God Loves… Himself

“Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” (Jonathan Edwards, Resolution 9)

This sounds so morbid to many in our day, but this is actually a very practical thing to do. While many speak of financial, estate, and all sorts of planning today, the most important issue is eternal planning. No matter the problems that a person has in this life, those problems will be left when he or she enters eternity. All of life’s problems pale in light of eternity. In one sense, then, to think much of death is to see the importance of life. Thinking of the occasion of death sharpens the sense of how one is to live in this life. This is to take an eternal view of life. What is important in terms of eternity?

Richard Baxter has written that when one dies his friends will scramble for his possessions, the worms for his body, and the devils for his soul. When one thinks of death all of those things come into sharp focus. What is the use of hoarding wealth and piling up material possessions? They will be left someday and all that a person has may be like fool’s gold. Man has been created to live to the glory of God in all that he does. But if man spends his time gathering possessions, when he enters eternity it will all have been fool’s gold. While on earth those possessions appeared as real and valuable, but in the light of eternity those things will be seen for what they are. We should spend our time and efforts at developing treasures in heaven where they last for eternity and not on earth where they last but for a very short time.

Many people spend huge amounts of money and time in order to eat well. Others spend huge amounts of money and time on physical fitness. Still others spend huge amounts of money on their hair and body in order to appear beautiful. The eternal view is that all of that money and time are being spent for worm food. True beauty is of the inward person and that is the beauty that God loves. We should spend times on getting our souls beautiful and into condition since they will last into eternity and the body lasts but a vapor of time on earth. Meditating on eternity brings a crash into reality of how we should view the body and how we spend our time. But, some say, my physical condition honors God. Perhaps, but how do we know that? Does Scripture instruct us to spend a lot of money and time doing that? Rather it tells us that “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (I Tim 4:8). This does not inform us that some exercise is of no profit, but that bodily exercise is of little profit when compared to godliness. We should exercise our souls unto godliness if we have the eternal view. “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (I Tim 4:7).

The eternal view looks at the soul and where it will reside for eternity. The soul is either housed in the body on earth for as long as the body will live and then it goes into a state in eternity that it will be forever and forever. The eternal view looks at the home of the soul in the long range view and decides to live according to that. While I am putting these things out in terms of self-interest, the real issue is love for God and living for His glory. Those who live this life in terms of wealth and health are in reality choosing self over God and that is idolatry. People must understand that no matter how much money they have they will die and it will do them no good at all. They must understand that no matter how great their health is, they may die very soon of disease or accident. The soul is what the devils will come for when a person dies.

Edwards’ resolution actually displays great wisdom. It looks upon eternity and brings all other things into connection with that. The person that meditates on eternity will not often be deceived into idolatry of temporal things. Perhaps we should add that meditation in and of itself is not as helpful as it might be unless we pray that the Lord would give us a sight of eternity and the weight of what it is. If man could only have the weight of eternity on his soul he would be a different person. In times of revival in the past people spoke of the weight of eternity coming down and things of this world appearing as nothing. A sense of the weight of eternity gives us great wisdom.

“Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and to let the knowledge of their failings as others; and to let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God” (Resolution 8).

I would imagine that many people, if asked to read this, would respond by saying that this is absurd. I am sure that from their worldview and theological perspective it is absurd, but is it really all that far off of they things should be? We know that Paul spoke of himself in this manner: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (I Tim 1:15). The person that sees his or her heart in accordance with the Spirit’s work in convicting of sin and of Scripture cannot possible see another person as a worse sinner. I cannot know the depths of another person’s heart to the extent that I know my own. I know my own motives and intents and level of love or non-love far better than I can know another person’s. I know the thoughts and desires of my own heart better than those of other’s. While I know that each person will have all of his or her careless words brought into judgment, I should be able to keep track of my own better than any other individual. I have knowledge of far more past sins than I do of any other person. Therefore, each person that is not blinded by pride should see far more of his or her own sins than those of other people.

