosophical argument for God's existence.
31:04
It's also profoundly theological.
31:07
It essentially recasts the biblical superlative Elian most
31:10
high into rational terms. And some argued that such a
31:14
supremely great being must necessarily exist, must be self
31:17
existent, is CED, and must possess unsurpassable
31:20
perfection. It's a philosophical buttress
31:22
for the biblical declaration that God is uniquely supreme.
31:25
Then Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century and his massive Summa
31:28
Theologia solidified this. He famously described God as
31:31
actus purus, pure actuality. Pure actuality, what does that
31:35
capture? It means God isn't potentially
31:37
something or becoming something. He simply is imperfect,
31:40
complete, unchanging being. He's pure being itself without
31:44
any mixture of non being, potentiality or limitation.
31:48
This concept of act as purists served to protect the absolute
31:51
transcendence and immutability of El Elian.
31:54
It's stressed that God's height isn't physical distance but
31:57
ontological supremacy. He is most high because he is
32:00
the self existent, unchangeable, perfectly actual source of
32:03
everything else that exists. So even with philosophical
32:06
language, the goal was biblical fidelity to God's transcendence.
32:10
That was the aim, to protect the stunning transcendence revealed
32:13
way back in Genesis 14 and Psalm 47, ensuring God remained
32:17
utterly distinct from and supreme over his creation.
32:20
And don't forget, this era also integrated the theme into
32:22
worship. Think of great hymns like the
32:25
Today hailing Christ as the everlasting Son of the Father,
32:28
the King of glory. The liturgy itself constantly
32:30
taught the people to adore the Most High revealed in Christ.
32:33
OK, from the intellectual heights of scholasticism, we
32:36
plunge into the fire of the Reformation.
32:39
This seems like a period where these doctrines weren't just
32:41
discussed by scholars, but preached passionately from
32:43
pulpits. How did figures like Luther and
32:46
and wield the truth of El Elian? Yes, the Reformation absolutely
32:50
took this doctrine from the schools and cloisters and
32:53
brought it into the public square, into the hearts and
32:55
minds of ordinary people. Martin Luther in the 16th
32:59
century, especially in his famous work on the bondage of
33:01
the will, the Servo Arbitrio, really set the divine majesty of
33:05
Elian against all forms of human pretension.
33:09
In that debate with Erasmus, Luther hammered home the point
33:12
that God is the one who works. All in all.
33:14
For Luther, this wasn't just a theological nicety.
33:16
It was essential for silencing any human, boasting any claim
33:19
that our free will contributes to our salvation in a way that
33:22
diminishes God's sovereign grace.
33:24
So denying God's absolute sovereignty was for Luther
33:27
denying he is El Elian. Absolutely.
33:30
It was core for him. God's control is so absolute
33:33
that salvation is entirely his work from beginning to end.
33:37
Sola gracia, solas Christus. This gave Luther immense
33:41
comfort, grounding assurance not in the shifting sands of human
33:44
choice, but in the unshakable decree of the Most High God.
33:48
John Calvin, also 16th century, picked up this theme in his
33:51
Institute's of the Christian religion, but perhaps sharpened
33:54
it with an even greater pastoral edge.
33:57
Our sources really highlight Calvin's profound insight here.
34:00
You cannot truly grasp the horrifying depth of your own sin
34:04
or the breathtaking wonder of God's grace until you first
34:07
reckon with the infinite height and holiness of El Elian.
34:10
You need the contrast. You need the contrast.
34:13
Without a high view of God, our sin seems like a minor
34:15
infraction, and grace feels, well, maybe just like niceness.
34:19
But when you glimpse God is the most high, sin becomes cosmic
34:21
treason, and grace becomes utterly astonishing, unmerited
34:24
favor. For Calvin, understanding God's
34:26
supremacy wasn't just step one in a logical argument.
34:28
It was the very gateway to understanding and embracing the
34:31
gospel. It drives you to humility and
34:33
fills you with gratitude. And these insights then get
34:36
baked into the Reformed confession.
34:38
Exactly. They didn't just stay in
34:39
Luther's or Calvin's writings. They were codified, written down
34:42
as the foundational beliefs of the Reformed Churches.
34:45
The Scots Confession of 1560 calls God eternal, infinite,
34:49
immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, just, piling up
34:53
superlatives to try and capture his elionic nature.
