If we’re going to hold to it and understand it to be the only proper guide for our life, to contain the words of knowledge and truth and eternity, that we can pursue this, and pursue the one who it displays to us, and one day inherit that eternity in him, then we should understand that it has to be perfect in order to tell us these things. And it can’t contradict itself. Which means, if we look at Scripture, and we walk away with an understanding that says, “this says one thing, and over here it says another thing, and those two things contradict each other,” then the problem’s not with Scripture. It’s with us.

So when James says that we are justified by works, and Paul says that we are justified by faith and not our works, then it’s up to us to figure out how God meant the two to fit together.

So what we’re going to do over the next two weeks — this week and next — we’re looking at James chapter 2, verses 10 through 26. But this week I want to focus specifically on this question: does James contradict Paul? And I think once we understand exactly what James is saying, and what Paul is saying, we’ll be able to make better application of it to our lives next week. So this week, we’re studying how these two passages, Paul in Romans specifically and James here in this text, coincide to show us the truth of the Lord.

The Apparent Contradiction

Here’s the perceived contradiction. James tells us in James 2:24, you see that a person is justified by works, and not by faith alone. Paul, though, says in Romans 4:5, and all throughout Romans chapters 3 through 5, the opposite:

And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

So James says a person is justified by works. Paul says the person that does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, that faith, not the works, is counted as righteousness.

Paul says the same thing in other places. Galatians 2:16:

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so that we also have believed in Jesus Christ, in order to be justified by faith, and not by works of the law, because by works no one will be justified.

Ephesians 2:8–9:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So how do we bring these two ideas together — James, that works justify us, and Paul, that works have nothing to do with our justification, but that faith is how we receive that justification?

Words Have Context

Before we study that from James 2, I want to point out that when it comes to human language in general, the way you and I talk to each other, words have context, and that context determines what we mean by those words. If you came up to me today and said, “Michael, I love rock,” I can think of four different meanings I could ascribe to the word rock. We could be talking about stones, or a certain genre of music, or what mothers do to their babies in a rocking chair, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. You’ve got to determine the context to know what we’re saying to each other.

If we’re not careful about reading James and Paul in their context, we’ll make that same mistake. I think what we’re going to understand when we walk away from reading these words today is that James and Paul are talking in two totally different contexts, and their words — just because they’re the same word — doesn’t mean they’re using them the same way.

So what I want to do this morning is show you that James and Paul are not contradicting each other by showing you three differences in the way that James uses his words and the way Paul uses his. So I hope you’ll join me this morning in opening your Bibles and turning to James chapter 2, and keep a finger in that section of Scripture, and also keep a mark in Romans chapter 3 or chapter 4. We’re going to be going back and forth to those two passages this morning to see three differences in the way that James and Paul use their words.

1. James and Paul Use the Word “Works” Differently

Here’s a definition of works. The Greek word would be ergon, and here’s how it’s defined: a task or set of tasks accomplished by someone. Your mom sets you out to go wash the dishes — she gives you a task to accomplish, and you go work that work when you go and accomplish those dishes. That’s a work to be accomplished by someone.

Romans 3:28, here’s what Paul says:

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

So you see that Paul uses his word works in a specific context — namely, works of the law. Here’s what I think: James is calling for good works of Christian faith, while Paul is condemning relying on Jewish works of rites and rituals for salvation. Let’s look at those two passages.

First, James 2:14–17:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed or lacking food, and one says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

So when James talks about works here, he’s showing us: look, when people come to you, and you say that you’re a Christian, but they come in need, not having even clothing or food, and you say, “go, find clothing, find food” — now what good is that? That doesn’t help them at all. That doesn’t do anything. If you don’t act, that person doesn’t get their food, they don’t get clothing, and therefore love is not shown to them. That’s the context James is talking in. He’s talking about good works of Christian faith. You’re a Christian, then your action should represent it — by the way that you show kindness to others.

Paul’s doing something different. Romans 3:27–31:

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith, apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means. On the contrary, we uphold the law.

I hope you’ll see from these verses that Paul, when he talks about works, it seems like in this context he’s specifically condemning reliance upon Jewish rites and rituals for salvation. He’s speaking to a Jewish audience who is so attached to their circumcision and their special rights that set them apart as Jews, distinct from Gentiles, and they’re wanting to say, “Okay, if the Gentiles are going to be a part of this faith, then they’ve got to accept these Jewish rites as well.” Paul is saying, no, no, no, no, no — those things do not make you justified before God. Rather, we need grace. Our salvation isn’t attributed to observance of specific guidelines that the Jews upheld. It’s attributed to the grace that God gives us.

Notice, though, Paul goes on to talk in Romans 4:2–5 about this distinction between works and grace:

If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due. And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

See, now Paul’s getting more general with the way he uses works — more general than specific rites and rituals, because Abraham was prior to these rites and rituals.

So what’s the point? I think Paul, specifically in his context in Romans, is condemning this reliance upon the Jews’ works of rites and rituals for salvation. Don’t depend on those things; depend on Christ, Paul is saying. James is calling for good works of Christian faith.

Now, before we go on, we have to ask ourselves — because here’s what we might be tempted to do: say, “okay, so God justifies us not because of Jewish rites and rituals, but because of our personal works of obedience. That’s why God justifies us.” That’s what we might be tempted to do. “I do right things, I obey God, and because I obey him, I have now achieved the justification promised to me.” But we’ve got to look at the entirety of the New Testament, and I think what we’ll find is Paul might be addressing Mosaic law in Romans, but the principle is the same elsewhere.

Titus 3:3–7, a passage that has nothing to do with the Mosaic law:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

So in a passage that has nothing to do with the law of Moses, the point is the same: we’re not saved on the basis of any works, whether they be Jewish works or works of obedience. God doesn’t look at us and say, “You’re obedient enough, you’ve passed the test, and therefore now you’re worthy of this justification.” That’s not what happens. We’re saved because God is merciful and kind and gracious.

But James, in chapter 2 verse 24, says you see the person is justified by works and not by faith alone. So maybe you’re pausing now and thinking it still seems like there’s a contradiction there. I’m going to argue with James that that’s not what he means at all — that our works are grounds for our justification before God. That’s not what he means, and here’s why.

2. James and Paul Use the Word “Justification” Differently

Before we can see how he does this, we need to know what justification means. If we break it down to its actual meaning, justification just means to pronounce or declare someone to be righteous. Oftentimes we think of it in terms of our justification before God — God proclaims us righteous. But that’s not the only way it’s used in Scripture in reference to our relationship with God.

