In the last BLOG we looked at another quote from the book Let God Be God! An Interpretation of the Theology of Martin Luther by Philip Watson. We also looked at how the modern professing Church has let humanism and egocentricity in the doors in biblical clothing and it is an idol that has taken over. It is much the same that Balaam did in counseling Moab on how to get the Israelites to commit idolatry and so God fought the Israelites. See the last BLOG, Pride 22, for more on that. The devil cannot defeat God directly and so he fights God by getting at the people of God. The way that devil gets at the professing church is to get it involved in idolatry and God will turn from that church. Let us not imagine that this takes God by surprise and that the devil is outsmarting God. This is all part of God’s eternal to manifest His glory which is the ultimate good. Here is a shorter quote from the above listed book which was taken from the longer quote in the last BLOG.
“I find it exceedingly difficult to rid myself of this illusion and allow God really to be the centre, that is, really to be God. Egocentricity in religion is seen perhaps at its simplest and crudest in that conception of sacrifice which is expressed in the formula do ut des. I offer my gift in order to win the Divine favour and so to obtain what I wish from the Divine power. But the same egocentric motive can be exhibitedequally, if less obviously, at much more refined levels.”
“Do ut des” in Latin means “I give that you may give”. In other words, “I give to you, that I may get something back from you” (American Heritage Dictionary). If we look in our hearts with brutal honesty, we will see our own motives. It is not just that we do something for God to give us something even greater back (crass forms of charismatic teaching), but down in our hearts we want God to be pleased with us if we do these things. Perhaps some even think that if we can just come up with the faith God will reward us with salvation. Perhaps we tithe with the secret desire to obtain the favor of God for something else. Perhaps we think that by being good God will give us a perfect spouse or work in the one we have to be better to us. Maybe way down in our hearts we think that by our doing things a certain way God will bless us or do something for us. Perhaps it is even to bless a ministry. But this is the heart of human beings that have not been delivered from self-centeredness and pride.
Imagine the depths of the odious pride of the heart that thinks it can give God something, bribe Him, or perhaps to manipulate Him in some way. All that God gives is of His goodness and comes by grace. What can a mere speck of dust give to the infinite Creator who owns all things anyway that would move God to do something?
Romans 11:33 – “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? 35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
I Chronicles 29:14 – “But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. 15 For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16 O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours.”
Psalm 50:10 – “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”
These texts show us that we can earn nothing from God. If we try to earn something from Him, we are not those that live by faith which receives grace. Habakkuk 2:4 teaches us that pride and faith are opposites: “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” Faith receives grace and grace can find no motive within God but the character of God Himself as triune. It is the very epitome of pride to even think we can in some way move God to do something for us unless it is in the name of Christ by grace.
God Loves... Himself 
Leave a comment