When God is Glorified (all is well)

Contents

Introduction

When Father God is glorified…all is well, is as well as it could ever be; when He is glorified, all is perfectly well. “…That the Father may be glorified in the Son…” says Jesus (John 14:13). In other words, the acts of Jesus resonate with the Father’s will and this He did expressly to glorify His beloved Father on behalf of myriad sons and daughters unable to do so, for our well-being. This study explores the glorified-wellness process.

Glorified in the Master Workman by His Side

Father God reveals Himself in what He is pleased to be glorified by. This revelation speaks volumes to who He is. And our God is pleased to be glorified in Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune God Jehovah (John 12:27-28). When He is glorified in Jesus, good things happen. Let us first think about this from the vantage point of the created order. Jesus, the Agent of Creation, glorified God in that agency, as the Wisdom of God, the master Workman by His side (Proverbs 8:22-26, 27-31). The starting point in the brief survey of His handiwork that follows is that primordial energy, itself a fixed amount that nevertheless is free to manifest in different forms and change its state, stems from the master Workman Himself. First His four fundamental forces that fell/fall into lockstep according to His orders: (1) long-range electromagnetic forces as touching the constitution and properties of matter, and short-range nuclear forces (2) strong and (3) weak here, as touching the binding character of nuclei and their radioactive decay, respectively, and (4) another long-range force, gravity, as touching the inertial properties of matter. The order of their relative strength from greatest to least is strong, electromagnetic, weak, gravitational.

Next His immutable physical laws that set bounds for His fundamental forces: ‘…thus far and no further He says…’. Here we have, (1) The mechanical laws—(a) inertia, (b) the mass under acceleration law, which qualifies force, (c) the action-reaction law. (2) The electromagnetic laws that govern the interplay of forces at the atomic level of matter—(a) electric fields attend electric charges by Gauss’ law, (b) apparently there is no such thing as a magnetic monopole (magnets, for example, always have both a north and south pole, and the attendant magnetic field loops around and around from pole to pole always) by Gauss’ law for magnetism, (c) electric fields curl around changing magnetic fields by Faraday’s law, (d) magnetic fields curl around electric currents and changing electric fields by Ampere’s law. (3) The great thermodynamic laws—(a) the total energy in the universe remains constant—energy can neither be created nor destroyed, (b) the total disorder in the universe is increasing, and “downhill” processes (like an ice cube melting) are irreversible, (c) there is no such thing as a perfect crystal because there is no way to get a heat sink to attain absolute zero. (4) The nuclear laws that govern the interplay of forces at the sub-atomic level of matter—(a) in stable nuclei the ratio of neutrons to protons tends to increase with increasing number of protons in the nucleus—more protons in the nucleus requires more neutrons to stably bind the nucleus together (most subatomic particles are unstable and decay via the weak nuclear force, or, more familiarly, via radioactive decay), (c) there are no free quarks (=building blocks of particles subject to the strong nuclear force—most familiar here are the proton and neutron which consist of quarks). (5) The quantum laws that govern the behavior of sub-atomic particles—(a) the quantization (discretization) of energy, (b) the uncertainty of both a particle’s momentum and position at a given instant—momentum and position cannot be precisely determined at the same time, (c) wave-particle duality. (6) The relativity laws, special relativity—(a) the laws of nature are identical in any non-accelerating reference frame, (b) the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers irrespective of the motion of the source of light, and general relativity—space and time are the 4-D “stage” (3-D space+1-D time) upon which the aforementioned four fundamental forces act, and in such a way that the effects of gravity and the effects of acceleration are equivalent (indistinguishable [put yourself in an elevator]), such that the space-time stage of the created order may be understood to be curved as a satisfactory means of understanding this equivalence. Finally, all of the dynamics of the created order, biological or otherwise, may be traced to our Lord’s four fundamental forces and their appropriate overseeing law/s. To here is a very brief survey of physical things, themselves masterfully coded up in an elegant mathematical language by the master Workman.

. All this from the finger of the master Workman glorifies God in Him, the Son, the One behind these beautiful things He thought of and brought into existence and sustains. And all is well down here in the land of the living because God is thus glorified.

Glorified in the Master Workman’s Pierced Hands, and Feet, and Side

Now the spiritual side, whereby, again, God is glorified in the One by His side: “…And delighting in the sons of man…” (Proverbs 8:31 [He delighted in us, thus He came praise His Name]). We look now to Salvation—the physical is fine, well and good, and glorifies God, but here now comes His greatest glory, more profound, accruing to greater wellness: “…that the Father may be glorified in the Son…” (John 14:13). Jesus is the Agent of another sort of creation, a new creation, or, new creations (2Corinthians 5:17). This too by His creative finger. First His fundamental forces in this regard: (1) the drawing of Father God (John 6:44, 12:32). This force is long and short-range, in fact, any-range. It is fundamental to Salvation. (2) The fellowship and guidance of His Spirit (John 14:26, Acts 8:26-29, 10:19, 11:12, 13:2-4, 16:6-7, 20:22-23, 1Corinthians 12:11, 1Timothy 4:1). Here is what motivates the former force. Fellowship. Fellowship is fundamental to Relationship, which is fundamental to the living God Jehovah (Jehovah, the Living God”). (3) The Cross (1Corinthians 1:18). Power is a force that acts through some well-defined space in a well-defined interval of time. The great force here is the death of Jesus Christ for sinners (Law-breakers) at Calvary some two-thousand years ago going forward. (4) The Gospel (Romans 1:16). The Gospel has been a force in the world for the last two-thousand years going forward. The Gospel is all about the Word of the Cross—these last two forces are very closely related, the latter finding its root in the former. It is per force of the preaching of the Gospel that the Holy Family formed and grows. Fellowship.

