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Brothers, God Is Love | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. OK, We invite you to join us for
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a deep dive. Today.
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We're looking into what it truly means when we say God is love,
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and specifically how does this vital truth stand in perfect
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unity with his being holy and righteous can sound like a bit
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of a paradox, can it? Our source material for this
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discussion is well, it's a significant theological work by
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John Piper. It gives a framework for
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understanding God's nature. Our goal for this deep dive,
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it's really to unpack how God's characteristics, which might
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seem separate, maybe even conflicting, how they're
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actually perfectly joined and how they show his love and his
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self glorification. Think of this as a shortcut,
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really, to getting well informed on a topic that shapes how we
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see God and, well, ourselves too.
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Yeah, it's definitely a topic of great interest, especially
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since, like you said, many people might initially feel a
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tension there between God seeking his own glory and being
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a God of love. That whole idea can feel
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contradictory right off the bat, but the source material, it
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offers a really clear framework for understanding this unity.
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It builds on foundational biblical ideas.
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And as we'll discover, God's ultimate acts of love aren't
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despite his glorious nature, but actually because of it.
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What's really compelling here is how the material guides us
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through what seemed like opposing ideas and brings them
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into, well, a beautiful coherence.
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OK, so let's unpack that apparent conflict.
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Then our source brings up this initial concern.
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Something that arises when discussing God's focus on his
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own glory actually mentions a men's retreat where this idea
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came up. The idea that God aims to
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magnify his own glory, Well, it struck some people there as
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making him seem self-centered or even like an egomaniac who, in
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their view, doesn't act from love.
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And this. Really raises a central.
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Question for many of us, I think, how can God be for his
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own glory and still be for us? How does his?
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Desire for his own magnification you know the.
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Square with his desire for our good.
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It feels like a fundamental tension.
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And that is precisely the core question the source tackles head
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on. It clarifies that God can indeed
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be for his own glory and be for us at the very same time.
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And the reason is because God's holiness, His righteousness, and
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His love, they aren't conflicting characteristics.
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They're actually closely joined, woven into His very being.
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So when you understand them correctly, these three
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characteristics paint a really cohesive picture of God, a
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picture where his self exaltation, his pursuit of his
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own glory is actually the supreme expression of his love
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for humanity. The whole premise is that God
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does act out of love and he is love, and this truth is
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absolutely consistent with his aim to magnify his glory.
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Which then brings us to the crucial question, how does that
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actually work? How do these pieces fit together
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without clashing? Right.
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How does it work? So start answering that.
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Let's turn to the first characteristic, God's holiness.
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When we hear that God is holy, what does that really mean?
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Our source defines it very clearly, very memorably.
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God is one-of-a-kind, utterly different, distinct, unique.
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There's just none like him. He's in a class all by himself.
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And this isn't just some theological term, you know, it
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describes his fundamental nature, his singular status in
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all existence. The Scriptures themselves, they
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echo this in really powerful ways.
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You see it in ancient songs, prophetic declarations.
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Oh, absolutely. The Scriptures really drive this
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point home. You have Moses teaching Israel
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to sing, who is like you, O Lord among the gods, who is like you,
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majestic in holiness, awesome and glorious deeds, doing
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wonder. You can just hear that sense of
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incomparable greatness there, the utter lack of any
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competition. And then centuries later,
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Hannah, Samuel's mother, she's saying there is none holy like
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the Lord, there is none besides you.
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So that's not just a casual statement, it's a declaration of
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absolute total uniqueness. And then Isaiah 40 quotes God
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himself asking, To whom then will you compare me that I
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should be like him? It's a rhetorical question,
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isn't it? Because there is no comparison
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possible. No other being can stand beside
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him or be measured against him. So it's not.
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Just about moral purity, then, like we sometimes think it's a
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statement about his very essence, his being, as distinct
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from everything else. Exactly that uniqueness is
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foundational, and to grasp God's holiness even more fully, we
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should think about His distinction from creation.
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Everything else is creation. He alone creates, everything
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else begins. He alone always was no
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beginning. Everything else depends on
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something. He alone is self-sufficient,
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needs nothing. Every other being you know, from
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the smallest microbe to the highest Angel belongs to a
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class, human, animal, planet, Angel, demon.