Here’s an example. Luke 7:29, Luke records:

And when all the people heard him, even the tax collectors, they declared God just.

You think, wait a minute — I thought God was the one who was supposed to be justifying us. Why are they justifying God? When we understand the meaning — to pronounce or declare someone to be righteous — then we get what it means to justify God. It means these people, the tax collectors, declared God to be righteous. They said, “God, you are righteous,” because of Jesus. That’s what it means that they justified God.

So here’s my argument: Paul uses the word justification to mean that we are declared righteous before God, when Christ’s righteousness is received by faith and not earned by works. James uses justification differently — to mean that our works declare or show our righteousness outwardly before men.

Let me give you another passage before we go to James 2 directly. Luke 16:15, Jesus says of the Pharisees:

You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.

Clearly, these people were seeking to pronounce themselves righteous before men. They wanted others to see their actions and perceive them to be righteous. Now, justify means that in that context. So when James says that our works justify us, it seems likely that he’s using it the same way Luke does. Let’s see if the context supports this.

James 2:14: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone” — notice this word — “if someone says he has faith, but does not have works, can that faith save him?” Did you notice that word, says? So there’s a profession taking place — we’re claiming to have faith.

Verse 18: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Verses 22–23: “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works — and Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’”

Here’s the interesting thing about this passage. In James 2:21, he addresses something that took place in Genesis 22, when Abraham offered up his son Isaac as a sacrifice before God. And yet, in verse 23, he quotes Genesis 15 — “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

So what do we see from this? If we understand this properly, Abraham was justified before what James is referencing as Abraham’s work of righteousness — Abraham was justified years earlier, in Genesis 15. And yet James uses Genesis 22 as the evidence of Abraham’s justification. So when verse 22 says that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed — meaning faith was brought to its intended goal — that means the works didn’t justify him before God, but the works justified him in the sense that they gave testimony to his prior faith. That’s why Scripture was fulfilled — Scripture was shown to be true, in that Abraham had the faith that was declared as righteousness, and that outward expression, the obedience to God, gave testimony to that faith.

So when James says that our works justify us, what he means is this: you who do not work, do not show yourselves to be righteous. Rather, you show yourselves to have dead faith. And what is dead faith? It’s not faith at all. You say you’re a Christian, but you’re sleeping around with your girlfriend on the weekends. You say you’re a Christian, but you can’t keep yourself out of the bar. You say you’re a Christian, but you spend all your money on yourself with no consideration of others. James says, brother, if all your faith is, is nothing but this head knowledge, you don’t have faith — that faith is dead.

Paul uses the word justified to show how God pronounces us to be righteous before him — when God looks at us and decides what to do with us, he doesn’t look at our works; he looks at Christ’s work. Those of us who have put our faith in Christ, received him, and are in union with him — God looks at us like he looks at Christ. James uses the word justified to ask this question: when others look at your life, do your works pronounce you to have a living faith?

3. James and Paul Use the Word “Faith” Differently

James 2:14, here’s what James says about faith: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith” — he professes that, “I’m a Christian, I have faith” — “but does not have works, can that faith save him?”

What I want you to notice here is this: James distinguishes the faith of verse 14, the one that someone claims they have, from true saving faith. That’s not the same thing, James says. This person has true faith, and this person just says he does — those aren’t the same kind of faith. Here’s how James describes this faith, the one that this person says he has. He describes it three different ways.

Verse 19: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder!” This belief is not the saving kind of belief. This is the kind that’s just professed. This is the kind that gets the facts right, because the demons, they get the facts right. Is that all your faith is?

Here’s another way he describes it. Verse 20: “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” Is that all your faith is?

Verse 26: “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

So three different ways James describes the faith of James 2:14 — demon faith, useless faith, and dead faith. Those things are not saving faith. So when Paul says that we are justified by faith in Romans 4, he’s not talking about that kind of faith. James isn’t saying that faith doesn’t save. He’s saying that if your so-called faith doesn’t produce this kind of working obedience, you don’t have true faith — you’ve got counterfeit faith.

The Point

So here’s the main point in wrapping up. Faith that is just a profession, and not a conviction, is useless, demonic, and dead — I mean demon-like, because that’s how James describes it. Is your faith useless, demonic, and dead? Because if it is, you’re no better off than the demons themselves.

So, I hope you can see this morning that James and Paul don’t contradict each other, but they actually agree at the heart of their message. There is one way to right standing with God, and it’s Jesus Christ. For those of us who’ve put our faith in Christ — not just saying that we’ve put our faith in Christ, but dying to ourselves and submitting our whole being to him, to live a life full of fruitful obedience and good works — we’re the ones who get his righteousness. Not a righteousness of our own, but one that is a gift.

If that’s not you this morning — whether you claim yourself to be a Christian, or you haven’t made that profession of faith yet, and accepted Christ in the waters of baptism, dedicated yourself to him to live a new life full of works of obedience to him — listen, don’t put yourself in the same category as the demons. Have true faith.

In the New Testament, we read of how Christians were described as zealous for good works because of the joy and love they had for their life in Christ. When acknowledging Christ’s sacrifice for us, it leads to devotion and obedience that becomes radiant! That radiant light is the mark of God’s people! Titus 2:14 states, “who gave Himself for us [Jesus] to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” Jesus’ sacrifice has allowed us to live lives that are holy and have a greater purpose! When we live like that, that is something that people notice. We can radiate the love and passion of what God has done for us to others due to the significance and gravity of what happened on that cross.

The love, good works, and transformation that comes from a life as a Christian is one that family, friends, and even strangers can see. That light is one that we can use to point to God!! In Matthew 5:16 it states, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” We no longer aim to say, “Hey look at me! I am blessed and successful because of the changes and hard work in my life.” Instead, we proclaim, “Hey, I am a changed man/woman because of the greater purpose and grace of the Lord!”

Why Shining Our Light the Right Way is Better

In a world where our happiness is fleeting, the happiness that comes from faithfully serving the Lord soothes the soul. The world defines happiness by possessions, approval, comforts, pleasures, and success. But according to the Lord, you could have everything in your life go wrong, lose all your money, job security, and material possessions, and still be entirely whole and content in the fact that you are serving the eternal Lord!

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Those were the words of Paul. Paul was content in his life lived for the Lord, and it didn’t look like a secure, safe, or stable lifestyle (Philippians 4:11). How was he able to keep that mindset? Because he knew the purpose he had.

Achieving worldly approval or security always leaves you empty and insecure because it’s shallow and unpredictable. When we conform to the perfect image that God has made us in and the design for our lives that he has made, it is deep and secure! Psalms 16:11 states, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” When you strive after the approval of God, it is a deeper and more satisfying pleasure!