Next His immutable ethical, moral, and spiritual laws that motivate His fundamental forces: (1) His explicit commandments—

(1) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

(2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

(3) Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in vain.

(4) Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.

(5) Honor thy father and thy mother.

(6) Thou shalt not kill

(7) Thou shalt not commit adultery.

(8) Thou shalt not steal.

(9) Thou shalt not bear false witness.

(10) Thou shalt not covet ( Exodus 20:1-7, 8-14, 15-17).

Jesus summarized these ten laws in two laws: “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself…” (Luke 10:27, note James 2:8). (2) His holiness laws (Leviticus 11:44, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5-7, 1Peter 1:14-16, 1Thessalonians 5:14-15, “The Beatitudes”, “Be Holy). These are unattainable apart from Jesus Christ, which means that Salvation is unattainable apart from Jesus Christ (“A Letter of Invitation,” “Righteous Faith”). (3) The law of Jesus Christ—these are new, summed up in loving one another as He loved us (John 13:34, 15:12; cf. John 13:14-15, note Matthew 5:17, Romans 13:10, 1John 2:8-11). (4) His Salvation by faith “law”, (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 5:1-2, Galatians 3:1, 11-14, et al.). (5) His Jubilee law (Leviticus 25:1ff, “Jesus our Jubilee”). (6) Vicarious law-keeping through the master Workman (Romans 8:3-4). We think this one He imposed upon Himself (Jesus demonstrated that God is faithfully subject to His own laws).

God’s fundamental forces in this context (the drawing of the Father, the labors of His Spirit, the efficacy and power of the Cross, the efficacy and power of the Gospel) are geared toward establishing these laws in the world by way of a people that wish to be subject to His forces and keep these laws. Law-keeping in the Old Testament was tantamount to Covenant, but now we have a New Covenant going forward wherein law-keeping is Vicarious, having been accomplished by the master Workman (Romans 8:3-4). And therein God is glorified—through a people like unto Himself necessarily without sin, with whom He can fellowship on into eternity. That is as well as well can be for this people, His Family. When Jehovah God is glorified, all is well, is as well as well can be. Whatever the context (personal, corporate, national, societal), whatever the cost, it is good, it is best, when He is glorified. This indeed usually involves cost and sacrifice, for it entails acquiescence to and agreement with Him.

Concluding Comments

First, we shall summarize the sections above, and then by God’s grace draw some conclusions.

We began by considering the more mundane aspect of God’s glory and surveyed His fundamental forces at work in the created order: strong nuclear, electromagnetic, weak nuclear, gravity, and the laws as they are best understood today that set bounds for these forces: mechanical, electromagnetic, thermodynamic, nuclear, quantum, relativity. Forces and laws, mutually consistent—this is the pattern that the master Workman was pleased to call into existence and sustain. Of such things consist our home, way beyond planet earth here in the physical sense. And He is glorified in that magnificent Work, in its complexity, notwithstanding in its simplicity, its efficacy for life, and joy, and a glimpse of Him and what pleases Him, much like an artist reveals something of themselves with every stroke of the brush. Things vast, things tiny, things strong, things weak, Things colorful, things bland, and on and on and on it could go. But it is the aspect of (mundane) Home wherein He is most glorified in these mundane things that He brought forth and sustains. Precisely that redounds to our wellness. We have pushed the limits of Home beyond our planet, but it is all still very much our Home down here, and the further we move away from home-base earth the more breathtaking and interesting this our Home becomes, even more to His glory.

The same Agent, and more forces and laws, mutually consistent, in His spiritual design and outworking. This was the focus of the next section above. Glorified here indeed, in the master Workman with the pierced hands, and feet, and side, so much more to our wellness than the former. He, working for our Salvation at such a great personal cost to Himself. Thus, is He glorified (cost and glory seem to go hand-in-hand), and we are well in His glory. Well in His glory; for a time, we had considered those words to be the title to this study.

The four fundamental forces in this context: the drawing by Father God to Himself, the Work of the Spirit of God in establishing and maintaining a tight tether to God, the power of the Cross—here is myriad Potential, the power of the Gospel unto creating a Holy Family by its preaching. Four fundamental forces unto Salvation. That is the goal. Meaningful forces do meaningful work. It is so in His created order and it is so in His spiritual order.

Salvation, life eternal in Jehovah God’s presence, is oneness with the divine Oneness. Here is perfect alignment with God. Impossible in and of itself. This impossibility may be quantified by the inconsistency of keeping His standards, which are reflected in His revelation of Himself, not least by way of His laws: the ten commandments, holiness laws, the law of Jesus Christ, Salvation by faith law, Jubilee law, vicarious law-keeping. It is the last one in this list that makes Salvation and a better Home possible. We think that this is a law that Jehovah God imposed upon Himself for our sake. And my how He is glorified in that. And we are exceedingly well because were it not for that last law we are anything but well, indeed, homeless. Please notice the mutual consistency with respect to manifest Salvation between this last law and His fundamental forces: vicarious law-keeping by Him <+> drawn by Father God, the Work of His Spirit, the power of the Cross, the power of the Gospel.

Some conclusions: forces and laws seem to pervade God’s designs. These appear to be mutually consistent always. In the created order the laws set bounds for the forces and thus the practical limits of all mechanisms, biological or otherwise. In the spiritual order the laws are established through the forces, unto Salvation. God is glorified in both contexts by the master Workman Jesus Christ, the Agent of this design and mutual consistency. In this way the Father is glorified in the Son Jesus, and this redounds to humankind’s wellness, because humankind is the object of God’s Cost in either context. This wellness holds because of who God is, both by definition (deep pockets here—omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, sovereign), and by example (the life | ministry, death, resurrection, of Jesus, of course).

Master Workman by our side, praised be your awesome Name forever and ever. Amen.