In a theoretical way, however, a person can deduce that others may commit far more sins than himself. But in a practical way, it is not possible to see the inward sin of others as much as my own. Another may violate the commands of God far more on the outside than I do, but I can’t be sure that the other person sins more than I do in the inward man. So Edwards is not really exaggerating in what he is saying in this resolution. While Edwards was known for his holiness in his time, that does not mean that he had the same opinion of himself.

A very helpful insight that Edwards gives in this resolution is on how to view ourselves when we see the sin of other people. When he says “to let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God,” this may sound absurd to some. However, within this statement is a very helpful insight to keep ourselves humble before God and to prevent our sin of being judgmental, For example, when we see another violate one of the Ten Commandments, we might want to judge that person very harshly. But we should always remember the Golden Rule which is to treat others as we want to be treated. When we are harsh with others we have forgotten our own outward and inward sin. First, we must remember that the real sin of each person is the sin of not loving God as the Greatest Commandment sets out. No matter what sin a person has committed, that person has violated the Greatest Commandment. I need to ask myself if I have loved God with all of my being. If the other person has lied, I need to examine my heart to see if I have refrained from lying because I love God or because I want to be proud of not lying. Have I deceived my own heart and tried to deceive God? Ah, all men are liars. Indeed the sins of others should give us great cause to mourn over our own sin as well as the sin of others.

Well, someone might say, I have never committed adultery. Fine, but have you really looked at the deeper meanings of the Seventh Commandment? Remember how Jesus used it in Matthew 5. This commandment goes to the heart and does not just regulate the physical behavior. The Scripture teaches us that to lust in the heart is to commit adultery. It also teaches us that in every sin there is a spiritual adultery against God. How many people have never lusted in their hearts? How many people have never strayed from God and so are guilty of spiritual adultery? I would dare say that all are guilty of violating the command against adultery. This means that when we hear of adultery, we should mourn in our own hearts for our own sin. We must let the sins of others show us our own hearts because pride blinds us to our own sin. We hate sin when it is in others, but usually find a good reason to commit it when we want to. Let us remember that as we look at the sin of others and see how wicked it is, in the eyes of God our own sin is far worse because He sees our sin as it is and is not blinded in any way to it. We should let the knowledge of sin in others promote shame in ourselves and provide the occasion for confessing our own sins to God. Instead of looking at the sins of others and allow that to be a cause of pride, let us look deeper and seek God so that it will be an occasion for our humility and contrition.

“Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live” (Resolution 6).
“Resolved, never to do anything that I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life” (Resolution 7).

These two resolutions actually fit together very well. Resolution 6 can be seen as the positive side in that he intends to live with all of his might in that he is going to pursue the glory of God with all of his heart. Resolution 7 can be seen as the negative side in that he resolves not to do anything at any point if he would be afraid to do it in the last hour of his life. How are we to think of this and is this something that the so-called average person should attempt to emulate? The following Scriptures seem to express these same thoughts.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

Jeremiah 29:13 – You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Matthew 6:33 – But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Romans 12:11 – not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

1 Corinthians 9:24 – Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

1 Corinthians 15:10 – But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Colossians 1:29 – For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

Ephesians 5:16 – making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

1 John 2:28 – Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

God has created man as an instrument through whom He would express His glory. Man, therefore, is to love God with all of his strength. This means that man must search for ways to live to the glory of God and exert himself and pant after God. To live with all of his might is simply to say that man should love God with all of his strength and pray and seek for the strength that comes from grace. In days of old we find men expending themselves for the glory of God and His kingdom. They crossed oceans when it was not very safe to do so. They went to foreign countries when this was not done and it was not safe to do so either. They stood and preached against sin in the midst of crowds of sinners. Some were said to have burned out in the service of the Lord. They devoted themselves and all their strength for their whole lives in the service of King Jesus and His glory.