I don’t know about you, but the happiness and peace that comes from being right in the eyes of the unchanging God is more attractive to me than trying to please the opinion of others or reach the man-made standard. The world will always have you wanting more and more, leaving us unhappy, broken, and exhausted, running on that treadmill of dissatisfaction.

What Shining Your Light the Wrong Way Looks Like

One example in the bible where we see the look of a “holy” life being used the wrong way is with the example of the Pharisees. We are warned in the gospel books about how they would practice obedience to God in shallow and self-serving ways. They wanted to be perceived as holy by men, completely neglecting the sincerity and true reason behind living a life of obedience! In Luke 16:15, Jesus states, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

When obedience is viewed as something to point to ourselves, rather than the Lord, we are doing it for all the wrong reasons. It’s not just about shining the light of a Christian. It’s about reflecting the light of Jesus.

As we read in Matthew 6:5, the Pharisees got their worldly approval. When we are seeking worldly approval from the actions we choose in our lives, it will never be enough in comparison to the true honorable light of a Christian. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 states, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” When we are using our talents and efforts for the Lord, there are times that it may be overlooked. We don’t desire temporary glory, happiness, or recognition when, at the end of the day, it is all for the Lord.

Conclusion

The beautiful thing about becoming a Christian is that the definition of happiness is changed. When we undergo the watery grave of baptism, we are no longer living for ourselves, but for the Lord. Galatians 2:20 states, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” We no longer live our lives trying to find a purpose in worldly things; we have a much more substantial purpose and foundation built on the everlasting God.

This change is the Lord’s light that we should be reflecting. It’s no longer about us, but Him. A life of service to the Lord comes with innumerable blessings and deep, long-lasting happiness that is no longer defined by the world. My final thought for this reading is to remember the Creator whose light we are reflecting, and remember the uncontainable happiness that can come from that!

And this morning, I want us to look at verses 12 through 15 and wrestle with what he says here. So let’s read it together, James chapter one, starting in verse 12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial.

For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Now, before we proceed into some practical application for us this morning from the text. I want us to question something that I think I’ve at least heard often said coming from this verse.

You know, sometimes we, we come up with phrases that we think certain things in Scripture say, and I’m not sure this phrase is exactly what James is trying to convey to us. The phrase I often hear said is, desires are not sinful as long as we don’t act on them. Maybe you’ve heard it said, you know, Tim, it’s not a sin to be tempted as long as we don’t act on the temptation.

Now, I don’t aim this morning in what we study to say that that’s always wrong. I think sometimes it’s true. Now we’re going to face temptation, and we've got to say no to it in order to avoid sin.

But my question is, is that what James means to say by this verse? That sin is only found in our actions and not in our desires. Is James saying desires are morally neutral, or is he saying that sin begins with our desires?

Now, here’s what I think the text says. And I hope as we study this morning that you can see from the text that what I think James is saying is something like this. I think James is telling us, your problem with sin is not that you are tempted.

But that you desire what you are tempted by. Notice again, verse 14. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

So Michael, where are you getting this from? Where are you getting this idea from — that our problem with sin isn’t just that we’re tempted, but that we desire the things we’re tempted by?

I’d say it’s from right here in verse 14. We’re tempted because our own desires lure us and entice us. Let me give you an example.

The person who doesn’t like sweets isn’t gonna be tempted to indulge in sweets, right? My dad, right now, he’s been for the past, um, 6 months, I guess, refraining from eating sweets, because he knows that that’s his biggest reason for not being in shape, right? He knows his biggest problem is when you set down a tray of freshly baked cookies in front of him. He's not going to have one.

He’s not going to have two. He’s gonna have like eight, right? And when you’ve got someone who can cook, like Rebecca can, my wife, you find that you have the same problem.

But the person who doesn’t like sweets doesn’t have that issue. And so I think James is showing us, at least in this verse, that we’re not lured and enticed by something external to us. The problem is with us.

We’re lured and enticed by what we love. Before the external ever shows up. James is saying, don’t blame God for your temptations because it’s you who desires what is evil. Now, before we go any further, I want to make a distinction in what I have to say so that we’re not confused.

Temptation Originates in Two Ways:

I think there are 2 ways that sin leads us into temptation. I think Scripture shows us this. I want to show you that this morning.

The 1st way is that sin will take a good desire and offer something perverted to satisfy it. The 2nd way is that sin will call an evil desire within us to act out. So temptation either seduces a good desire into sin, or it calls a sinful desire to come out. Let me give you some scripture to show my point.

Here’s what happens in Genesis 3 and verse six. So when the woman, this is Adam and Eve in the garden, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

The tree was to be desired to make one wise. What’s wrong with wisdom? There’s nothing wrong with wisdom, right? God tells us to desire wisdom — throughout all the Proverbs. And yet, it led her into sin.

Look at Matthew chapter 4, verses 2 through 3. Jesus, after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, became hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, if you’re the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. Jesus was hungry. We’re hungry.

Some of you might be sitting there not having breakfast this morning, thinking, what are we going to do for lunch after this, right? There’s nothing wrong with being hungry.

It’s a natural desire that God has given us. But sin offered something perverted to satisfy that hunger in Jesus. And Jesus resists that temptation.

So sin will take a good desire and offer something perverted to satisfy it. Here’s the 2nd way that we are tempted. Sin takes a bad desire in us and calls it to act out.

Mark chapter 7, verses 21 through 23, Jesus tells us, “from within, out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these things come from within. And they defile a person.”

Look at Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man, this is in the days of Noah, days of Noah, the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was on evil.” Ephesians 2: 1 through 3 describes us before we were saved. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, and look at our condition, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature, children of wrath like the rest of mankind.”

So you see from all these verses that within us, there may lie some sinful desires, things that desire sin, desire evil, not good desires, but desires that are opposed to God’s will. And then of course, our text for this morning. James chapter one, 14 through 15. “But each person is tempted when he’s lured and enticed by his own desire, and then desire when it has conceived, gives birth to sin.”

Now, I want to make another clarification, because I think often the phrase that we come up with is, “It’s not a sin to desire. It’s just a sin when we act on that desire.” Or, “It’s not a sin that we are tempted. We just can’t act on that, right?”

We should not say that, according to this verse, specifically verse 15, “desire precedes sin; therefore, it isn’t sinful.” I don’t think that’s James’ point. Why is that the case?

Let’s read it together. Verse 14, “but each person is tempted when he is lured, and he is enticed by his own desire.” Now look at the progression of sin that James shows us in verse 15.

“Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.”

So maybe at face value, we read that verse, and we think, okay, desire, James is showing, comes before sin, right? Desire, when it’s conceived, gives birth to sin. Now, conception happens before birth. But then why wouldn’t we say the same thing about sin and about death?

“Sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.” Nowhere in Scripture is death separated from sin. You live in sin, you’re dead. That’s what scripture tells us. Those are your wages. Nowhere in the Bible is sin separated from the concept of death. You remember Paul says in Ephesians 2 and verse one that we just read, “you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” So why would we say that about desire?

And if we wanted to use James’ own analogy…I don’t think James, as I wouldn’t say, would say that conception and birth mean that life happens at two different times. I don’t think James would say that, that life only happens when we’re born, but maybe he would say that life begins when we’re conceived.

And so if we’re approaching it with that understanding of his analogy, then wouldn’t we say that sin doesn’t just happen after we give in to a desire, but sin may begin in our evil desires.

You see the logic there? Does that make sense? So James point is not to give us a timeline of when we start sinning, so we can make sure we’re not crossing the line. James’ point is to show us why we fall into temptation in the first place. James’ point is to show us the root of our sin so that we can dig it up and get rid of it. He’s not calling us to behavior modification, but to heart mutilation.

So James’ call to us in this verse, I think, is that we need to open our heart and dissect it. To find where our desires lie; that’s where our problem with sin is. So, no, scripture does not teach that our desires are morally neutral. So long as you don’t act on them. Scripture teaches that our problem with sin starts in our desires, and we need to make war with them.

No Serious Relationship Normalizes Foreign Desires

Okay. Now, why, Michael, you’ve made this point from James, but why is it so important?

Why is it so crucial that we understand this? You could have made a 1000 other points, Michael, but why bring this before us today? And the reason is, it’s important, because the way we understand this—that desire is where our sin sometimes begins.

The way we understand this affects our relationship with God. Here’s what I mean. No serious relationship that you and I have normalizes foreign desires.

No marital relationship works that way, right? You can look, just don’t touch. No spouse is okay with their partner feeling desire for someone else. Just don’t act on it. Right? Now, that’s ridiculous. Because... as your spouse, I don’t want to be the person you tolerate. I wanna be your only interest. The only one you have desire for, the only one you’re infatuated with. Wasn’t that part of your vows? I’m all yours. My heart, my thoughts, my eyes, and my desires, they all belong to you. I’m not giving that to anyone else. Because I don’t want anyone else.

So why do we act like that’s what we can do with our God? Matthew chapter 6, verse 24. Jesus tells us, “No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other. He will be devoted to the one or despise the other.”

Look at the contrast there. Not just, you can you can’t love both. You can’t say, I love God this much, but I also love these things, but that’s okay, right? As long as I just look. As long as I just desire and not act on that.

God says, you have to be opposed. to what he is opposed to. If any one phrase should define the Christian heart, it should be this: Love God and hate sin. That’s what, that’s the phrase that should define my disposition toward God and my disposition towards sin. I love him, and I hate what he is opposed to. So, this should be our objective: to love God and to hate sin, and it starts in our desires.

So, the question becomes for us—“Okay, what are we going to do about this?”What does Scripture call us to do about our desires? To change our desires, to bring them into submission to him? What does it cost us to do?

Look at Colossians chapter 3:5-6. Paul says, “Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Why? “On account of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

Paul says, You’ve got evil desires, things that are opposed to God, things that God hates. You love those things. Just put up with them. Just tolerate them. Be okay with them being there? No, that’s not what Paul tells us to do. And yet, that’s how so many of us live. I want to love God, but I have these desires that are opposed to him. I’ll just let them live there. No, that’s not what Paul says.

He says, put them to death. Rip up the roots. Kill your sinful desires. Make new ones, desires for God. Why? Because the wrath of God is coming. I want you to imagine for a second.

The Stakes Are High

What would happen? If today, you look down at your phone, and you get a news alert that says, global war has struck out; we’re under attack from foreign nations. If we fell under attack right now, every aspect of our lives would change; our jobs would change. Our day-to-day tasks and the things we pursued, they would change; our thoughts would change. Because we got to prepare. We gotta make ready, right? We got to make sure that we’re prepared to face battle in this war. We’re under attack. We gotta take shelter.

Yet we failed to realize that every moment of our lives—think about this—every moment of our lives, the stakes are way higher, the nuclear warfare. Our life would totally change if all of a sudden, New York City was struck with a nuclear bomb. Everything that we do right now, everything that we go forward doing would totally change. And yet, the stakes are way higher 24/7 than that. Why? Because hell is on the line.

God’s wrath and his favor toward us are on the line. So every aspect of our lives should change right now to fall in line with that reality.

So Paul calls us, since the stakes are way higher than global war, Paul calls us, to make war with your flesh, 1 Peter 2:11. “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles, to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Romans 7:23, “But I see in my members another law raging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells within my members.” We gotta make war, brothers and sisters.

So here’s my challenge to us this week and every day of our Christian lives, until Christ returns and resurrects our bodies and gives us new bodies with perfect desires. My challenge to us this week is this. Make war with your desires. This is a serious thing. You will be tempted this week.

I’m tempted by sin every day. I’m tempted by the desires that rain within me sometimes. tempted to let those come out and act in sin. Lots of times, we act like Satan’s the one attacking us. And so often it’s just us desiring sinful things. Desiring impatience. Desiring lust, desiring anything opposed to God. When you’re tempted this week, find the roots in your heart, and dig them up.

But here’s the thing. That won’t be good enough. To expel your heart of the sinful desires that live within it. That won’t be good enough. We have to replace them with new desires. Because if we don’t, we’ll just go back to them. If we don’t replace the sinful desires within us with more desirable things, then we’ll just go back to what gave us pleasure before. We must replace our desires with something greater, and that is God.

Listen to Psalm 119:37-42. David says this: “He makes a prayer to God, saying this. Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise that you may be feared. Turn away the reproach that I dread, for the rules, your rules are good. Behold, I long for your precepts, and your righteousness give me life. Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise. Then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.”

Right there, in that text I’ve underlined, 7 things—7 more desirable things than the sin that calls out desire within us.

If we can turn our minds to these things, and replace the desires we have with these desires for this. For steadfast love, for salvation, for righteousness, all these things are so much more desirable than sin. So when sin stirs up our desires this week...“No, sin, I have an answer for you,”—David says— “My Jesus, who is more beautiful than anything else, I desire him. I don’t want what’s worthless.” “I want life,” David says. “I want a joy that’s gonna last, not end. I want to be loved.”

