The Infiniteness of God

Job 11:7-10 Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven- what can you do? Deeper than Sheol- what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back?

Acts 17:24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

God is free from all limitations; nothing and no creature can “box” Him in or limit Him in any way. There are no limits when we speak of God, as no mind can fully conceive all of Him, nor can any of even the best descriptions of Him give a complete fullness to unfolding Him. God is the only being of no limitations.

The believer can study the Bible for years of his life and never be able to describe God fully. For He is limitless – being free from all rules according to His own nature. I must first start by mentioning that we know He cannot sin, nor would He ever break promises that He has already made to mankind. However, this does not limit Him in what He can do, nor does it stop Him from acting on, doing, or being anything. For there is no other like Him. How hard it is to grasp this because the believer has not seen with his eyes or heard here on earth of anyone like this. But for the believer, there are many areas like this one of God that cannot be fully understood until redemption occurs. For when difficult situations happen in life, and areas which are hard to understand come about, how dare the believer think, “God is wrong in doing this” or “God does not know what He is doing.” God is free from all limitations, and this means that what He wills, He does. He can do all things, allow anything, and create any situation that comes into the believer’s life.

This is boasted in the gospel by seeing that God is free from all things; and that alone makes Him beyond understanding, for no man can imagine what that would be like or feel like. The believer can rest in knowing that this God can do anything simply because He is the only being that can. God, being able to create and allow all things for the goodness of Himself, does so so that we can see God above that which we believers try to do in life. Boast that the God of the gospel is free from design. He is free from creating, free from grounds, and free from all reason on why and how He does anything. Now for you, believer, think: why and how would God ever allow you, filthy and rotten sinner, to come to the saving knowledge of Himself, through faith and grace alone? Is the believer really allowed to know this God who has no limitations? Yes, he is called to praise His character like no other of creation, and he is called to give glory to the name of God like no other creature – and does it for the sake of His name… for the glory of God alone.

Man can boast in this truth – and all of these truths – of the character of God, because His good news is free from any limitation or law that exists. It is self-sufficient – for it has been, is, and will ever be throughout time. His truth will never change – it is all-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful. His love is greater than any kind of love that exists here upon earth. His grace is sufficient for sinners to become saints. His glory is more beautiful than of all of creation. His mercy is endless. His holiness is purer than any snowflake that falls from the sky. His wisdom is greater than all things. And, most of all, He allows humanity – sinners – to come to know it all through faith alone, and in the grace which He calls and provides to His believers. God’s gospel in Him is the greatest news that exists, period.

The Self-Sufficiency of God

Acts 17:24-29 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,  for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘ For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.

John 5:26  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

God is complete in and of Himself as there is nothing He needs, or ever will need. He does not need creation to worship and glorify Him, nor does He need any kind of being to help Him in any way. God existed before creation and did not need humanity to boast in Him, but only allowed creation to boast in Him.

How foolish it is for the believer to think that God made man – or made any of creation – to make Himself feel good or to bring glory to Himself! God was always in perfect love and communion before any of creation existed. He Himself, the Son and the Holy Spirit, were in complete happiness with one another, and had perfect communion in their relationship. God is in no way dependent upon anyone or any thing but Himself. The self-sufficiency of God differs from His self-existence in the fact that although it is true that He has always been, this particular truth of the gospel brings more adoration to the name of God for who He is. God doesn’t need creation or humanity to be. God didn’t’t make mountains, seas, vast amounts of oceans and the deepest trenches to make Himself exist, nor does it help Him in existing. God is independent, period! There’s no room to discuss or bring arguments to the table. God doesn’t need food, water, a house or temperatures of the right nature, or medicine to help make Him feel better or help Himself continue living. God is. What do we believers not understand about His being – that He is? This is not hard to grasp when knowing the God whom we serve. I may remind you – the believer – of this, where Psalm 50:12-15 describes the self-sufficiency of the God whom we get to serve. It states:

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

This is the God whom we serve. This is the nothing-needed, most satisfied being that exists in Himself and needs no other requirement to live – for He exists in His being. God deserves all the worship, because He being who He is calls the believer to see his humbleness in that he is not even in the same category of being. Nor does He come close to it, because of the fact of his dependence. Believer, think on this: the gospel itself exists by itself. And God has allowed you to come and know that. Something that has no creation – and the good news of knowing, learning, and worshiping this God – calls you to serve and stand in awe of all areas of His character. But boast in it for His glorification alone, and not yours. We see this most when we know with our minds that He is different, and that His superiority is over all things, and His supremacy is higher and greater among all things. After knowing this in our minds it should affect our hearts to live it out and shout among the roof tops, “God is great!” God is great among all things, and His character alone brings us to the humble state where we can realize and know that we are His creation. It gives us humility, in the fact that, we alone could never know this God without Him allowing us to partake in this great gospel, the good news. The believer can find his or her enjoyment in that all spiritual desires and needs are met in this self-sufficient Spirit-giver. The One who holds all of spirituality in Himself and has had – and will have – perfect relationship with Himself, allows believers to know Him and fall in love with His good news, the gospel. Boast in God being God – for He needs nothing of you in order to exist. He allows you to glorify Him, yet He does not need you for His existence. It is a great benefit for the believer to get to know this truth of the gospel. So praise be to Him – for it is all due to His name, and He being who He is.

The Self-Existence of God

Exodus 3:13-14 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

Every creature, person, and living thing has a beginning. Everything depends on its beginning, because without that it does not exist. Only the Triune God has no origin and no dependence on any beginning or anything else beside Himself.