What does it mean to do nothing but what you would be afraid to do the last hour of your life? I think that this points to a desire to be holy as He is holy. It is a realization that a person may die at any moment. It is the realization that a person does not want to stand in front of His King just after wasting the time of the King. It is the realization that we must answer to the King for our thoughts, motives, intents, and words. It is also, I think, the realization that all that we do is in the immediate presence of God anyway. Everything that I do is in the presence of God and it is nothing but a practical atheism to deny that (concept from Stephen Charnock). Every exertion of inner and outer strength is either for God or against Him. Every exertion that we do is done in His presence and He is aware of the innermost depths of it. I think that Edwards was simply trying to express that reality. If this generation is going to live to the glory of God, it must realize the same thing. Being lukewarm accomplishes nothing but sin and being spit out His mouth. Perhaps we should be more like Edwards in this.

Jonathan Edwards, Resolution 5:
“Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.”

Ephesians 5:16 tells us this: “making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (NAS) while the KJV renders it as “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The word “redeem” has the following meaning: “to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own.” It would seem that Jonathan Edwards had Ephesians 5:16 in mind when he wrote this resolution. There are other verses as well:

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.”

Romans 13:11 – “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

Galatians 6:10 – “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Colossians 4:5 – “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.”

In thinking through this resolution of Edwards and the corresponding verses, we should be struck with the meaning and importance of life. We know that we will answer to God for our thoughts, intents, motives, and every word.
Will we also answer for every minute and perhaps second that we have on earth? The Greatest Commandment is to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. That command (along with the Ten Commandments) has no time limit set. We are never commanded to keep these commandments except for certain periods of time. These commandments are in full force seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day. Okay, but each of those hours has sixty minutes and each minute has sixty seconds. Do we want to break the seconds down into smaller units? The point, however, is that Edwards is not being over zealous when he resolves “never to lose one moment.” What does it mean to sleep more than we need? What does it mean to daydream? What does it mean to entertain ourselves with mindless games? Is it improving the time in the most profitable way to read novels? What about all the hobbies that people have? What about television and surfing the internet?

I am not trying to be legalistic in any way that the word is used, but this resolution of Edwards and the corresponding verses should force us to face up to how much time we misuse and do not redeem. What would happen if Christians began to redeem the time and began to focus all their time on doing what was best with it? What would happen if we began to focus our time on seeking the glory of God in all that we do and love Him with all of our beings? Would the world see a difference?

God has given each person a certain amount of time on earth. “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them” (Psa 139:16). If all the days are ordained by God, then that means that we will not live one day past the time He has ordained for us to live. How much of our time belongs to Him? How many breaths does He give us each day? We do not have one moment of time that we can call “our own.” All believers are bought by the blood of Christ and they are not their own. Believers are the love-slaves of the living God. Perhaps if we were serious about keeping the Great Commandment we would be more devoted to God. After all, all that we do that is not for His glory is sin since sin is falling short of His glory (Rom 3:23). We are also commanded to do, even eating and drinking, all to the glory of God (I Cor 10:31). Let us remember that God Himself is the true joy and pleasure of the believer. So what could entertain us more than Him? Could it be that our entertainments are actually idols? I am fairly sure that I know what Jonathan Edwards would say. But what does Scripture instruct us in the Great Commandments? May our consciences and lives be instructed by God’s Word.

Jonathan Edwards, Resolution 4:
“Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.”

This is a powerful resolution that is along the lines of I Corinthians 10:31, I Peter 4:11, and the Great Commandment. The wording of this resolution is intended to stress a universal statement that all things are to be done to the glory of God and that all that a person should do is to that end as well. This is truly a magnificent statement of a precise man in what he desires to do for that rest of his life. This is a statement that reflects a heart that has been captured and enraptured by the majesty and glory of God. This is not just a logical statement intended to produce an exhaustive statement, it is the statement of a glowing heart that does not want to leave any stone unturned in the pursuit of its love.

“Never to do any manner of thing” begins a statement that is the language of a precise man with a burning heart. Nothing is to be done in any way that is not to the glory of God. Some might want to limit what is done to the outward acts of the body, but not Edwards. He is including the soul as well. He knows that love for God must come from the inner man and can’t be limited to the actions of the body. He wants the intents of his heart and the motives for what he does to be done out of love for God’s glory. He wants those things that flow from his inner man to be desires and longings after the glory of God. The Great Commandment is certainly seen here in that he wants to love God with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength. Precision is here, yes, but also the longings of a heart that burns with love for the glory of God. It longs to be given over to Him and His glory and nothing else.

