John Piper has a fascinating post today on how Brad Pitt stumbled over God’s concern for his own glory.
Does the Bible teach that God seeks his own glory?
Let me invite you to consider the evidence for the claim that God’s glory is his own ultimate purpose, the main theme of the whole Bible, the linchpin in the Bible’s theodicy, and the theological centerpiece of every single biblical author.
There’s a lot of evidence for the idea that God seeks his own glory. This book has not exhausted it, but if you have trouble with the idea, how about joining me on a guided tour of the whole Bible? At many points I’m not sure I’ve done it justice, but the journey will repay all the effort you can give it.
A trait we despise in humans, but somehow love if it’s attributed to God. Programming our minds to love that which we actually hate.
Gabe: Is the “trait” in humans the same as it is in God?
Gunner: I would say yes, essentially it is the same thing, namely self-centeredness. The only difference is that it’s claimed to be good if it’s attributed to God, but despised if it’s found in humans.
Gabe,
The difference comes when you ask “what is the best thing in all creation to center on?” The answer is God, the best, most glorious, most lovely, most admirable thing in existence. It is indeed an injustice for us to center on ourselves and miss what is most lovely i.e. God, would it not also be injustice for God to center on anything less praiseworthy than himself?
Mike,
Well you might be a more admirable person a crackhead roaming the streets, but that doesn’t mean you should be self-centered because of that fact. Self-centeredness is an undesirable trait no matter who it is. And as the original post states, the immense suffering wrapped up in the theodicy issue only serves to bolster God’s self-centeredness.
Mike,
I meant “a more admirable person THAN a crackhead….”