What a great beginning to boast in: that God has always existed! For there is not one thing, and not one person on earth which has this perpetual existence. God, the Trinity itself, has been forever – and to boast in something of this nature is amazing. For if God had a beginning, we – the believers in Him – would not exist. How great it is to think that we are the chosen who get to enjoy coming into His covenant and boasting that He has always existed and will forever exist. How much enchantment and gratification it brings to the heart of man to know that his God whom he serves has forever reigned – and will forever reign – above all of creation. The believer needs to see that there is absolutely no other being that has, or will have, this nature. This nature, which is eternal, distinguishes the Creator from His creation, and gives reason for His creation. The trees, the mountains, the seas, animals, and most of all, His people – to bring Him the praise that is due Him because of His nature, for all eternity.

This truth needs to be sought out and placed into man’s mind most of all when thinking highly or becoming prideful of himself. Oftentimes, humans tend to think they are capable of many things and that they can find the enjoyment of life itself in their own existence. For example, man might find delight in making a lot of money, or having a well-known name, or many friends – so man often tries with his nature to seem like he is unstoppable or incapable from being brought down into humbleness and humility, as the believer experiences so often. The believer must see that this truth of the character of God calls for him to see his humanity and his own limitations that compels him to rely on God for his very existence. What I am trying to get across in this, is that since God is always there – with there being no beginning and no ending – it is a necessity for the believer to boast in this truth because he would otherwise cease to exist. How great it is to boast in the only existence that has, is, and will be forever! This particular truth, out of many truths of the gospel, is pleasing to the soul because of the uniqueness that it has from all else in creation. Believers can boast in and find their pleasure in the fact that their relationship, their religion, their beliefs, their Creator, have no beginning in the sense that God simply just is. This attribute of God cannot be possessed by any other creature, for its Creator stands alone and is the only One that will ever have it. The angels and demons themselves were created, just like this earth and the universes which are around it.

This is important to today’s 21st century believer, due to the philosophy and movements that try to make God seem as a created being and therefore lessen Him. To that, I say simply one thing: you lessen the character of God, and you have lessened the gospel. This God, who has and will endure through all ages and its mocking and lessening of Him, will one day destroy those who do so, and redeem His people to the consummation of spending eternity with Him forever and ever. As for the believer of this truth, may you stand in awe and boast of the God that not only created you, but also has allowed you to come into a covenant with Him in a relationship that only select humanity gets to delight in and fall in love with. The believer may boast that if it was not for this attribute of God, he would have no hope in life or in the gospel. It is God’s self-existence that gives all of creation existence. The believer needs to boast in this God – the God who is the One higher than all of creation and shows His character as that of being above all of humanity, like no other being that has been, or will be, created by Him. This God calls for the uttermost boasting; for His existence deserves His chosen to glorify His name and His nature above all else.

The Self-Existence of God

Exodus 3:13-14 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

Every creature, person, and living thing has a beginning. Everything depends on its beginning, because without that it does not exist. Only the Triune God has no origin and no dependence on any beginning or anything else beside Himself.

What a great beginning to boast in: that God has always existed! For there is not one thing, and not one person on earth which has this perpetual existence. God, the Trinity itself, has been forever – and to boast in something of this nature is amazing. For if God had a beginning, we – the believers in Him – would not exist. How great it is to think that we are the chosen who get to enjoy coming into His covenant and boasting that He has always existed and will forever exist. How much enchantment and gratification it brings to the heart of man to know that his God whom he serves has forever reigned – and will forever reign – above all of creation. The believer needs to see that there is absolutely no other being that has, or will have, this nature. This nature, which is eternal, distinguishes the Creator from His creation, and gives reason for His creation. The trees, the mountains, the seas, animals, and most of all, His people – to bring Him the praise that is due Him because of His nature, for all eternity.

This truth needs to be sought out and placed into man’s mind most of all when thinking highly or becoming prideful of himself. Oftentimes, humans tend to think they are capable of many things and that they can find the enjoyment of life itself in their own existence. For example, man might find delight in making a lot of money, or having a well-known name, or many friends – so man often tries with his nature to seem like he is unstoppable or incapable from being brought down into humbleness and humility, as the believer experiences so often. The believer must see that this truth of the character of God calls for him to see his humanity and his own limitations that compels him to rely on God for his very existence. What I am trying to get across in this, is that since God is always there – with there being no beginning and no ending – it is a necessity for the believer to boast in this truth because he would otherwise cease to exist. How great it is to boast in the only existence that has, is, and will be forever! This particular truth, out of many truths of the gospel, is pleasing to the soul because of the uniqueness that it has from all else in creation. Believers can boast in and find their pleasure in the fact that their relationship, their religion, their beliefs, their Creator, have no beginning in the sense that God simply just is. This attribute of God cannot be possessed by any other creature, for its Creator stands alone and is the only One that will ever have it. The angels and demons themselves were created, just like this earth and the universes which are around it.

This is important to today’s 21st century believer, due to the philosophy and movements that try to make God seem as a created being and therefore lessen Him. To that, I say simply one thing: you lessen the character of God, and you have lessened the gospel. This God, who has and will endure through all ages and its mocking and lessening of Him, will one day destroy those who do so, and redeem His people to the consummation of spending eternity with Him forever and ever. As for the believer of this truth, may you stand in awe and boast of the God that not only created you, but also has allowed you to come into a covenant with Him in a relationship that only select humanity gets to delight in and fall in love with. The believer may boast that if it was not for this attribute of God, he would have no hope in life or in the gospel. It is God’s self-existence that gives all of creation existence. The believer needs to boast in this God – the God who is the One higher than all of creation and shows His character as that of being above all of humanity, like no other being that has been, or will be, created by Him. This God calls for the uttermost boasting; for His existence deserves His chosen to glorify His name and His nature above all else.