Psalm 101:1-4, David says this, “I will sing of steadfast love and of justice to you, O Lord. I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless.Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. Then in verse three, he says, I will not set before my eyes anything. that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me. I will know nothing of evil.”

If we’re going to be opposed to worthless things, to things that sin loves. If we’re going to hate sin and we’re going to have to cling to God’s steadfast love, and desire his love and his justice and his goodness on our behalf, then we’re gonna have to ponder those things as we talked about last week, to look at those, to meditate on those things so that we can walk with integrity.

“...Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. ⁸Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. ⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

— 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (CSB)

We all have weaknesses, some more torturous than others. For me, one of those weaknesses is a propensity to lust. I have faced many battles with sexual desire throughout my life. There were times when I believed that if I fought with much resistance, eventually I would build up an unbreachable wall of self-resistance between me and the desire to lust. After years of trying, followed by much failing, I was eventually brought to the same place we all end up: my knees.

Subscribe now

With great longing to follow God in all his ways, I remember praying, begging God to take these desires away from me. “Lord, please just remove this weakness from me so I may finally keep your will…” I prayed, hoping that if God would kill that part of my indwelling sin, I could live a life free of this weakness and the failure that followed.

Here I am many years later, and God has still not taken it. The weakness of my flesh has not disappeared. Some days it may be a whisper I barely notice, easily dismissed. Other days it returns with a force that catches me off guard, reminding me how thin the line still is between discipline and defeat. Yet, while this weakness of my flesh persists, I no longer live bound to its direction. As Paul did, I eventually found the victory over weakness that God grants his children.

Flawed Expectations

I used to think this spiritual victory meant the fight would eventually end. Now I understand it differently: victory is not the absence of our weakness, but rather the enjoyment of something greater than what sin has to offer.

Now, do not misunderstand me. My point is not that we will inevitably lose to sin in the battle against lust. No — part of victory is the standing of our ground against sin’s deceitful promises and saying no when temptations confront us. There is no victory where we let sin win.

Rather, my point is this: Nowhere within myself have I found the means necessary to eliminate the weakness of my own flesh. It was only when I looked outward and upward to something more pleasing than the joys of lust that I found victory.

Happy in Our Weakness

Rather than removing our weaknesses, God has said to us, as he did to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (vs. 9a). It is on this ground that Paul says, “I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me” (vs. 9b). How could someone be glad about their weakness? Is it not our weakness that keeps us from being righteous before God? Indeed it is. Yet Paul claims that his weakness is the occasion for his pleasure in Christ. “I take pleasure in my weakness…for the sake of Christ” (vs. 10).

Instead of self-loathing over his weakness, Paul claims a boastful happiness because of it. Not a boasting that displays Paul’s greatness, but the greatness of one whose power overcomes the strength of every weakness.

If I had somehow been able to remove the fleshly weakness to lust that lies within myself, I would certainly have something to boast about. But inevitably, I could not. We are not strong enough to overcome our own innate sinfulness. That power rests in God’s sovereign promise to grant us something more tasteful than the pleasures of sin: himself.

So, how does my weakness make me glad? Because when I resist the pleasures of sin by looking to the beauty of Christ, I am not just told that God is superior to sin. I am shown it, in the very place I am weakest. My gladness is not in the weakness itself. My gladness is in what the weakness uncovers: that only God can satisfy the desires of a heart made for him.

Real Victory, Real Joy

So, when I choose God over lust, I am not shown to be stronger than my own weakness. Rather, God is shown to be more enjoyable than sinful pleasures. It is in this victory over sin that I may, as Paul did, “take pleasure in my weakness…” (vs. 10). For by my weakness, the one who truly satisfies my restless soul is shown to be more valuable than anything else. I do not have to go on loathing myself for my indwelling inclination toward evil. Instead, I am free to be glad, recognizing my weakness and using it to point me to the only one who can truly satisfy.

Be glad in your weakness! Be glad in God!

All of the delight that the knowledge of God has brought you is suddenly shunned by this one statement. It’s a familiar phrase, one you have heard your whole life, even using it yourself to wave off discussions that felt unnecessary. But on reflection, something about it doesn’t sit right.

For the two of us writing this article, this experience is not merely a hypothetical situation, but one we have experienced many times. If you too are familiar with this phrase (“Is it a salvation issue?”), you likely know that it has been used as a filter for nearly every discussion of scripture known to man. This question has been thrown around, often used to discern where one will draw the line on truth and where they will maintain unity. But for those who adopt it, it quietly becomes a lens by which the Christian lives out their faith.

The Flawed Pursuit

Behind the inquiry “Is it a salvation issue?” lies a more direct question that the prior seeks to find out: “Will this action keep me out of heaven and put me into hell?” If yes, then it’s a salvation issue. If not, then there is no need to waste our time thinking about it or discussing it. Through this lens, scripture is read to determine what is required for salvation, choices are made to secure it, and one goes about their way. Inevitably, God’s word becomes nothing more than a means to an end, valuable only for what it can secure rather than for who it reveals.

This method is simply not a Biblical framework for the Christian life. When the practice of labeling things as “salvation issues” becomes the standard for the practice and pursuit of our faith, we neglect three vital truths.

1. We Were Made to Know God Rightly

A faith that revolves around what one deems to be “salvation issues” forgets the very purpose for which we were made. The Bible shows us that man’s purpose on this earth is not simply to follow all the rules so that he can be saved. Rather, the purpose of our existence is to know and show God’s glory. God makes this known in the book of Jeremiah, declaring to the nation of Judah:

²³ ...“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, ²⁴ but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 9:23-24

Likewise, God reminds the Israelites through the prophet Hosea,

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” — Hosea 6:6

A proper knowledge of God cannot come through seeking to know the rules while dismissing the rule maker. Thus, if we want to fulfill our purpose and truly seek salvation, we must seek to know God. Jesus himself shows that eternal life is not found in the pursuit of discerning what will put us in heaven and keep us out of hell when he prays to the Father, stating,

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” — John 17:3

The Christian’s quest for salvation does not revolve around the rigid practice of discerning what is and what is not a “salvation issue.” Rather, it is found in the selfless, delight-filled pursuit of knowing God. Thus, knowing God must be the foundation of our studies as Christians.

This is why the study of theology is so important. Theology is the practice of studying the scriptures to know God rightly. Therefore, it is the most necessary study man has ever known — not just some hobby for Christian’s with nothing better to do.