34:56
The Belgian Confession of 1561 declares him a single and simple
35:00
spiritual being, eternal, incomprehensible, invisible,
35:04
immutable, infinite, Almighty, perfectly wise, just, Good, and
35:08
the overflowing fountain of all good, again stressing his
35:11
supreme perfection. And then, as we discussed the
35:14
Westminster Standards in the 1640s, distilled these biblical
35:17
titles and Reformation insights into those classic, carefully
35:20
worded clauses ensuring that English speaking Protestantism
35:23
would preach, pray and live in the light of the Most High.
35:26
So we see this clear line, early church medievals, reformers.
35:30
Does this strong emphasis on Ellie Lyon continue strong into
35:33
the post Reformation period and even into modern times?
35:36
How did later theologians build on this foundation?
35:39
Yes, the tradition continues, often involving both careful
35:42
systematization and deep personalization.
35:45
The post Reformation scholastics, theologians like
35:47
Amanda Polanis, Johannes Willabius, Francis Turretin in
35:50
the late 16th and 17th centuries, they meticulously
35:53
systematize the Reformed heritage.
35:55
They built these comprehensive theological frameworks.
35:58
Palenas, for instance, famously classified God's attributes into
36:02
incommunicable, those unique to God, like a city, immutability,
36:05
Infinity and communicable. Those reflected dimly in humans
36:09
like wisdom, love, justice. He placed God's supremacy firmly
36:13
in the incommunicable category to shield it, to emphasize God's
36:16
utter uniqueness, His otherness. As El Eleon, Turitan in his
36:21
Institutes of Atlantic Theology rigorously defended doctrines
36:24
like God's exhaustive omniscience and absolute
36:26
immutability against challenges, seeing them as non negotiable
36:29
aspects of his status is the Most High.
36:31
A God who didn't know everything or could change wouldn't truly
36:34
be alien. So they were shoring up the
36:36
defenses doctrinally? What about the Puritans?
36:38
They're known for applying doctrine to life.
36:40
Exactly. The Puritans, figures like John
36:43
Owen and Jonathan Edwards in the 17th and 18th centuries took
36:46
these high doctrines out of the purely academic realm and
36:50
brought them right into the heart of Christian experience.
36:53
They personalized this high view of God.
36:55
Owen, in his incredible work The Glory of Christ, didn't just
36:58
want you to know about Christ's exaltation.
37:00
He invited believers to behold the exalted Mediator, our
37:03
Melchizedekian high priest, seated at the right hand of the
37:07
Most High. For Owen, this deep, sustained
37:09
contemplation of Christ's glory wasn't just an intellectual
37:12
exercise. It was, as he famously put it,
37:15
the spring of all. True obedience, true holiness,
37:18
flowed from seeing and savoring the supreme worth of Christ.
37:21
Who reveals LA on community with the Most High was central to
37:24
growing in godliness. And Jonathan Edwards, building
37:27
on this, explored the very purpose of reality in the end
37:30
for which God created the world. He argued, quite counter
37:33
culturally then and now, that God's ultimate end in creation
37:36
wasn't primarily human happiness, but the display of
37:39
his own supreme worth. His glory is El alien.
37:43
But, and this is key, Edwards showed this wasn't cosmic
37:46
selfishness. In a beautiful, uniquely alionic
37:49
logic of holy condescension, God's delight in his own glory
37:52
overflows commutatively in redemption so that creatures
37:55
saved by grace can participate in his joy.
37:58
Our deepest happiness is found in seeing and delighting in his
38:01
supreme glory. A stunning paradox.
38:03
Wow. OK, jumping ahead to the 19th
38:05
and 20th centuries modern Reformed theologians, how do
38:08
they apply El Elian in their often very different cultural
38:11
contexts? They continue to anchor their
38:13
theology in God's supremacy, applying it to new challenges.
38:17
Herman Bavink, the great Dutch theologian, anchored his entire
38:21
4 volume Reformed Dogmatics and what he called the soul gripping
38:25
sense of the sheer otherness of the Most High.