The Immutability of God

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Malachi 3:6 For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

The unchanging being – God – should be boasted in by believers because of the certainty over all areas of life that they have in their God. The believer can boast in an all-perfect, never-changing God.

The believer of the gospel must see the necessity of praising God for being like no other. This particular characteristic of the gospel reveals the difference between the Creator and His creation more clearly than any other. There is not one person, one creature, nor anything else in creation that does not change in one way or another. The Creator is superior over believers in many ways, and it is so great to grasp the concept of boasting in the One that is the same forever! How great it is that the believer can fall in so many areas of life, yet run to the Lord who is always the same! The believer must boast that he can be comfortable in the Lord who never changes in any circumstance. For the believer, this truth is crucial when it comes to boasting in the gospel. Not one promise broken, never a change of mind, not a covenant forgotten about — how wonderful that we can dwell under the God who is always unchanged and will always keep His character in all ways! 1 Samuel 15:29 reminds the believer of his place before God, saying, “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” Anything ever done, said, and promised will remain forever in the all-covenant keeping God. This is something that the believer can look upon when in a time of doubt or uncertainty, as they do not know what is next, or what situations may be thrown at them. Oftentimes, it seems that the believer starts to look upon others – either in the church or even in the world – for guidance and help while in trouble. But here the believer can rest in knowing that God will not change and that He is forever good to His people and there will be only ever be but a perfect plan for His sheep.

This calls the believer to fall before the unchanging God and worship Him with the most respect that he can give. The believer, in order to boast, must see his limitations in life and how he is like the wind that blows wherever it wills. This God, whom the believer serves, stays the same in nature – for what He has been, He will be always, and His character will not change – no never! Boast in this God above all other gods today, for there is not one like this One. What God is, He is to perfection, and will never change. How great it is to know that the believer serves the same God whom he served yesterday, and will serve tomorrow. The believer can find this helpful in the time of need, when he has no clue what tomorrow may bring; he knows his covenant-keeping, unchanging God will lead him correctly. How great it is for the believer to know that no one can influence God or change His mind. The believer serves a God who will not – and cannot – be moved. The believer serves a God who knows He is right in all things. The believer serves a God in whom there is no change of mind when His will is done. How great this is: that the God of the gospel – the God who is the gospel – cannot and will never change His character, His will, His person, or His nature. For He is certain beyond all measure and will endure forever! The believer, while here on earth, needs to look always and forever at the truth that he can boast in the only certainty of life. The believer can find happiness in the fact that only the gospel will never change. This is one of the great aspects of the truth that is found in both God’s word and the gospel that lies in it. How great it is that the believer and follower of God can live and know for sure that His word never changes. This can be where the boasting in Him begins: the fact that what He promises and what He has said will never change. How great it is to serve and live in fear of the perfect, never-changing God, which will bring delight to the soul of His people. Many times in life, the believer gets caught up in all the different types of changes in this world. Changes can be different for all types of peoples – school, work, friends, even family. Often, even the believer will say, “I cannot do this anymore,” or “I don’t know what to do any longer, or even how I feel.” But, in the midst of it all – in the midst of the fast- paced world of changes – stands a consistent Lord; One who never changes. For He applies and supplies all things for His people, and the believer needs to live in the consistency that He provides. Indeed, God is the perfect example for the believer to live in consistency. How can believers even live at all without the consistency of God? This is what the believer boasts in – that the constant gospel allows the believer to live and be worthy and honoring of the never-changing beautiful God.9

The Omnipresence of God

Psalms 139:7-12 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.

No matter where the believer is in life, or what he is doing, God sees all things and knows exactly what it is he does. The believer can boast in knowing that God is always near to him.

So many times Christians think that God is in the heavens, far away – that He lives there and we are down here. What is sad is that even the believer rarely thinks about the truth in scripture that God is with His people. Rather, they are inclined to base their truth on their current experience alone. Therefore, if rough times come up and difficult situations occur, they think God is not watching; God can’t be there. Oftentimes believers forget that the eye of the Lord is upon them at all times, and that He is everywhere. This should be looked at and known, and boasted in so that the believer can know truths such as this to find satisfaction in God, who is always watching. The believer needs to remember this truth because of the fact that it lives out in the walk of a believer. It seems that even believers live a life in which they think they can hide from God. The believer so often tries to hide from God as Adam and Eve did after sinning – trying to hide in little ways. Still worse is that while in the act of sin itself the Christian even thinks he can hide at that given time! I must remind you, the believer, of Isaiah 59:2: “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Oh, how the believer must know this truth of the character of God, that He sees all things. For there is nowhere to hide from the all-seeing God, be it during the act of sin or after your sin has taken place. There is no deceiving or misleading the Lord of hosts who sits in the heavens and watches your every move. It is so important that we find hope in this truth, and not find it terrifying. In some sense, yes, we must live in the fear of the Lord, but we can also find this truth of God great to the soul. Knowing that we serve a Savior that never sleeps; One who is always aware of the acts which take place and watches them all.

It is crucial for the believer to understand that God’s nature is what makes Him unavoidable. It is not that God walks around and follows you everywhere you go, but the fact is that the believer – or any man for that matter – cannot escape the presence of God. The believer ought to boast in the fact that there is no place where he can flee to, and there is no place in which he might hide from God – and because of that, the believer can serve and praise God for His work which He does watching over His people. The believer’s mind tends to see this as if it is supernatural to God, but in truth, it is His very nature. This is why the believer must give God the praise of His character and the truth that lies in it, which He deserves. And although this is a hard concept to grasp, the believer must know it and stand in awe and praise their God who sees all things. For the believer, this is a great area to boast in because the comfort that it brings to the soul enables the saints to live on earth, and through eternity, knowing that they serve an all-seeing God who watches over His people.