So, our pursuit to understand God’s word must never be limited to discerning how to stay out of hell. If this is all we strive to know, and in turn neglect our maker, we have almost certainly discovered nothing more than a sure path to meeting the very end we seek to avoid.

2. Everything is a Salvation Issue

One of the assumptions that the “salvation issue” framework relies on is that there are some things in the Christian life which are not “salvation issues.” However, the Bible presents no case for this; rather, it establishes the opposite: that everything is a salvation issue.

Now, it is necessary to say that what is meant by “everything is a salvation issue” is not that Christian’s must agree with one another on every point of view to maintain that unity. Rather, what is meant is that no moment of the Christian’s life can be viewed as morally neutral.

Right after revealing that everything is clean for the Christian to eat, Paul reminds his readers that the very thing which God has called clean may yet present an opportunity to sin. But on what grounds could something that is objectively clean be sinful for the believer? Paul reveals,

“But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” — Romans 14:23

Paul shows his readers that there is no neutral ground in the Christian life. Everything we do must be in reference to God through faith. Why is this the case? Because everything in this world belongs to God. John Piper once wrote,

It is on this basis that the New Testament makes the common call to Christians to do everything for God’s glory.

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

And yes, when scripture says “whatever,” it really means whatever! God universalizes the obligation of our faith to every act and thought we engage in, not just religious-looking ones. So, when we perceive rightly that God is the maker and sustainer of every second of our existence, we will understand that no moment, thought, word, or doctrine is morally neutral. No — instead, we are morally obligated to dedicate every fiber of our being to serving God, who does not need us, yet gives us all things to live to his glory. So, should you choose to continue asking the question, “Is this a salvation issue?” just know that the answer will always be yes!

3. God Grants Us His Grace

Now, the knowledge that every aspect of our lives is a salvation issue may seem scary and tragically terrifying. And it should be. For we serve a holy God who is eternally opposed to sin. His wrath must inevitably be poured out onto sinners. What can we possibly say to this?

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord…There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:25-8:1).

God has not left us to bear this weight on our own. While every minute of our lives will indeed come into account in our judgement, the Christian’s standing before God no longer rests on his ability to perfectly discern and obey in each of those moments. Instead, it rests on Christ, who lived the perfect life we could not live. In his death, he bore the wrath we deserved, and by doing so, imputed his righteousness to us (2 Corinthians 5:12). Thus, it is by grace that we have been saved.

Grace does not lower the stakes of our obedience; it changes the motive behind it. We no longer view scripture as a means to secure our own safety, but pursue theology, obedience, and holiness because we already are secure in Christ. By the grace of God, we are freed to pursue the very purpose for which we were made: knowing and showing his glory. Without grace, there is no hope of accomplishing this pursuit.

Conclusion

Beneath the question “Is it a salvation issue?” lies a subtle self-interest. Instead of “Who is God and what does He deserve?” we prioritize the question “How can I save myself?” As we study scripture, not merely to answer practical questions, but to know God more fully, our orientation will shift. Rather than trying to create a list of salvation issues, we must change our pursuit. So, may we move from a faith oriented around self-preservation to one oriented around delighting in and honoring God for who he is.

Now, while I am challenging this phrase, I do actually think that there is a positive way for it to be used as a directive for the Christian’s prayer life. Namely, it may help some Christians realize that God does not need fancy words or special phrases to hear them.

However, I want to address a different struggle. It seems many face a battle with uncertainty that arises from not knowing what a real moment of prayer should feel like. Should I feel a warm presence if I am truly in communication with God? Should I be moved to tears? Should I feel like God is walking beside me everywhere I go? Should I feel like the weight I have given to God has been lifted from my shoulders? If I do not feel these things, am I doing something wrong?

I myself have faced these worries while growing in my own prayer life. For me, hearing the phrase “talk to God like a friend” just made these anxieties worse. When I tried to compare my experience of talking to God to the experience of talking with friends, I was always left feeling like an inevitable gap lay between myself and the God to whom I was speaking. No amount of spiritual yelling could stretch the distance to make it feel like God was really hearing me.

Through scripture, God makes it abundantly clear to us that he hears our prayers.

1 John 5:14-15 — “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Matthew 7:7-8 — “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Psalm 34:17 — “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”

Yet, no matter how hard I tried to put my faith in these promises, I was still left feeling the same distance. So what was my problem? It was through this struggle that I discovered that my worry was not due to unbelief nor to God’s absence. Rather, I discovered in me a false expectation of what the practice of faithful prayer actually feels like.

The Faulty Perception

The truth is, God is not physically in front of us the way a friend is. We do not see his facial expressions, hear a literal voice in return, or get to touch his hand. Paul shares this reality, stating,

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV).

Now, while these things may be true, it does not mean we cannot have a real and emotional relationship with God. Rather, we must realize that, though it may not be face to face, God still calls us to relate to him in a different, yet more beautiful way than any other relationship imaginable.

God’s Divine Relation to Us

Another phrase that shapes how we think about prayer reveals a similar problem. It has been commonly utilized to discuss our prayer lives, stating, “Bring God into it.” But God is not a friend we pull into our picture. We do not inform him of anything he does not already know, like we would another human (Matthew 6:8). He is not an accomplace who we determine whether we want involved in our situation or not. No — scripture shows God to be infinitely more than this phrase allows.

God is the source of all things. Every moment of our lives, every choice that we make, and every thought that we have exist through God’s power. We do not invite God into our lives. We live by his power. Paul gives one of the most beautiful reminders of this truth to the Greeks in Athens, stating,

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything…having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place…Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:24-28).

God does not wait for us to invite him into the picture to start working. He is the one working to bring us to him before we ever think to move toward him (John 6:44).

Acknowledging God

So, what does this mean for our prayer lives? Rather than the weight being put on us to make contact with God, our pursuit in prayer should be to acknowledge him. Not the kind of acknowledging that we do when we give a head nod to the person whose name you should remember from high school, but forgot. But the kind of acknowledging that scripture calls us to.

Proverbs 3:5-6 —“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

The practice of acknowledging God is to reorient the whole self toward what one knows to be true: who God is, what he has done, and what his will is for man. God’s desire is not that you perform emotional closeness, but that you stop living as though he were absent or irrelevant. God calls for our actual faithful orientation (the direction our life faces) to bend consistently toward him. Everything we do should be in reference to him and, therefore, for his glory.

When this calling meets our experience of communion with God, it changes the way we approach prayer entirely. God does not become more real when we pray. Rather, we become more aligned with what we already know to be true. So, instead of approaching prayer as the initiation of a conversation, we approach it as an orientation of our attention toward God. God is always present and does not wait for us to initiate our contact with him. Thus, our prayer becomes a God-given opportunity to acknowledge our Lord and his greatness.