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But only God is God. He stands utterly apart,
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distinct, unique, and that's what makes him holy in a way
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that nothing else possibly can be.
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OK, that makes perfect sense. So Holiness is about his unique
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classification, or maybe his lack of one.
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But the source thing connects this idea to his value.
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How does his being wholly relate to his infinite value?
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It's a very direct connection. This characteristic of holiness
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is well, it's synonymous with his infinite value.
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The source uses a really helpful analogy here, talks about
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diamonds. Diamonds are valuable because
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they're rare, right? And they're hard to make.
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They have scarcity, they require effort to produce.
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But then it contrasts this with God.
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God is infinitely valuable because, and this is a quote, he
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is the rarest of all beings and cannot be made at all, nor was
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he ever made. Just think about that for a
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moment. Imagine you were a collector of
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the rarest treasures in the world, and you could somehow
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have God the Holy One in your treasury.
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You'd be wealthier than all the collectors of all other
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treasures combined. Nothing compares to his rarity,
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his uncreated nature. His value isn't derived from
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anything outside of himself, it's intrinsic to his being.
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Wow, that's a powerful way to frame it.
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He isn't just valuable, he is value itself.
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Precisely and the heavenly songs in Revelation 4, they connect
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this powerfully. They recount holy, holy, holy is
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the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come and then
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immediately follow with worthy are you our Lord and God to
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receive glory and honor and power.
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You see the link? What is holy means He is worthy.
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He possesses immeasurable worth and value.
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Nothing created can even be compared with him because he
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made everything. Whatever worth makes a created
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thing valuable. You know the beauty of a sunset,
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the intelligence of a mind, the strength of a mountain, the joy
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of love. All of that is found a million
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fold in the Creator. He's the original source and the
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sum of all worth. OK, so holiness is his intrinsic
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worth. That makes sense.
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So where does glory fit into this then?
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Is it the same thing as Holiness?
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Not quite the same, no, but very, very closely related.
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While they're not identical, God's holiness is his intrinsic
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worth. That utterly unique excellence.
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His glory, then, is the shining 4th of His Holiness.
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It's the manifest display of this work and beauty.
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You could say it's His Holiness on display.
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Think of it like a beautiful gem.
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Its intrinsic value is its quality, its rarity, its
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composition. That's like holiness.
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Its glory is how it reflects light, how it sparkles, how it's
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presented to be admired. That's the display.
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OK, so the intrinsic reality of his worth becomes visible as
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glory. Precisely.
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And we see this vivid picture in Isaiah 6 with the Seraphim
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crying. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
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hosts. The whole earth is full of His
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glory. See, the earth isn't just filled
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with His Holiness, but with its visible display, His glory.
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Habakuk 3 describes God's splendor covered the heavens,
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and the earth was full of His praise, again indicating that
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His excellence is made visible across the cosmos.
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And the Lord himself says in Leviticus ten, among those who
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are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the
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people I will be glorified. As the source sums it up to show
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Himself, holy is the way He is glorified.
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So God's holiness means his value is infinitely greater than
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the sum of the value of all created beings.
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His worth just dwarfs everything else.
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It's a worth that well, it compels display.
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That really is a powerful way to think about it's not just some
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religious term, but a descriptor of ultimate reality.
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OK, now let's move to the second characteristic, God's
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righteousness. How does God's righteousness
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connect to His self regard and His actions, especially
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considering this infinite holiness we've just discussed?
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Our source explains that at its root, God's righteousness means.
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He has a right. Assessment of his own ultimate
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value and a just regard for his own infinite worth.
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So it's about how he views himself rightly.
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But what does that actually mean?
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For how he acts. Well, it means that every single
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action God takes is perfectly aligned with this right
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judgement of himself. And to understand why God acting
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for his own glory, is inherently righteous, think about it this
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way. It would actually be unlikeeous
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for God to deny his ultimate value, or to disregard his
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infinite worth, or to act as though the preservation and
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display of his glory were worth anything less than his
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wholehearted devotion. That would be, well, a
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fundamental distortion of truth coming from the most perfect
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being. It would be, in a sense, a lie
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about reality itself. And that's what the Source means
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by unrighteous in this context. For God, being righteous means
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being utterly true to his own infinite worth, valuing himself
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perfectly because he is perfect value.