The Omniscience of God

Psalms 139:1-6 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

There is no occurrence that has slipped by God without His knowledge. God knows all things – from the largest animal to the most microscopic virus. There is not one inch upon this earth where something transpires that God does not know. The all-knowing God knows how you boast in Him, the extent to which you boast in Him, and for what reasons you boast in Him. God knows the heart of a person better than the person himself.

Oh, how great it is that the believer can boast in the God who knows all things! For God is never surprised by man’s actions nor earth’s natural disasters. God is not surprised by what may be a mishap to mankind, or something unheard of that man did not know was coming. God’s people have known this about Him throughout time – with Job, David, and Solomon and the writer of Hebrews being key examples. How great it truly is to know every day that your God knows what will happen and for what reason! Every action, every move, deed, decision, every situation that will occur, every person you will meet in a day, every bill you receive…everything up to the car wreck you didn’t see coming, to the child that dies in the womb – things that you still have no answers for – God knows. He alone knows. He knows how it will happen, as well as the reason for it. And you, the believer, can get ready for the unthinkable; you can get ready for the things that you have no clue are about to happen, so when they do, you can scream from the top of your lungs that you want now more than ever to find delight in God at that time. Then, and only then, can you enjoy the fact that God knows all things and the reasons for which all things occur, so that you can love and feel safe in boasting in the all-knowing God, whom you serve.

For the believer to boast in this allows him to enjoy God’s sovereignty. Any hardship in your family, any struggle in your private life, any financial situations – God knows them all. He knew they were going to happen, even how they were going to happen, and the very reason that they happened; and it is certain that it occurred to make Him more glorified through it. Do you, the believer, wish to find your happiness and find your contentment in God and the knowledge that He knows exactly why He has allowed you to go through problems? How often is it when believers come to the valley in life and have no vision? They forget the God that created them and the things around them – who knows everything that happens and ever will happen, for a purpose we may not know. Although believers may not find out what that purpose is at the time, or maybe even years (or ever), they can always know that God is glorified, and can praise Him for all things in which He knows. God’s people must boast in the fact that God allows His people to suffer, so that they can run to Him and find pleasure in Him for knowing all things. How much more honoring it is when His people run to Him in a time of need – the time of doubt – and jump into His arms and rest there knowing that He knows all things. This alone can give you reason and can be the cause of your affection to boast only in Him.

The Omnipotence of God

Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’

Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.

God has done, and is able to do all things that He pleases. The power of God describes Himself: it is infinite, and there is no one that can change it in the slightest. The believer can boast in this power of the Almighty God, knowing that it was by the word of His mouth that He created the heavens and the earth.

God is unlimited in His power, and there is no scale to measure it. God’s power reigns above all of the creation that He has made. There are no influences on the power that He holds. If God wills something to be done, it is! No questions; no thought process; no “what if’s,” and no worrying about what other people may say. For when God pleases to do something, He does, and that is the final word. The largest and mightiest armies can try to overshadow God’s power, but it cannot happen. The ability which God holds in doing what He wills with His power is not only unlimited in its amount, but it is also unlimited in the way the Lord uses it. Whatever His will is pleased with is done. Many try to find ways around this power in describing God as being limited in what He can do. For believers to boast in God’s power, they need to see that it works in accordance with His will, and that what He wishes to be done in His perfect plan; He does. God will never contradict Himself in how He uses His power. God also will never use this power wickedly or immorally. And God will never use His almighty hand and word of mouth to deny His own nature in who He is, nor will He allow it to alter His plan in all eternity.

As for the believer, he must never try to fully grasp or understand how God uses His will. Rather, the believer should see the enormities of the power and limitlessness of God, and praise Him for His gracious character in allowing us to enjoy it. Oftentimes, men (and, yes, that includes believers) see themselves as untouchable or powerful in that they can achieve whatever they desire. It is most important when boasting in the gospel to realize that God could use His almighty power and merely speak the words He wishes, and whether the person be a believer or an unbeliever, his life is over. The believer can enjoy the Almighty God in whom they serve, for the word’s from his mouth speak, “Let it be” – and there it was. For the believer to boast in this, he must give God the glory due to His name. The believer must find delight in the perfections of God’s power, the certainty of His upholding, and the might of His will, which made all of creation. God can do whatever He wills, and that is all the believer can boast in. When the believer sees that God is the everlasting source of power, life, perfect activity, and is totally faultless, how can he not find his contentment with this God? How can the believer not boast in living for a God who can do all things? For there is nothing impossible for the Lord who is the maker of all things and the One who sanctions how creation is lived out. His unlimited power will endure forever, and there the believer can find rest in the arms of his God. But what leaves the believer in awe of savoring this all-powerful God is that we can know for sure that His power is always 100% perfect for His best, which is for our best as well. We see that God uses His character and His traits so that He may be boasted in among all people. Every way, every day, and every time God uses His power – from the tiniest bit of it to the enormous amount which kills thousands in seconds – it is made for His sake, and His name alone. The believer must boast in the power of God for the reason that God uses it to make Himself known and look glorious to the believer, so that he can not only glory in it, but become satisfied in it as well.

The Love of God

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The love of God for mankind is unfathomable: that He would send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die so that sinful mankind could come to know Him and boast in Him. This act of love is great and surpasses any display of love throughout all of time – past, present, and future.