The next part of the statement is “less or more.” This is a rather fascinating aspect of this statement. In one sense it seems rather superfluous, but in another it shows how precise and loving the heart was that this statement came from. What can it mean to do nothing but that which tends to the glory of God, and be satisfied with neither less nor more? We can understand what it means to settle for less than the glory of God. It might mean to settle for the appearances of things rather than to truly desire His glory. It might mean to settle for something that does not really glorify God though it might be honorable and moral in the sight of men. Edwards did not want to settle for anything that was less than the glory of God. But what did he mean by more? I think that he is being exhaustive and realistic. There are many things in the world that people think that are far more important than the glory of God. There are times that things may seem to be moral and good, yet those things cannot be done if the glory of God is first and foremost. I conclude that the “more” part of the statement is really a reminder to himself that there is nothing better than the glory of God. Nothing can be done apart from the glory of God that is anything but sin. All that is done that is not to the glory of God is sin. By definition sin is a falling short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). How easy it is to get trapped into something that has the appearance of good but is not to the glory of God.

In reference to doing all to the glory of God, Edwards adds another little puzzle: “nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.” What does the “nor be” add to this? I think that what he is saying here is an addition to what he said that he wanted to do. The first part of this resolution is that he did not want to do anything that was not to the glory of God. Now he does not want to be anything that is not to the glory of God. One can say that all that they do is to the glory of God, but what of what they are? Whatever one is in terms of their stature before others, work in life, or how they are in their heart must also be taken into consideration. Edwards did and he wanted all that he was to be to the glory of God as well.

He also did not want to suffer anything that was not to the glory of God (“nor suffer it”). This most likely refers to those around him. He wanted to see the glory of God in himself and others. He wanted to influence those around him that he would not have to suffer anything to be done that was not to the glory of God. All must be done to honor God if he could at all do it, be it, or influence others to it. This is a heart that breathed after God. It searched for language to be better able to express what it felt and loved. This may appear extreme to many, but not to those who have had a taste of the goodness of God. There is something in tasting of the glory of God that gives the realization that language cannot begin to express what the soul feels and knows. But the soul also knows that it must stretch itself and try so that it can pursue after God for His glory in that way.

Jonathan Edwards, Resolution 2:
“Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the forementioned things.”

Edwards, even as a young man, took his resolutions seriously. He was so committed to seeking the glory of God in all things that he resolved to be constantly trying to find out new ways to promote the glory of God. A heart that would truly resolve that is a heart that loves God with all of its being. That kind of heart is not content with the usual way that God is seen in glory, but is looking for new ways to magnify God in ways that He is glorified now and also in ways that He is not seen as glorious. Edwards was seeking to glorify God in as many ways as he could. This is a beautiful picture of how man is to seek the glory of God in all things, but to resolve to find innovative ways to seek His glory.

This sounds like Paul when he declares that “whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor 10:31). Paul does not use the same language that Edwards does, but surely the same heart is present. Surely it is the same Holy Spirit that has been poured out in both of their hearts giving both of them a love for God (Rom 5:5). The language of Edwards appears to have the desire to maximize the glory of God in all things and then look for other things to do the same. It is virtually certain that Paul had the desire to maximize the glory of God in all things when his own account of his desires is set out. “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith” (Phil 1:19-25).

In v. 20 Paul sets out what his earnest expectation and hope is. He wants Christ to be exalted in his body whether by life of by death. It does not appear that he cared much if he died, though he thought it would be better for him to die. We see this in v. 21 when he says that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul thought of life as simply the life of Christ in him and so to truly live was Christ. However, if he died that would be gain. He even declared that he had the desire to depart and be with Christ. This is a strange thought in modern times, and especially when Paul says why. Not only did he think that it was gain to die and be with Christ (v. 21), but it was “very much better” (v. 23). Paul was convinced that to remain with them was necessary for their sake, though it seemed that he wanted to die and go to be with Christ. However, he decided that he wanted to stay for the “progress and joy in the faith” of the people he was writing to. This shows a man with the desire to seek the glory of God in all things. This shows the heart of Paul in desiring to maximize the glory of God in all things.

