Answering Objections: Why God Seeks His Own Glory | Jonathan Edwards

Deep Dive into A Dissertation Concerning The End For Which God Created The World by Jonathan Edwards - Some Objections Considered, Which May be Made against the Reasonableness of What Has Been Said of God Making Himself His Last EndJonathan Edwards addresses four main objections to the doctrine that God created the world with Himself as His ultimate goal.The first objection suggests that if God is eternally self-sufficient and perfectly happy, He cannot need anything from creation, making it absurd that He would seek to advance Himself through His works. Edwards answers that God's joy in the holiness and happiness of His creatures is not derived from them as if He lacked something. Instead, it is a delight in the communication and overflowing of His own infinite goodness and beauty. Just as a fountain naturally overflows without implying emptiness, God's pleasure lies in diffusing His fullness, meaning He relies on nothing but His own independent power.The second objection argues that making oneself the ultimate end constitutes selfish behavior, which is considered a contemptible flaw. Edwards counters that prioritizing oneself is only a vice in created beings because a single person's interest is insignificant compared to the whole system. However, because God is infinitely the most valuable being and the fountain of all good, it is entirely proper and strictly accurate to reality that He values Himself supremely. Furthermore, God's supreme delight in His own glory is precisely the disposition that motivates Him to share that goodness with creation.The third objection contends that seeking the admiration of lesser beings is beneath God's dignity, much like a great prince seeking the ignorant applause of a crowd. Edwards explains that God rightly values what is inherently excellent. Since knowing and loving God is the highest and most excellent form of created existence, it is fitting for God to desire it. Unlike a crowd's foolish applause, the proper esteem of God is wise and just.Finally, some object that if God acts for Himself, it diminishes the freeness of His goodness and the creatures' obligation to show gratitude. Edwards argues that God's glory and the creature's good are not opposing concepts, but are intrinsically united. Because God encompasses all existence, His self-love operates as a perfect, general benevolence rather than a confined selfishness. His entirely self-moved disposition to communicate happiness secures both His own glory and the creature's ultimate benefit.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730