Man can boast in the love of God because of the act in which God displayed His love. How thought-provoking it is that man can boast in God because of the death of God. The love of God for the gospel is deeper, stronger, wider, and longer than anything on this earth. God has planned throughout all of history a way in which the nations would see just how much He loves them. This loving God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take form in a human body so that He could then suffer for all of mankind. This act of love separates all types of love. For there is nothing that comes close to the act of the cross, where God sent His Son to die because of His love for humankind. How much more should the believer boast in the ability to know that he is saved by the grace which God gives to His chosen because He simply loves Himself. No doubt this may sound prideful, or selfish. But it is by no means so. God is a jealous God, and no man or individual should be boasted in, or be delighted in – especially by His flock – besides the Supreme Lord. For the believer to boast in this is to look at how much God loved them and thank God alone for His doing, and think nothing of himself or what he has done. Romans 5:7-8 best portrays this act of love in stating thus: “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God shows His love for His chosen by planning that, while we were dead sinners bound to the pit of hell, He would then give His Son so that His elect could see His love and enjoy His love in bringing sinners to know His love. Imagine that the act of the cross, and all that happened before and after that event, was predestined to take place for you. It was predestined to take place so that you, the believer, when called into God’s elect people, would only boast and find all enjoyment in God’s love for His people! The believer needs to boast in this love that he was created for. It was created for God’s people to know and fall in love with. Yes, God’s love is for the believer to fall in love with.

God’s love must be boasted about. It is good to all of creation, and even more, it is the most compassionate love that exists, or ever will exist. There is no love on this earth that a husband has for his wife, or a mother has for her children, that can compare to God’s love for His people. The love of God for His church is the deepest, most pleasurable love that exists. This should call the one who is in this covenant of grace to boast in the fact that he can be filled with eagerness and be ablaze with a passion for boasting and glorifying God because of what He has done for him. How great is God’s love for His people! That God would enter into a covenant with sinners – a covenant in which God himself would allow men to enjoy himself like non-other and a covenat that would allow man to interact in a loving relationship with their father. This covenant is both Christ and the church loving one another. How are we doing? Do we boast in the fact that God wants to show His love to His people? Do we boast in the fact that God wants to have a relationship with His people? How often it seems that the bride of Christ starts looking for other loves (sometimes perverse loves) that are mostly of the world, and not everlasting in their fulfillment to the soul. I believe that the Puritans do an excellent job in explaining this truth of the gospel – how God loves His people and wants to redeem them – but even more in how we reap this benefit. John Flavel writes:

What an ancient Friend he hath been to us; who loves us, provided for us, and continued all our happiness, before we were, yea before the world was. We reap the fruits of this covenant now, the seed whereof was sown in eternity.

Wilhemus à Brakel writes:

How blessed and what a wonder it is to have been considered and known in this covenant, to have been given by the Father to the Son, by the Son to have been written in his Book, and to have been the object of the eternal, mutual delight of the Father and the Son to save you.

We, the church, should strive to be covenant keepers of God’s promises, and should most of all boast with all our hearts in the act of His love for allowing His people to delight in His promising love. God’s love will endure forever, and will continue in His covenant and promises throughout eternity.

The Grace of God

Ephesians 1:7-8 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The grace of God, which is the warmest and most caring aspect of His character, not only forgives man of sin and calls man to Him, but also always allows the believer to grow in knowledge even though he falls time and time again.

There is no human that deserves to earn the grace of God, which He gives to His church willingly. God’s grace not only calls the chosen to Him, but then provides a way of provision and guidance throughout life to them. Not only is there common grace which all of mankind encounters, but for Christ’s bride there is irresistible grace, incomprehensible grace, and saving grace which gives the believers hope and another reason to boast in the gospel. The believer, in order to boast in this, must look at two simple key truths of this great grace that God gives to His elect. Sometimes easily looked past because of their simplicity, these truths are essential to acknowledge in order for the believer to boast in the gospel. First, the believer needs to see that if it wasn’t for grace, he would have been slain by the Lord. And secondly, that the grace given to believers differs from that grace given to the rest of humanity. This grace is a grace that He will forever give to His sheep so that they can boast in Him! Once again God is doing a great work and is planning ways that He may be boasted in. And He does this through His chosen people.

The believer must boast in the good news that God did not kill him on the day of birth. How sad it is that the church often forgets, or ignores, simple truths of the very beginning of the gospel. Romans 6:22-23 states, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It seems almost unjust for God to let mankind even enter the womb, let alone this earth. From the minute of conception, all of mankind has entered into an everlasting nature of sin, and stands before God as nothing but dung. Many individuals often ask the question, “How can God let someone go to hell?” My response is always, “How can God even allow one to enter into heaven and into a personal relationship of communion with the triune God which will one day be restored into perfection forever and ever?” For there is no reason for man to think he had anything to do with this grace. God simply allows man to live in accordance with Him or without, and is always glorified in it. How much more should the believer, the partaker of the covenant of grace, come and boast in this gospel which allows him not only to live in grace, but to serve – by grace – the Giver of grace.

One of the most important and easily forgotten truths of the gospel (and its dealings with grace) is that the man walking down the street who does not know of God, who hasn’t repented, has only common grace. Common grace which does not compare to the grace that God grants on behalf of His Son’s work to His bride. How much more should a believer boast in the gospel, when God, the Giver of great grace, calls him to become part of a family which he had no prior relation with. This grace that God gives to His elect is greater than any grace that man has ever had before the era of irresistible grace. This great grace that God called you into is only meant for the true believer. Bringing the believer from the pit of hell and eternal torment should first bring him into a zeal for boasting in God. Also, God bringing him to the glories and riches of heaven should then spark a passion and flame that does not stop burning; that only continues to be built upon with sound wood so that it can claim the grace of God and boast in it to glorify God.