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So it's not just about him being fair or just in his dealings
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with us like we might normally think of righteousness, but it's
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also about him being true to himself.
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Exactly. He must be true to Himself first
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and foremost. So God acts in righteousness
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when He acts for His own namesake.
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It simply wouldn't be right for God to esteem anything, anything
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at all, above the infinite glory of His own name, because His
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name represents His infinite worth and His unique existence.
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If He acted any other way, if you put anything else above His
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own glory, He would be acting against His very nature, and
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that would be unrighteous. Can you give us some examples
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from scripture where we see this connection being made?
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Yeah, Scripture illustrates this connection really clearly in
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several places. Psalm 143 says for your name's
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sake, O Lord, preserve my life in your righteousness, bring me
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out of trouble. Notice the parallel there in
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your righteousness is directly tied to for your name's sake.
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The psalmist is appealing to God's character, knowing that
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God's justice is linked to his self regard his commitment to
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His own name. Similarly, Psalm 31 says in your
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righteousness, deliver me. And then verse 3 adds For your
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name's sake, you lead me and guide me.
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And then you have Daniel 9, where the prophet prays
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according to all your righteous acts.
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Let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city
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Jerusalem. For your own sake, O Lord, make
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your face to shine upon your sanctuary.
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In all these cases, an appeal to God's righteousness is at its
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very base an appeal to His fixed allegiance, to the value of His
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own holy name. His righteousness is his
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absolute faithfulness to Himself, to his own supreme
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worth. It's his unchanging dedication
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to honoring himself because he is supremely honorable.
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So God's righteousness. Isn't just some separate moral
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rule he follows, it's actually an outpouring of His Holiness.
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Yes, exactly, and it applies to everything he does.
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For God to be righteous, he must devote himself 100% with all his
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heart, soul, and strength to loving and honoring His own
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holiness in the display of His glory.
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He simply cannot do otherwise and remain truly righteous.
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He's not capable of imperfection or self denial in that sense.
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And this comes out so clearly in the grand plan of salvation.
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OK, but how is God's righteousness?
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Displayed in something as personal and seemingly for us as
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salvation, that seems like the opposite focus.
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Well, the source points out that everything in our salvation is
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designed by God to magnify the glory of God.
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Ephesians One makes us incredibly plain, repeating the
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purpose three times. God predestined us for adoption
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through Jesus Christ to the praise of His glorious grace.
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That's Ephesians 1.5 to 6. Our very purpose is stated as
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being to the praise of His glory in verse 12, and the Holy Spirit
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guarantees our inheritance to the praise of His glory in
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verses 13 and 14. Every single part of our
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redemption from beginning to end is meticulously crafted to put
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God's glory on full display. His righteousness demands that
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He gets all the glory because He's the only one worthy of it.
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God is supremely righteous because He never, ever deviates
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from a right assessment of His ultimate value, a just regard
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for His infinite worth, or a fixed dedication to honor and
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display His glory. And everything He does.
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He is consistently perfectly true to Himself.
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All right, so far we've looked at God's holiness, His unique
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and infinite value, and His righteousness, His perfect,
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fixed dedication to honoring that value and displaying His
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glory. But this is where the puzzle
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gets really intriguing, I think. How does a God who is so focused
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on his own infinite value, how did that God become the God of
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perfect love? This is the point where our
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source offers a truly striking, maybe even counterintuitive,
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connection. He says God's love doesn't
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conflict with His Holiness and righteousness.
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Rather, it's a demand of them, not just compatible, it's
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required. That's quite a statement.
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It really is, and this is where it gets super interesting.
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The logic here isn't what many might initially expect, but it's
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deeply coherent when you unpack it.
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The source states his all sufficient glory is honored and
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displayed most by his working for us rather than our working
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for Him. And this is love.
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Now that perspective reframes love entirely.