38:28
For Bavink, true theology begins and ends with awe before God's
38:32
transcendent majesty. Abraham Kuiper and other
38:34
Dutchman politician as well as theologian developed his
38:37
doctrine of sphere sovereignty. He applied Elian supremacy
38:41
directly to public life, famously asserting that there is
38:44
not one square inch of human existence over which Christ, who
38:47
is sovereign, does not cry. Mine, politics, art, science,
38:50
family all fall under the ultimate Lordship of the Most
38:53
High. That's a very outward looking
38:54
application. It is then you have BB Warfield
38:57
and later Cornelius Ventila, Princeton and Westminster
39:00
Seminaries. They argue forcefully that God's
39:02
self attesting revelation of Himself is the Most High leaves
39:06
absolutely no neutral ground for human thought.
39:09
For Van Till especially, any attempt at intellectual
39:12
autonomy, trying to reason independently of God's
39:15
revelation was fundamentally idolatry, setting oneself up as
39:19
a rival to El El Young. We already mentioned John Frame
39:22
and his Lordship Triad, which provides a clear contemporary
39:25
framework for understanding these themes.
39:27
And of course, RC Sproule did so much to popularize the awe
39:31
inspiring reality of God's holiness and majesty for lay
39:33
people through books like The Holiness of God, constantly
39:36
bringing people back to God's utter otherness, His being high
39:39
and lifted up the very essence of Elian.
39:42
So looking back over this huge sweep of history, Ornias de
39:45
Sproule, what's the main take away?
39:46
What does this historical continuity tell us today?
39:49
I think the main take away is this astonishingly unified
39:52
witness to Elian. Across vastly different times,
39:55
cultures, and challenges, from defending against Gnosticism to
39:58
navigating modern secularism, the faithful church has
40:01
consistently affirmed that the most high God rules, he saves,
40:04
and he summons all people to himself.
40:07
This historical continuity does a couple of things.
40:09
First, it supports the Reformed approach of valuing the wisdom
40:12
of the Catholic. That is universal church
40:14
tradition, always under the supreme authority of Scripture.
40:17
But second, and maybe more personally for you listening, it
40:20
illustrates that when we cultivate high thoughts of God,
40:22
we're not. Doing something novel, We're
40:24
joining a great chorus, the communion of Saints across time.
40:27
And conversely, to diminish our thoughts of God, to make him
40:29
smaller, more manageable, more like us.
40:31
It's actually to separate ourselves from this rich shared
40:34
heritage of faith. The unified Witness tells us
40:37
Elian is not just a truth, but the central truth about God.
40:40
OK, this is really where it connects, isn't it?
40:42
We've traced the biblical roots, seen the dogmatic formulation,
40:46
followed the historical stream. How does this grand high
40:49
doctrine of El Lilian actually shape our everyday Christian
40:52
lives? How does it impact the local
40:54
church, our personal walk, our witness?
40:56
What does it mean for us practically?
40:58
Absolutely. This is crucial.
41:00
A high doctrine, no matter how biblically grounded or
41:03
historically attested, only truly becomes pastoral when it
41:06
lands in our daily lives, when it shapes the believers heart
41:10
and the congregations habits and confessing God Is Elian truly
41:14
grasping A sovereign altitude really does cast its light, or
41:17
maybe its shadow in the sense of Psalm 91, over every single area
41:20
of life. It reorients everything.
41:22
Where do we see that impact first?
41:23
Maybe in worship? Worship is definitely a primary
41:26
area. A robust understanding of El Eon
41:29
fundamentally recalibrates our approach to corporate worship.
41:33
It shifts the focus away from what theologians sometimes call
41:36
horizontal entertainment. What pleases us, What meets our
41:39
preferences, what feels relevant and directs it firmly toward
41:42
vertical adoration? What honors the one who is
41:45
infinitely worthy, the Most High God?
41:47
So it's about his worth, not our wants.
41:49
Precisely. We talked about the Reformed
41:51
regulative principle of worship, that we should only worship God
41:54
in ways He has appointed in His Word.
41:57
This isn't just about being fussy or traditionalist.
41:59
It's a practical expression of acknowledging God's supreme
42:02
authority as Ellian. Only the Most High gets to
42:06
determine how He is to be properly approached and honored.
42:08
We don't dictate the terms to Him.
42:10
He dictates them to us out of grace.
42:12
So the how of worship matters because of The Who we worship.
42:15
Exactly. Therefore, things like the
42:17
public reading and faithful preaching of the Word, prayers
42:20
offered sincerely in Christ's name, the right administration
42:24
of the sacraments according to Scripture.
