Westminster Project 2.2
2. God has all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; he alone is in and to himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he has made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, to, and upon them. He is the only fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things, and he has complete sovereign dominion over them, to do through them, for them, or upon them whatever pleases him. In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledge is infinite, unerring, and independent of the creature, so that nothing is contingent or uncertain to him. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due, from angels, mankind and every other creature, whatever worship, service, or obedience God is pleased to require of them.
(WCF 2.2)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to try to count all the sand on the beach or all the stars in the sky? If you have, I can almost guess your next thought: “That’s impossible!” Trying to grasp the nature of God is a similar challenge.
We can think about these things, discuss them, and even speak theologically and accurately about them, but forming a clear picture in our mind’s eye of all that is taking place is nearly impossible (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:34; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4). This week, by considering the whole council of Scripture, the confession lifts our thoughts heavenward, pulling back the curtain so that we might reflect on our God and His perfect ways in Himself and in His world.
First, we see that everything that exists—past, present, and future; seen and unseen; in this world and the next—comes from God Himself. This is because God is life, and all life comes from Him (John 1:1-5; 5:26; Acts 17:28a). The life that comes from Him is good (Genesis 1:1-31; James 1:17).
Second, God is completely independent of both His creatures and creation. In other words, or as theologians say, this paragraph speaks of God’s “aseity,” meaning God is in no way dependent on His creatures or creation. He is not dependent on us to “make” Him who He is or to affirm His goodness; He does not need us to be God. He is life, life comes from Him, and it is good because He is who He is (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 119:68; Romans 9:5). Accordingly, He reveals His goodness through all that He has made (Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 6:15-16).
Third, because God is the creator of all that exists, He is in complete control over everything (Matthew 10:29-31; Romans 8:28; Revelation 4:11). This can be incredibly difficult for us mere creatures to grasp, but this universe is not random or chaotic, with multiple options or endings where we get to “choose our own adventure” (Ephesians 1:11). No, God, who created all things, has only one end in mind, and He is working all things toward that end for His own glory (Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16-17).
Fourth, however, we fall into a grave error if we think of God as a divine watchmaker who simply wound up the clock and let it tick on its own. The whole council of Scripture reveals that God is intrinsically working with and within His creatures. This is incredibly complex to understand. On one hand, no one is a preprogrammed robot living against their will; yet on the other hand, no one is independent of God or working outside His will. We all act according to our nature, yet nothing is uncertain or contingent outside of Him (Ezekiel 11:5; Acts 15:18; cf. Hebrews 4:13).
Fifth, no matter who you are—or what you are, whether spirit or human—we owe our good, life-giving God the worship He deserves, giving Him all that we are (Deuteronomy 6:5; 30:2b; cf. Revelation 5:12-14). We may not see this fully realised in our world today, but there will come a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of our Heavenly Father (Philippians 2:10-11).