This is the heart of all the people that God has used greatly. When men and women are not content to live ordinary and safe lives but resolved “to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote” the glory of God, then they are used of God in mighty ways. This is not something that is worked up in the flesh of man, though many may desire honor from men in this way, but this is something that God gives to some and not all. We should pray that God would raise up many that would have the spiritual certainty that to die and be with Christ is far better. We should pray that God would raise up more men like Luther who would be willing to “here I stand, I can do no other” when trials arise from the secular and religious authorities. We should pray that God would raise up more men like Jonathan Edwards who endeavored to find new inventions and contrivances to glorify God. All of these men lived so that the glory of God would be maximized and all appeared ready to die if necessary because it is far better to die and be with Christ. May God set apart men and women today who will see themselves as nothing but sheep to be slaughtered if God’s glory in order that they may seek to maximize the glory of God.

Jonathan Edwards, Resolution 1:
“Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory and to my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how ever so many and how ever so great.”

Last time we compared the pleasure that a person might have that is given over to sensual pleasures versus the believer given over to the pleasure of the glory of God. Perhaps that might be thought to be unfair. This time, then, let us consider the successful man that has plenty of money and is faithful at church as well. What are the differences between this man and the one given over to sensual pleasures? In reality there is not a lot of difference on one level. The sensual man lived for himself and used people and things in order to fulfill his sensual pleasures. He was essentially a selfish person that only did what made him feel good. The successful man who also goes to church would condemn the lover of sensual pleasure. However, is there any real difference?

The successful man appears to be outwardly moral and an upstanding man. Sure he drives an expensive care and has an expensive house, but he has worked hard for it. He has not spent his time and money in the pursuit of sensual pleasures so he has time to work hard and enough money to buy these expensive items. But isn’t he really just living for self too? The sensual man uses others to fulfill his sensual pleasures, but perhaps the successful man uses others to fulfill his lusts for success. Either way, clearly, those are selfish drives that have goals to fulfill certain drives and lusts that are not for the glory of God. Both men have ignored God’s clear commandments to love Him and do all for His glory in order that they may live for self.

But the successful man also goes to church. This man attends on a regular basis, perhaps is an officer or teacher, and tithes quite well. Surely, we think, this man cannot be like the illicit man that pursued sensual pleasures with every moment of his day. Well, let us think through this one as well. Why does this man go to church? Many reasons are possible. Maybe he goes to quiet his conscience. Maybe he goes because it is good for business. Maybe he goes because he thinks that he is earning his salvation by good works. But again, this man is doing it all for himself and has no real concept of living out of love for the glory of God. This man is living in sin and his sin is having himself as an idol and his own god. He does all things from self-love and not out of love for the glory of God. This man is also given over to self and nothing but self. His sin is like the sensual man but he has a cloak of respectability over it. Both men are idolaters and live as their own gods. Their way is death and leads to death. Their paths will have misery in them and will increase with the amount of sin they commit.

The advantages of an increase to man’s pleasure in living to the glory of God rather than self are many. The advantages and pleasures of true Christianity over a form of it are virtually infinite. The believer has the pleasure of being the temple of the living God, but the unbeliever is the proud idolater that God fights. The believer has the pleasure of having the love and joy of God in him. The believer has the pleasure of being the recipient of the work of the Spirit in working the character of God in him. The believer has access to streams of living water. The believer is enabled to abide in the love of God and have the love of God abide in him. The believer has the privilege of all that he does is out of love for God and others when he lives for the glory of God.