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These aren't just quaint ancient rituals we preserve.
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They are in a very real sense, royal appointments.
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They are the designated meeting places where the throne of
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heaven touches the foot stool of earth, where El Elion has
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promised to meet with his people.
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When congregations regularly engage in these things, singing
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God centered hymns and psalms, offering prayers of confession
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and adoration, hearing preaching that consistently magnifies
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God's majesty and grace, they are being formed, shaped by
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repetition. They learn, perhaps
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subconsciously at first, that gathering on Sunday isn't
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primarily about fellowship or getting a pep talk, but it's
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more like an embassy visit to the court of El Elio.
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This provides vital ballast against the constant cultural
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drift towards consumer driven, therapeutic or entertainment
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focused church services. It grounds worship in the sheer
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objective glory of the one we worship.
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OK, that's corporate worship. What about the individual
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believer? How does knowing God as most
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high affect personal sanctification and assurance?
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It gets right to the heart of personal growth and holiness or
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sanctification. Scripture consistently warns
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that pride, wanting to be like God, grasping at heights
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reserved for him alone, is the primal idolatry.
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We saw that with Babel and the king of Babylon.
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Trying to be our own Elian. That's the root temptation.
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So how do we fight it? By daily, intentionally
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recalling who God is. Remember Isaiah 57.15 For thus
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says the one who is high and lifted up, who inhabits
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eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy
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place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit
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contemplating that reality. God's infinite height combined
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with His gracious condescension to dwell with a humble
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cultivates true humility in US. We stoop not in self hatred, but
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in awe because God is infinitely above us.
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Yet we don't despair, because that same infinitely high God
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Stoops in mercy to be with us. So practical holiness grows out
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of seeing God rightly. Yes, it grows from doxology,
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from worship. John O nailed it when he said
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that. Behold, in the glory of Christ,
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our exalted Melchizedek Ian High Priest, is the spring of all
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true obedience. Sanctification isn't primarily
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about gritting our teeth and trying harder in our own
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strength. It's about being so captivated,
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so transformed by the vision of the Most High God revealed in
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Christ that our desires, our affections, and consequently our
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actions are gradually reoriented toward Him.
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And this connects to assurance too.
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Directly, the assurance that flows from contemplating Elian
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isn't a flimsy optimism. It's a settled conviction rooted
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in the unshakable reality that the most highest purposes and
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promises cannot possibly fail. His decree cannot miscarry.
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So when trials inevitably strike, maybe it's that
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devastating cancer diagnosis, or sudden unemployment, or intense
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persecution or betrayal by a friend.
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The Christian doesn't just have positive thinking to rely on.
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They anchor their hope in God's sovereign Providence.
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He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will say to the
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Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
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Psalm 91.12. It gives perspective to
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suffering. It does.
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This understanding doesn't deny the very real pain or grief or
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confusion of suffering, but it places that suffering into the
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larger context of an unassailable sovereignty guided
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by infinite wisdom and love. It empowers perseverance.
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Knowing El Alien is on the throne allows you to face
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hardship not with despair, but with a robust, theologically
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grounded hope that he remains in control and is working all
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things for the good of those who love him.
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So Elion profoundly shapes our individual lives.
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Worship, growth, assurance. Does it also impact how the
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church functions together as a body?
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How does it affect corporate discipleship and church unity?
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Yes, absolutely. A church leadership, say the
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elders or session that truly believes God reigns.
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Absolutely as Elion will approach its task differently.
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They will exercise church discipline when necessary,
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lovingly and carefully, aiming for restoration under God's
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authority. They will pray expectantly,
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knowing God is sovereign and answers prayer according to his
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will. They will plan modestly,
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recognizing that true growth comes from God's hand, not just
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human. Programs are clever strategies.
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So less reliance on worldly metrics.
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Much less programs and initiatives will be evaluated
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primarily by their faithfulness to the means of grace.
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God has promised to bless Word, sacrament, prayer, fellowship,
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rather than solely by numerical results or how attractive they
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seem by worldly standards. There's a humility that comes
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from leading under the authority of El Ilion, constantly pointing
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the congregation upward to him, not inward to themselves or
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outward to the culture. And this high view of God also
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powerfully shapes church unity. Think about it.