We must look at these areas of the gospel and thank God for them, but there are other areas of the gospel in which one can boast when dealing with the grace of God. Oftentimes believers are called to suffer and go through trials or hard times in life and may think, “We are not going to make it!” The believer has to look at and hope in the gospel. Believers must see how the grace of God will help them and how it has given them all that they need to make it through these times. Now here one might ask, “How do I boast in that?” Only when believers see that the grace of God has already, at the beginning in justification, bought them and given them all that they need to make it through any season of life, will they then cherish the gospel, seeing how sweet it can be to the hurting heart in the time of pain. The believer of the gospel will boast in the gospel because the grace of God enables him to do so in allowing the believer to come to know this Giver of grace. The Giver gets the glory; the Giver is God; He is the Giver of grace; and it should be a desire and counted as a privilege to boast in this gospel truth that we partake in.

The Glory of God

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 11:32-26 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

The believer can boast in the gospel through the knowledge that God, though perfect, allows sinful humanity to come to Him and bring Him praise, honor, and glory.

Of all the areas of the gospel, this is one that stands out from the rest with respect to why man was made. Man was made to know God in all of His glory. In addition, man is to make this known to others throughout the nations. He does this by boasting in the wonderful glory of God, when he stands in awe of God in all of His character, His will, His plan, and His work, and says, “That’s my God! That is Him!” Man must direct all his praise, all his honor, and all his thanksgiving to that end – giving God the glory. That is when the believer will – and can – find enjoyment in life. The believer is to find all of his joy in the glory of God. God’s beauty in who He is should stand alone among all the other beauties which He has, and which He freely allows man to partake in. The glory of God is the greatest attribute that the believer can boast in; for the glory of God is not just an area of the gospel, but is the gospel through and through. The glory of God is what gives the gospel its good news. The greatest concept to the heart for the believer is that God allows sinners to come and give glory to Him – the all-glorious God. The fact that God is all-beautiful, more splendid, and greater than everything else, calls the believer to boast, lift high, magnify, and give all gratification to God. Primarily for Him and His glory, and also in gratitude for allowing sinners to partake in proclaiming His glory.

First, the believer should be stunned to even think that he can boast and lift high the name of God. Man must remember Romans 3:23 in the back of his mind every day: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is where man came from, but God has redeemed and allowed man to boast in His glory. When the believer attends a church service, a prayer service, opens the Word of God, or spends time alone in prayer with God, he is bringing praise and glorification to God. This is why man was bought from his state of sin to God – to make God known! To boast in God’s glory! The believer’s life should show the value of God’s glory in his life. Can others see how valuable the gospel is in your life? Do they see that the glory of God is your number one desire? If not, then you are not boasting fully in the glory of God. The glory of God is the most satisfying thing to the soul. All humans need to enter into knowing, and then boasting in the Glory of the Lord. When man comes to know this, only then is he cleansed from his sin and filth in which he had lived in and been devoured by. And this is why we, as believers, can enjoy this glory and enjoy this boasting. We can boast and bring Him the praise that we have from loving the gospel so greatly that it glorifies Him greater than all praises among this earth.

Secondly, think and dwell upon the fact that your soul was bound to hell and the all- glorious God called you by His sovereign voice to bring Him better glory than you brought before, in your state of deadness. How amazing it is that an all-holy, righteous, perpetually perfect being such as God, would not only allow sinners to give Him glory, but provide a way in doing so! God uses saints of the church, who were once sinners dead in their trespasses, to worship Him. O, how believers can boast in this area of this gospel – that they can bring God praise, they can sing to Him, they can preach about Him, they can teach others about Him, they can do all things to His glory and unto Him. This is one of the greatest areas of the gospel – that mankind gets to bring God praise! To know that man can boast in the gospel by glorifying God will not only make the most out of glorifying God, but soothe the soul of the believer more than anything else. It is like someone who is pouring a cup of coffee: the believer is trying and trying to fill the Lord’s will by glorifying Him and is filling the cup of making God known; the overflowing which the cup cannot hold is the contentment which the believer gets in doing this. The gospel, accordingly, is boasted above all things, and is made known the most throughout the believer’s actions and words.

The Mercy of God

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The believer can boast knowing he serves a merciful God, who has passed judgment upon His own Son so that He can have communion with the believer.

The mercy of God is God Himself passing by the judgment that man should receive. Though believers see this throughout life on earth, even more important is the mercy that God grants to the elect for eternity. God is mercy. God’s allowing man to come into a covenant with Him should bring zeal to the believer to boast in this mercy of God. God’s character, being merciful to all humans, should be boasted in. God passes judgment over all of humanity every day. But what is most encouraging to the believer is that there is particular mercy to His chosen children. There is no reason for the Lord to even allow man to breathe, let alone allow man to continue to serve Him in constant sin every day. When the believer sees that God allowed His Son – Christ – to take on all of the believer’s condemnation, they will be motivated to serve with all the love possible to the God of forgiveness, the God of passing judgment, the God of pity, the God of pardon, and the God who gives mercy to all. This is done so that God can give special mercy to His elect. It is great to see that because of Christ and His work at the cross, the believer can stand in mercy before God. This is just one of the many ways that God’s chosen people can actually come to Him and worship Him. Seeing that God is not only merciful to all of mankind, but to those who are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, the believer will receive God’s unending mercy that will carry him or her into eternity.