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Think about it. It is more glorious to give than
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to receive. This isn't just some human
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proverb. It reflects a divine principle.
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Therefore God's righteousness, His unwavering allegiance to His
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own glory, actually dictates that He must be a giver, that he
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freely dispense mercy. This very act of giving, flowing
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from His fullness, is what makes the holy and righteous God a God
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of love. His perfection necessitates that
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he be the one who provides, rather than the one who receives
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from a position of lack or need. He has everything, therefore He
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gives everything. Wow.
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So his perfection means he must be the giver, because that's the
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more glorious position. And that act of giving out of
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his fullness, that's what we we call love.
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That's a radical idea compared to how we usually think about
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love. It is a radical idea, yeah,
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because it centers love not on the recipients merit or
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worthiness, but entirely on the givers abundance and character.
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And Jesus Christ is the ultimate embodiment of this divine love.
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He himself stated the Son of Man came not to be served, but to
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serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
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Mark 10.45 He came to employ himself for our good, you see,
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not seeking employees to fill some void in himself, but
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offering his services his very life.
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He is the divine Workman for our good.
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He came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.
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This. Sounds like it completely
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changes our view of how we relate to God, especially when
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it comes to things like salvation.
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We often think of ourselves as needing to somehow do something
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for God to earn his favor. Oh, it absolutely does.
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This understanding shapes how we view our own service and
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salvation fundamentally, the source states, And this is
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crucial. We dare not try to work for Him,
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lest we robbed him of his glory and impugn his righteousness.
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Think about that. If we could earn our way, if our
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works contributed to our justification, that moment God
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declares us righteous not based on our efforts but on Christ's
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perfect work, well, it would imply God needs something from
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us, and that would diminish his complete self-sufficiency, his
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infinite value. Salvation has to be a pure gift
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received by faith alone. It's a reception of his free
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giving. So.
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Trying to earn it. Would actually be disrespectful
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to who God is. Yes, that's a good way to put
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it. Rowan's four makes this crystal
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clear. Now to one who works, his wages
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are not counted as a gift, but as his due.
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And to one who does not work but trusts him, who justifies the
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ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
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It's a powerful warning, really, not to pursue justification by
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trying to work for God. His righteousness requires him
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to be the one who freely gives justification.
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And this isn't just about the beginning of our relationship
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with God, is it? It's about how we.
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Live our whole lives. Precisely.
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This extends way beyond initial justification.
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Even when the Bible talks about us working out our salvation,
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Philippians 2 immediately adds it is God who works in you, both
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to will and to work for his good pleasure.
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Look at the apostle Paul. He worked harder than any other
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apostle by his own account, but he declared it was not I but the
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grace of God that is with me. That's first Corinthians 15.
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He attributed his accomplishments not to himself,
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but to what Christ has accomplished through me.
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That's Romans 15. Paul was utterly convinced that
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no blessing in life is finally owing to our own willing or
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running, but to God who has mercy.
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Romans 9. Our actions are always a
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response to his work in US, never a contribution to his
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sufficiency. So God is always the active one,
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the one who do the heavy lifting, the one who initiates
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and provides everything we need. That's it exactly.
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God is adamant, you could say, that He will work for us and not
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we for Him, because He aims to get all the glory in our
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redemption. He's the Workman.
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We're the ones who stand in need of His services.
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He's the doctor, we're the sick patient.
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We are the weak. He is the strong.
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We have the broken down jalopy. He is the gifted mechanic who
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can fix it. Our dependence on Him, our
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inability to provide for ourselves, that actually becomes
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the canvas on which His magnificent capability is
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displayed. Any service we then render,
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therefore, must be by the strength that God supplies in
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order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus
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Christ. That's first Peter 4.
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Our service isn't about filling some gap in God, but about His
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strength flowing through US, enabling us to display His glory
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to others. I love that image, the broken
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down jalopy and the gifted mechanic.
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It just immediately paints a picture of our need and his
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complete capability. It also kind of takes away that
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pressure, doesn't it? That feeling that we have to fix
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ourselves before we can even approach him.