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If every single believer, regardless of background,
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gifting or status, sits together under the same infinitely high
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throne of El Ilion, what happens to our human tendencies toward
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tribalism, denominational snobbery, or creating celebrity
47:11
pastors? It exposes them as pretty small
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minded. Exactly.
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It exposes them as pathetic attempts to build our own little
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towers, our own hierarchies, a kind of Babel and ecclesial
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dress. We try to ascend by comparing
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ourselves to others. The remedy, the path to true
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unity, is a shared gaze upward to the one who unites us.
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Remember how Paul confronts the divisions in Corinth.
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Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
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He points them back to Christ. The head.
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Confessing Elian together fosters both deep reverence for
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God and genuine, brotherly affection for one another.
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We kneel together before one who is too high, too glorious for
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any single one of us or any group to claim exclusive
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possession or superiority. It levels the ground at the foot
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of the throne. That's a great picture.
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What about looking outwards? How does Elian equip the church
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for its role in the public square in society?
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In the public square, recognizing God is most high
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fundamentally relativizes every earthly authority, every human
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institution, every cultural trend.
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The Church, grounded in this truth, proclaims that
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governments, corporations, educational systems, cultural
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movements, all of them ultimately derive their just
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powers not from the consent of the governed alone, but
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fundamentally from Him. Echoing WCF 23.1.
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None are autonomous. All are accountable to Elyon.
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That's Kuiper's not one square inch idea.
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Again. Precisely, it's the civic
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outcome of Melchizedek blessing Abram in the name of Elyon,
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possessor of heaven and earth. Christ claims every domain.
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Now, this confidence protects believers from 2 opposite
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errors. It guards against triumphalism,
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the mistaken belief that we can or should build God's Kingdom
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primarily through political coercion or cultural domination.
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But it also guards against timidity, shrinking back from
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faithful witness and compassionate action in
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potentially hostile environments.
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We speak and act boldly but humbly, knowing the ultimate
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outcome rests with the Most High.
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So it fuels both evangelism and missions.
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Yes, evangelism becomes less of a desperate sales pitch and more
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of a joyful announcement. The enthroned Christ, the Son of
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the Most High, already holds ultimate claim over every person
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you speak to, whether they acknowledge it yet or not.
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Missions move forward with the quiet confidence that God has
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elect people among all nations, chosen by His sovereign decree,
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and He will draw them to Himself through the proclamation of the
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gospel. Furthermore, understanding Lal
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in equips the church to identify and confront contemporary idols.
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Things like nationalism making the nation ultimate consumerism,
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finding identity in possessions, or expressive individualism
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making personal feeling the highest authority.
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How does El Elian expose those? By revealing them as counterfeit
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heights, they are rival most highs, the promise, fulfillment
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or security, but ultimately cannot deliver because they are
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created, finite and flawed. They cannot save.
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So in ethical discussions about the value of human life, about
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sexuality and marriage, about social justice, Christians
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grounded in LO1 appeal not primarily to shifting public
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opinion or pragmatic outcomes, but to the Creator's
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transcendent authority, his unchanging word, and his wise
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design for human flourishing. He gives a firm place to stand.
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That makes a lot of sense. One final area.
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In our current culture, there's often a big emphasis on
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spiritual experiences, feelings, sensations.
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How does confessing Elian guard our spirituality from becoming
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just a chase after the next emotional high?
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That's a very relevant point. A deep grasp of Elian provides a
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vital safeguard for authentic spirituality, protecting it from
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degenerating into mere sensation seeking.
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How? It emphasizes first, that the
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Holy Spirit's primary work is to magnify Christ and illuminate
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the completed Word of God, the Scriptures.
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Therefore, believers who truly want to experience the Most High
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should look primarily where He has definitively pledged His
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presence in the diligent study and hearing of Scripture,
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independent prayer, in genuine fellowship with other believers
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within the Church, and in recognizing his providential
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hands shaping the circumstances of their daily lives.
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So focus on the ordinary means of grace.
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It's exactly chasing after extraordinary science wonders or
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intense emotional experiences. Apart from these, ordinary God
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ordained means can often subtly conceal an unwillingness to
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submit to the steady, sometimes some spectacular disciplines to
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which God normally matures His Saints.
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It could foster a shallow, unstable spirituality.