How does the believer boast in this mercy? By first bringing Him the praise and honor in which this merciful Lord calls for. Secondly, by availing from this merciful Lord who the believer serves. This means that because of Jesus Christ, the Savior of men who intercedes on the behalf of the believer, one can always go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. A. W. Pink says this: “The merits of Christ make it possible for God to righteously bestow spiritual mercies on His elect, justice having been fully satisfied by the Surety! No, mercy arises solely from God’s imperial pleasure.”6 To be a child of mercy is to be a believer of mercy. One must see the mercy, which God has lavished upon him, and live that characteristic out in passing judgment on others, and allowing others to ask for forgiveness. When we represent the character of God, which the gospel gives to the believer, we should live out those characteristics that flow out of the gospel. Now, the facts to boast in this are twofold. First, man can boast in the fact that he can be forgiving to others that do him wrong. As Christ said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” We are called to give mercy to others, but, moreover, the reason why we can be merciful to others is because God has first given the believer mercy. The believer must give mercy to those who cannot work, to those who are poor, hungry, needy, abandoned, divorced, widowed and orphaned. So often it is easy to judge groups of people or classes of individuals. The believer must not do this. The believer must take the gospel to all groups and all nations of peoples on this earth. Secondly, man can boast in the fact that God has passed on all mercy upon his soul through Christ. What allows the believer to be merciful to others is that the gospel is merciful to the believer. The believer may never fully grasp the realization of the importance of this truth. But God’s mercy is so enjoyable to the heart and soul of the believer, that the believer should – above all else – want to share this with others who know, and do not know, the gospel.

So, how does the believer boast in this? The believer boasts in his forgiveness which God grants in the gospel. And he may boast that the work of Christ is the only reason one can be forgiven (and is constantly forgiven) and is that which allows God to not pass judgment on His elect. For the mercy of God is forever. He will never change it, stop giving it, or decide one day to cut it off from His people. The mercy of God will endure forever, flowing from Him forever. This is so the believer can see gleams of the gospel and its mercifulness, which flows directly from the gospel to the believer. Once the believer comes to grips with seeing this area of the gospel, he can find enjoyment from it and rest in the all-merciful Savior of mercy. How great it is that the believer can boast in knowing that God’s desire to give mercy will never stop and that He will never think twice about passing judgment from the believer. This is where the believer can cling to the gospel. Only when God forgives man of his sin(s), can man come before God in correct relationship and communion. May the believer continue to always remember that his salvation was because of the mercy of God, which allows him to have the ability to come into communion with the all-holy and glorious God.

The Holiness of God

Isaiah 6:3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.

1 Peter 1:16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The holiness of God should provoke the believer to live out a life that is in pursuit of holiness until the day of Christ’s return when man shall spend eternity with his holy and blessed Creator.

Boasting in the fact that the believer serves an all-holy, perfect, blameless Maker is enough to make us see the shortcoming of humanity. Proper boasting is to realize this: an all-perfect, holy, and righteous God allows us to boast in Him. Man is filth, dirt, and most of all, a sinner before the all-holy God. It blows the minds of men and women to know that God has not only provided a way for man to boast in His holiness, but to partake in this holiness to which they will be restored – being His perfect image-bearers for eternity. Since everything man has done, can do, or will ever do, always comes short of the all-holy God, he is stuck in his cesspool of sin. But God and the gospel has allowed a way in which man can come to give Him His praise, His adoration, and His proper worship in boasting in the resurrection of Christ which will restore us one day before God. But for now, here on earth, the believer should constantly praise God for what he may partake of, but at the same time constantly battle with his flesh in trying to pursue a life that is clean and as pure as his Creator’s, in all His holiness.

Octavious Winslow states:

It is said of God that, “He only has immortality.” All created beings are immortal, but God is absolutely so. He only has immortality as an essential perfection of His nature. All others derive their immortality from Him; He from Himself. What a great and glorious being, then, is God! He is “glorious in holiness.” He could possess no glory were He destitute of perfect holiness. Divine in His nature, endowed with infinite perfections, and possessing resources vast and boundless as His infinity, imagine what a being He would be – how powerful for evil, how potent for destruction – were not every perfection of His nature imbued with, and under the control of, infinite and perfect holiness!

God is set apart from all other beings, both in the spiritual and earthly realms. Nothing even begins to display the perfection and maximum holiness that gleams from His being. For believers, this is to be boasted. For there is no other like Him, and no other god or gods come close to Him. He is set apart from all of creation. The holiness of God only reveals to the believer the un-holiness in which he lives. Boasting in the fact that God stands alone above and beyond all creation gives the sinner and saint something to look and gaze upon when in the time of need or even in the time of the highest peaks in the walk of Christianity. Man must boast in the fact that there is no holiness in himself that gives the believer the ability of ethical purity and freedom over sin. The holiness of God has allowed the believer to be set free from sin’s bondage, and therefore gives God glory to the highest capability as possible.

Proper boasting in God’s holiness is becoming holy. Believers, like God, have been set apart from this world. Many will come to the day of the Lord and not know God. The believers who have been cleansed from their sin by the holy blood of Christ are called to be set apart. They are to live as a sacrifice to the Lord by conforming their lives. They do this by boasting in the fact that they may know and live out the holiness of God every day. R.C. Sproul says this best:

True transformation comes by gaining a new understanding of God, man, and the world. What we are after, ultimately, is to be conformed to the image of Christ. We are to be like Jesus, though not in a sense that we can ever gain deity. We are not god-men. But our humanity is to mirror and reflect the perfect humanity of Jesus. A tall order!