Jesus’ Model

If we observe the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:7-13, we see this posture modeled most clearly in the way Jesus himself prayed.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Jesus acknowledges God’s sovereignty and holiness. God is not made holy by Jesus’ statements. Rather, the prayer acts as an opportunity to acknowledge God and who he is.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Will God’s will be done regardless of us asking for him to bring it about? Of course! So why does Jesus call us to pray for it? Because Jesus wants us to acknowledge God’s eternal will and find ourselves in agreement with it.

“Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.” I would be lying if I said I prayed that God would give me something to eat every day. Yet, it still happens. God gives me even what I forget to ask for. So why ask God for this? When we pray and ask God for these things, we acknowledge God as the one who gives us all that we have.

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” James 1:13 tells us that God cannot tempt anyone. Yet, Christ still prays that he does not. Jesus does not pray this as a failure to know who God is. Instead, Christ teaches us to acknowledge that God is all-powerful and is sovereign over all. Through prayer, we acknowledge God’s provision in working through us to defeat sin (Romans 8:13).

Why Pray?

Now the question becomes: if we are simply acknowledging who God is and what he’s done by our prayer, why pray? Why address our prayers to a person, and not just say the right things about God in our minds?

The answer is found in understanding who God really is. God is not an object that we admire impersonally. He is a personal being. To treat a personal being as an object is to objectify and diminish what is truly present. Acknowledgment without address is theology without the relationship.

David makes this unmistakably clear by the way he prays in the Psalms.

Psalm 10:1 — “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

Psalm 25:4–5 — “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 57:1 — “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”

Psalm 9:1–2 — “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.”

So, when we reframe prayer as acknowledgment, we are not reducing it to silent contemplation or thought about God. We are reshaping what we expect it to feel like. Acknowledging God in prayer changes our expectation, not our form. We still speak to the true and personal God! Yet, we are free to stop expecting it to feel like talking to a human. Instead, we experience an even greater feeling: orienting our whole being to the truest reality of life.

Conclusion

Scripture never promises that prayer will feel like sitting across from a friend at a table. Instead, it promises something far more stable: that God hears us, that God is always present, and that in him we live and move and have our being. To acknowledge God through prayer is to pause and allow our minds to reorient toward the God who sustains us. When we do, we will find ourselves all the more glad in a God who has given us the ability to commune with him before we meet him face-to-face.

Most discussions on the topic skim the surface of the discussion, fighting over whether the Bible actually commands baptism and whether it has ties to salvation. Through my observation of many conflicting perspectives, I have come to discover that these arguments scratch the surface of a much larger God-ordained principle at work. The principle is this: God applies spiritual realities through physical means.

Overlooking the Reality

This is not a new concept. It is discerned and accepted as the exact activity that is taking place through many biblical events (which I will share in a moment). Yet, when the Bible’s mandate for baptism is debated, this principle is either (1) thrown out the window by those who refute baptismal regeneration or (2) is simply overlooked by those who accept it as the divinely ordained moment of a believer’s justification.

Many have taught that salvation is sealed at the first moment of belief. It must be noted that belief is not a tangible object with a physical essence. Therefore, this interpretation of what it means to be saved by “faith alone” is presented as entirely severed from any physical means. The result of this teaching has led many to interact with what some call a “sinner’s prayer,” which is believed to be the moment at which one receives remission of sins and is united to Christ. Ironically, what is proclaimed to be the moment of one’s justification is only recognized by the physical means (sinner’s prayer in this case) through which salvation is supposedly applied.

Physical Means for a Physical People

So, inevitably, any attempt to sever saving faith from its appointed physical means leaves it suspended between sign and reality with nowhere to land. Why? Because we are human, and humans are embodied beings. We do not exist external to physical essence. Thus, God works through divinely ordained physical sacraments to apply spiritual reality. This is what led Calvin to quote Chrysostom’s statement,

Additionally, Calvin himself states,

To draw from Calvin’s example, no one would say the seal on the diploma is unnecessary. Both the seal and the writings are components of the diploma that complete its application to the recipient. However, just because the seal is necessary does not mean it is effective as a diploma without the writings it contains. In the same way, baptism does not act independently of divine working, but rather, it is the physical means through which justification is applied to the believer.

One Flesh Before or After Marriage?

Many disagree with this doctrine of baptism, yet agree when Scripture applies this principle to other divinely ordained physical acts. For example, when a man and woman become husband and wife, scripture teaches that they have become one flesh. Jesus affirms God’s model for marriage in Matthew, stating,

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:5-6, ESV).

Importantly, this spiritual declaration does not precede the actual marriage ceremony and consummation. No one I know says, “since their love is real, the ceremony is unnecessary.” No—it is understood that the wedding ceremony and the consummation of that marriage are the appointed means through which the covenant is sealed, and the union is enacted. The physical act doesn’t create the love, but rather, seals, applies, and completes it covenantally. God condemns the Israelites for breaking their marital covenants, saying,

“The Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14).

Accordingly, a marriage that has never been consummated is typically considered incomplete in virtually every theological tradition. Why? Because through these physical means, spiritual realities are not only reflected outwardly, but applied inwardly. The consummation of a marriage is not a simple biological event. It actually does something spiritually. This is why Paul warns the Corinthians,

“Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh’” (1 Corinthians 6:16).

Thus, Paul shows us that the “one flesh” union is a serious spiritual reality, not just a physical one.

Circumscision

Likewise, circumcision embarks on this same principle. God established a physical cutting of the flesh as the sign and seal of his covenant with the Israelite people. Paul ties it to justification in Romans 4, calling it “a seal of the righteousness that Abraham had by faith.” (Romans 4:11). The physical means did not create the faith. Abraham believed before he was circumcised. But it was Abraham’s circumcision that sealed and applied the covenant reality to his body. This is precisely the two-stage pattern we see in baptism.

Some will argue that since Abraham was justified before circumcision, the pattern actually supports the opposite conclusion—that justification precedes and is independent of its physical seal. However, this conclusion leads to an implication that makes the seal unnecessary, which neither Paul nor Calvin allows. Rather, the point is not that the seal is the origin of the covenant reality, but that it is the divinely appointed moment of its application to the person. Abraham's faith was reckoned to him as righteousness, yet it was sealed, confirmed, and applied through circumcision. The two are not in opposition to one another, but are divinely ordained as collaborative.