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Spiritual formation rooted in El Elian, however, embraces what
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might seem like low paths, things like daily repentance,
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humble confession of sin, sacrificial service to others,
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patient endurance through suffering, quiet faithfulness
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and mundane tasks. Why?
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Because faith, informed by the reality of El Elian, perceives
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that even these seemingly lowly disciplines are actually upheld,
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empowered, and made meaningful by the invisible sovereign
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throne of the Most High, God. It fosters spiritual endurance,
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teaching us that intimacy with God is found less in chasing
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fleeting feelings and more in faithful obedience and steadfast
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trust, precisely because He's the unchanging, ever faithful
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Most High, always worthy of our devotion regardless of how we
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happen to feel at any given moment.
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So, putting it all together, how does this doctrine truly shape
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us? What's the connection between
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this high doctrine and our actual lives?
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Doctrine, understood this way, truly becomes life.
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It's not just intellectual furniture.
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Recognizing God as Elian actively reshapes our worship,
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making it God centered. It humbles our hearts yet
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simultaneously provides deep comfort and assurance.
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It helps create countercultural communities of faith marked by
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unity and mutual affection. It emboldens our public witness
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while guarding against pride or fear.
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And it stabilizes our spirituality, grounding it in
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God's faithfulness rather than shifting experiences.
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The doctrines pastoral significance lies precisely in
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its refusal to be tamed or downsized.
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Every single morning the reality of Elian summons you to lift
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your eyes above your own small world, above the noise of
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society to the horizon filling majesty of the Most High God.
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And every evening that same reality whispers assurance,
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reminding you that underneath are the everlasting arms.
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It's a constant invitation to live entirely under the blessing
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and the rule of the Supreme, Sovereign and Gracious God.
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Wow, what a rich exploration that was of Elian, the Most High
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God. From that first appearance with
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Melchizedek, through the Psalms, the Prophets, Christ himself,
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the Confessions, and right into our lives today, this deep dive
53:18
has really revealed a single, consistent, soaring reality.
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It really has. It shows us a God who is truly
53:25
Most High, whose throne overshadows every biblical text,
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every doctrine we hold, and ultimately every heartbeat,
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every moment of our lives. His absolute self existence
53:35
makes the entire cosmos secure. His wise, unchangeable decree
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guides the course of history, His moment by moment Providence
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threads comfort even through our deepest afflictions, and His
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comprehensive Lordship directs our worship upward to Him, and
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our discipleship outward into the world.
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And it's so clear, isn't it? This consistent confession
53:52
throughout history really illustrates that if we diminish
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God's height, if we make him smaller in our minds or our
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worship, we start to unravel the very fabric of our faith.
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But when we honor him, when we exalt Him as He truly is, it
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restores vitality to the Church and deep, settled happiness to
54:07
the believer. That's right, and the doxology
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often added to the Lord's Prayer, as it's explained
54:11
beautifully in the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 196,
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captures this perfectly. For thine is the Kingdom, and
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the might and the glory forever. Amen.
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That is the very language of El Elyon.
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We pray with confidence because the Kingdom, the rightful rule,
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belongs ultimately to Him. We trust his ability to answer
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because the might, the sovereign capability, is his alone.
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We adore Him because the glory, the ultimate worth and radiance
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belongs entirely to Him, without remainder, without expiration
54:40
date. Forever.
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And when that truth, that refrain Vine is the Kingdom, the
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might, the glory, really takes root deep in our hearts.
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Our beliefs naturally blossom into actions.
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We see it in reverent liturgy and humble obedience day by day,
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in an unshakable assurance even when things are hard, and in a
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fearless proclamation of His truth to the world.
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It reminds me of Psalm 113.4. The Lord is high above all
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nations, and His glory above the heavens.
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Amen. And so we're called, you
55:06
listening are called to join the psalmist, to join the catechist,
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to join that great cloud of witnesses throughout history who
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have confessed El Eleon, as Psalm 34.3 says, Oh, magnify the
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Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.
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May every sermon we hear, every sacrament we receive, every
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ministry strategy our churches devise, and every private prayer
55:25
we utter, echo with that great central anthem that honors both
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earth and heaven. Solely they of Gloria to God
55:31
Most High alone be all the glory.
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Thank you so much for joining us on this deep dive into El Eleon.
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Until next time, keep thinking reformed.