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It truly does. And for those of us maybe who
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grew up thinking we had to bring a pristine, perfectly tuned
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engine to God, this is a radical shift.
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It's incredibly liberating. And so, putting it all together,
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God is love, not in spite of His passion to promote His glory,
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but precisely because of it. What could possibly be more
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loving than the infinite holy God stooping to work for us, to
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provide for every need out of His own fullness?
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Yet in working for us, rather than needing our work, He
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magnifies His own glorious self-sufficiency.
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The source uses another round picture here.
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The stream glorifies the fullness of the spring, and the
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scream that flows from God is love.
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See, the stream doesn't add to the spring's fullness, it just
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displays it. If God somehow ceased to seek
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His glory, he would be of no value to us, because His value
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is totally linked to His infinite worth.
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But praise God, He is holy, He is righteous, and therefore he
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is love. Wow, that truly reshapes our
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understanding of love and of God himself.
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He's not a needy God at all, but the ultimate giver.
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OK, so now that we've unpacked these characteristics and seen
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how God's holiness and righteousness actually demand
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His love, what does this understanding of God mean for
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us, for our own purpose, how we relate to Him?
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It suggests that humans are primarily.
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Recipients of God's work, right? Not earners of His favor through
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our own efforts. So what then is our role?
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If we're not working for Him in that sense, what are we
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actually? Doing exactly this understanding
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shifts our perspective entirely. Our aim isn't to fill some lack
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in God because He has absolutely none.
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Rather, our aim is to reflect His glory through His strength
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working in us. We are primarily receivers of
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His generous work, not contributors to His sufficiency.
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We're designed to be a display of His gracious work, and the
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Source offers a simple yet really telling closing test.
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It helps discern if we've truly grasped the essence of God's
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merciful God centeredness in our own hearts.
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It's a question designed to cut right to the core of our
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motivations and desires. A test.
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OK, tell us about it. What's the question?
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It poses this direct question for you, the listener, to
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consider. Do you feel most loved by God
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because He makes much of you, or because He frees you to enjoy
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making much of Him forever? Let that sink in for a moment.
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This question helps us discern what's truly driving our longing
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for God. I love.
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Is it fundamentally a desire for self esteem, for self-centered
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pleasure? A longing for God to validate
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us, to make much of us? That's a pretty common human
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impulse, isn't it? Or is it a craving for the blood
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bot, spirit, rock, capacity to see and glorify God by enjoying
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him forever? This latter desire indicates a
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heart that recognizes God himself as the ultimate good,
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the true source of all lasting joy.
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So. It really reveals whether our
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focus deep down is on ourselves or on him.
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Precisely. Ultimately the test asks who in
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the end is the all satisfying treasure that we are given by
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the love of God, self or God and the source is crystal clear.
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God Himself is the all satisfying treasure given by His
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love. He is the one being in all the
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world for whom the most loving act is self exultation, for He
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and He alone will satisfy our hearts.
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If our greatest satisfaction is found in God, then His self
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exaltation actually means our ultimate joy.
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It secures it. His love gives us Himself, the
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one and only thing that can truly satisfy our deepest
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longings forever. It's really a gracious
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invitation to find our complete joy in His glory.
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What a fundamental truth to wrestle out there.
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Yeah, OK, so in this deep dog, we've really seen how God's
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holiness, His righteousness and His love aren't separate
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concepts at all. They're unified in this
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ceaseless aim to display His glory, His working for us, His
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giving, His providing. That's the very core of His
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love. Love.
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And that in turn magnifies His glorious self-sufficiency.
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It truly reframes what love is when we think about God.
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Yeah, it really does. And as you reflect on all this,
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maybe consider this final thought.
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How does seeing God's self exaltation as the most loving
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act possible shape your understanding of gratitude, of
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worship? And what does true satisfaction
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look like in your daily life in light of this?
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How might recognizing God himself as the all satisfying
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treasure change your prayers, your pursuits, maybe even your
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everyday joy? This understanding isn't just,
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you know, academic theology. It has real practical
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implications for how we live and where we find our true
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happiness. That's a great place to leave
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it. Thank you for joining us on this
21:04
deep dive into reformed thinking.
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Until next time.