The pleasure that a believer has is in seeing and enjoying the glory of God, so that all that he does for the glory of God is really doing that which is accordance to his greatest love and pleasure. This enables man to do all of his duties (if done to the glory of God) in accordance to what he was created for and in accordance with the pleasure of God being expressed in and through him. The believer that is content with having what he desires the most (God’s glory) is always content since God’s glory is always seen in whatever happens. The believer that lives for God’s glory is doing what is best for God and others. This is simply holiness in its fullest expression since it is keeping the Greatest Commandments. The believer is able to be blessed as in the Beatitudes while the unbeliever is always cursed in what he does. The believer is able to love the pleasure of God which is real love while the unbeliever can only delight in himself which is idolatry. The differences are huge, but the pleasure in God that the believer has is better than having the whole world and all its pleasures. God’s glory is indeed the greatest benefit and pleasure for all who love Him.

Jonathan Edwards, Resolution 1:
“Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory and to my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how ever so many and how ever so great.”

The last time we looked at doing that which is most to the glory of God and the fact that Edwards thought that it was the glory of God that was to his own good, profit, and pleasure. Admittedly this seems absurd to the vast majority of people in the world today, perhaps even within Christendom. But the truth seems to reside with the minority of opinion much of the time when it has to do with the meaty things of Holy Writ. How can it be that the glory of God is what is best for each person? How can it be that it is the glory of God that is to our own good, profit, and pleasure?

We must think through this issue rather carefully. First, let us consider the person that is worldly and is given to sensual pleasures. This person appears happy to the world he lives around and loves all the fleshly pleasures the world has to offer. But is he looking at the long or short term effects of the way he lives? Sin always brings misery either in this life or the life to come and most of the time in both. The effects of sin on his body and on his way of looking at things will bring him misery. The effect of sin on the soul is to harden his heart and to make him ripe for the Day of Judgment. All of his actions are doing nothing but treasuring up wrath for the day of wrath. While we can see that the long and short term effects of sin show that sin is not what is for his good and profit, but what of pleasure? Can the glory of God give Him more pleasure than sin? While that is not the most accurate way to put the question, it sets out the issue rather clearly.

To deal with that question will require us to draw back and look at a few other issues. First, can there be any lasting pleasure without love? If so, Scripture teaches that the only ones that love are those that love God (I John 4:7-10). All those that love are born of God and love God, but those that do not love God are not born of Him. We can now look at the issue of true joy. Joy and love go together and are when they are found in truth. Trreally not found apart from each other ue joy is the work of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) in working His fruit in the heart of people. So imagine the man that is given over to sin. Admittedly his sin gives some physical pleasure, but is it a deep inward pleasure or one only of the senses? Can his sin give him the river of pleasure that God alone can give? Can his sin give him the true inward delight that sharing in the joy and love of God can? I daresay that there is no pleasure greater than the exquisite pleasure that the Creator can give to the soul that He loves in holiness and truth. Even without taking eternal torment for sin and eternal pleasure in Christ into account, the believer should have much true joy.

We can also meditate on the guilt that sin brings to the soul and also the misery that accompanies much sin. God has made the conscience in such a way that there is misery of the conscience when sin is first committed and then the misery that comes from a hardened conscience and heart. Sin also brings diminishing results in that it takes more and more sin to keep the lover of pleasure going. As this happens the sin does not bring the pleasure that it once did and the pursuit itself brings misery. Without question, then, if we take the simple teaching of Scripture the person that lives for the glory of God will have more true pleasure in this life and in eternity as well. It is very true that a person that is living for the glory of God will have more to live for and more true pleasure than the one that is given over to a life of sensuality.

The case can also be made that as a person goes deeper into sin that person is really going deeper and deeper into selfishness. A selfish person will grow and grow in misery. A selfish person is always looking out for himself and as he gets deeper and deeper into that practice, he grows more and more into a life that is centered on self and excludes all things that are not for self. The selfish person is seen as selfish by others and they do not want to be used by him. This leads to more and more misery and selfishness. Sin leads to nothing but misery even when the person presents an outward facade of happiness. True happiness is found by a person committed to the glory of God and the good of others because those two things go together and cannot be separated. When a person has his greatest pleasure in God, even hard times and trials can increase joy since those things are for His glory too.