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 2:3-7 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

Man must not boast in any of his own wisdom. For the wisdom of God has brought man to Him, to boast in nothing but Him. The wisdom of God is greater than any wisdom that has, can, and will be envisioned by man. God’s wisdom is so great, so satisfying, and so enjoyable that we should not boast in any wisdom but His.

In American culture today, we have bigger businesses and bigger buildings than ever before. We have nicer cars, nicer houses, bigger wallets, and bigger toys; America has everything it wants. And what do today’s American believers tend to do? They end up buying into this deceitful pride, and boast in the things they own. I am by no means stating that if one has these things, they are not boasting in the wisdom of God. However, I am saying that if one desires these things more than one desires the wisdom of God, that is idolatry, which is sin before the almighty, all-knowing God.

Think about these things: today in 21^st century America, people admire your birth and the name that you have made. If your parents are well known, then in most cases so are you. If your social status is high, then you may find delight in your friends. The more friends you have, the more proud of yourself you should be. If you make a lot of money and are well off financially, many people may be your friends because of what you have. Oftentimes, it seems that men value power and authority above anything else. If you are the type of person that gets things done, or you always seem to come out on top, then who does not want to be your friend, and who does not think you are wise? If you look good, sound good, wear the right clothes, and make all the right moves in life, you may look like you are wise. But to this I must say, it is often that even we as believers look elsewhere to fulfill our own personal desires so that we can find delight and boast in our own pride! It seems to me, more and more today, that people – and even fellow Christians – want to feel smart and be known as someone special, and never think about boasting in the all-knowing wisdom of God.

How foolish of man to boast in his own wisdom as if he can know God, without realizing the great fact that God brought man to Himself. Man’s wisdom does not, and never will, find God; nor will it ever begin to compare with God’s wisdom. The wisdom of man does not know the cross, and it cannot comprehend the cross without the wisdom of God, not to mention the inestimable Holy Scriptures. The 63-volume set of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons just begins to explore the “foolishness” of God. Martin Luther’s works, in a massive 55 volumes, just barely touch the edges of the “foolishness” of God. John Calvin’s Institutes and his 22-volume set of commentaries are only grains of sand in the vast amount of shores upon this earth in describing the all-knowing God. The 24-volumes of works by John Owen, the 12 volumes of Thomas Goodwin, and the 12 volumes of Thomas Boston together are only but a hint of the wisdom of God. Every commentary, every systematic theology volume, every dictionary, every encyclopedia, and every book ever written, is but a drop of water in the vast oceans of the Lord’s knowledge and depth of His wisdom. Compared to the Lord’s wisdom, man’s knowledge is foolishness. One of the most amazing benefits of the wisdom of God is that we get to boast in His wisdom which calls us weak, despised, lowly individuals as compared to Him. We are made to boast in this wisdom, and it should be our utmost desire for God to be boasted in – and not ourselves. Man must boast in God’s wisdom, for His glory.

The God Who Reveals Himself

1 Peter 1:3-5   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The fact that we as human beings can come to know the omnipotent God ought to be a truth that makes the believer yearn to boast in the gospel. For there is nothing greater, more satisfying, or more delightful in the heavens and on this earth than knowing God.

One might ask, “How can God allow sinners – allow the ones that have left the side of God and sinned against Him – to know Him?” The question does not remain unanswered, like many think. God has given men and women faith so that they may know Him and boast in Him more. The fact that human beings can know God should be boasted high above the many people and things that we know today. God giving His Son to people so that they could come to hope in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – and then know God through this – does not only call for this amazing truth to be shown in the lives of believers, but to be praised in every day of life. It is truly amazing to dwell upon the fact that God would design a plan throughout all of history, and act to redeem the peoples among the earth, so that they can take part in knowing God! This is another gleam of the gospel in knowing God, which brings home the fact that God has called His people to know Him. In the secular world, where we see people who have no idea of the Gospel Giver, it is so sweet to the soul to see that believers can boast in the vast glory God has in Himself.

Knowing God is the sweetest and most gratifying knowledge that exists.  To be able to boast in this truth, man must see that not all men are called to this; and that the ones who are called sometimes do not find their satisfaction in this.  When a believer knows God first and foremost in his or her life, this helps to overcome lust, pride, greed, envy, and all other sins that can destroy a Christian’s life piece by piece. When God is known more than anything else and is enjoyed far above anything, this alone gives the upright and correct relationship that God’s people are to have with Him. Many of God’s people today will look for other areas in life that make them comfortable. They trust in their job, family, or friends to give them their satisfaction or their happiness. The problem with this, though, is that it does not boast God to His highest when satisfaction is found in anything else without Him or in anything else that does not glorify Him first. John Piper said, “We were made to know Christ as He really is (which is why Biblical doctrine is so important). We were created to comprehend – as much as a creature can – the supremacy of Christ.”^[1] Man must know God more and more every day in order to fight sin’s ongoing battle. If man wants to gain victory over struggles and sin problems, he will look at God – wanting to know Him more and more, until he is so saturated with God that he wants to know Him more than his own selfish desires.

It seems to be especially true in American culture that we love to find our pleasures in what we know to be true. Oftentimes, pride can dominate even the life of a believer in what he chooses to know. Believers choose to know things of the wrong nature and not dwell upon the all- knowing God. They seldom think about the fact that there are billions of people on their way to hell and some of them may never hear of the gospel truth about knowing their Creator, God. For those who know God, and have a relationship with Him, this should bring them to their knees in awe of the highest-knowing God. If man does not boast in the fact that he is called to know God, then He will never get the full glorification out of the individual whom He called. This is just another area that man was called throughout life to do: to know Him, for Him.