Scripture and Spiritual Application in Baptism

So we see that this principle is clearly displayed throughout scripture: God applies spiritual realities to his saints through physical means. But could that mean any physical means? Does scripture specifically reserve baptism as the direct point of salvific application? The principle is first affirmed in Acts 22, when Paul recounts Annanias’ statement:

“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).

This passage asserts baptism as the expected act awaiting Paul in which his sins would be “washed away,” or in other words, forgiveness of sins applied. In Acts 2:38, Peter declares that baptism is the physical means by which forgiveness of sins and the promised Holy Spirit are applied. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the divine power at work in us through which we were “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13-14). Without the working of the Holy Spirit, the dutiful coherence to divinely appointed physical means amounts to nothing. Paul affirms this to the Colossians, stating,

“Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).

From this verse, it is crucial to recognize that the physical means in and of themselves do not provide the promised spiritual reality. Rather, any spiritual promise is granted by the “powerful working of God,” without which the sacrament loses any value. This is why Peter writes about baptism,

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 3:21).

Again, Calvin rightly agrees with Paul and Peter in this way when he states,

Conclusion

God does not bypass the physical to reach the spiritual. He works through the physical because we are physical. Physical means are not obstacles to grace. They are the appointed vessels of grace. Baptism stands in this long line of divinely appointed physical acts through which God applies what He has eternally decreed. To sever baptism from saving faith does not elevate faith. Instead, it leaves faith suspended between promise and reality, grasping at a seal that has not yet been affixed. Thus, God has appointed the moment of its ratification, and that moment is believing baptism.

In his confessions, St. Augustine of Hippo makes a glorious and awful statement before God:

It is a glorious statement, to the man who has wandered through life exhaustively, to know that there is a destination in which his desires truly can find rest. Yet, it is an awful one for the man who finds his rest, but later wakes up to find it out of reach.

I sympathize greatly with this sentiment. I have indeed experienced the restlessness of my wanderings in the World and its fluctuating pleasures. By it, I also know my need to experience the stability of a heart made happy in an unwavering God. However, despite my knowledge of this truth, I have gone through seasons where a gladness in God has seemed out of reach. I’ve sat daily, reading and praying from scripture, seeking to have my heart made happy by beholding God’s beauty. Yet, in those efforts, I sometimes found myself in one of two scenarios:

1. Feeling delight in what I perceived one day, but not finding any the next.

2. Experiencing gladness while engaged in a spiritual discipline, but finding none after leaving that time of devotion.

These moments left me questioning myself, asking, “Why don’t I feel anything?” “Why does my joyful perception of God fade and fizzle?” “Why can’t I enjoy God more?” The very words that once awakened my heart to delight in God had become discouraging reminders that I was simply incapable of truly experiencing it.

But then, I realized something that totally changed my experience of joy in God. The problem I once thought lay within my own lack of spiritual taste buds turned out to be a faulty perception of my relation with the source himself — what I have come to call “objectifying God.”

Our Source of Delight

Everything that we enjoy begins with a perception of its worth. Thus, if we perceive God to be of infinite worth, we will enjoy him above all else. God made us to know him and experience the delight that proceeds from our beholding of him. David writes,

“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (Psalm 17:15, ESV).

So the goal then for the pursuit of the Christian’s happiness is orientation towards God. We must see him to savor him.

All of us have had experiences of delight at the sight of something magnificent. Such pleasant feelings have come to us through our perception of sunsets on the horizon, a beautifully harmonious tune, or even at the sight of a skillfully developed painting. Certainly, if we can find such great pleasure in these apprehensions of God-given delights, how much more when beholding our God! Yet, it is precisely in this beholding where the danger of objectifying God begins. Let me provide an analogy…

Observing from a Distance

When one observes a painting that he finds to be truly beautiful, he will presumably feel all kinds of wondrous things. Mainly, he will experience some thrill in his perception of the painting and its beauty. However, when one entangles himself in this process, several things are true:

1. First, the viewer remains entirely themselves, and the painting remains entirely other. The viewer may cherish the painting and be quite fond of its beauty. However, he has no capability of interaction with it.

2. Second, the pleasure experienced is dependent on the viewer’s own reaction, and the painting does not share it with him.

3. And last, when the viewer leaves, the pleasure fades because its source is gone.

All of these things are true based on the reality that the painting is solely an object. It is not a person. It is not conscious, and it cannot be self-aware. It has no capability for social interaction or personal relationships. Therefore, the painting, as much joy as it may provide the viewer, remains an object to be gleaned from.

From Spectator to Participant

But this is not our relationship to God. We are not mere spectators, and God is not a bare object. When we sit before his word seeking only to gain an experience, we inevitably objectify the Creator for the sake of meeting our need to be happy. But joy is not something we take from God. Instead, it is granted in fellowship with him. In the gospel of John, Jesus reveals his will for our relational proximity to him.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

Jesus is not demanding observationalists. He is inviting participants who desire to dwell in a divine relationship with him. The branch does not observe the vine. It shares its life. But what is it that he promises in this communion with him?

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:9-10).

The Christian is not invited to simply observe and admire wonderful things about God (like his love). No—he is invited to have it for himself! How wonderful, not to merely intellectualize that God is love, but to be loved by the author of love himself! And what is the experiential result of this in the Christian?

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).

Christian happiness does not come by sitting in the art gallery of God’s descriptors (attributes). For when we look from our vantage point, we will only delight in what we find intriguing. Even a spiritually dead man can do this. Rather, true joy comes by knowing and delighting in the painter himself.

Conclusion

God’s call to us is not “behold me from a distance.” He is not a showroom comprised of arbitrary attributes to be stared at for a portion of each day. Rather, our Lord is a personal being, inviting us to a direct and abiding relationship with him. He calls us not simply to observe who he is, but to participate in his glory.

Thus, the Christian’s experience of delighting in God does not terminate in the joy itself. Happiness is not the end of man’s ultimate pursuit, but rather, the experience of abiding in the end himself. We are not merely satisfied by God, but ultimately, in him.

Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey, Pocket Books, 2006, p. 1.

As a kid, a common experience for me was going to church and hearing how scary and dangerous sex is. Perhaps you know the feeling. Every once in a while, someone might have mentioned that “sex is wonderful within the confines of marriage.” But regardless of whether it was being discussed negatively or positively, there was always a clear feeling that talking about sex was embarrassing and shameful. It was also clear that anyone who sinned sexually must be a really bad person and was definitely a significantly worse person than somebody who just committed small sins like lying, pridefulness, or gossip. People who sinned sexually were the kind of people that your parents didn’t want you to hang out with, because something definitely went wrong with that kid, and you might wind up corrupted by them. It was better to just stay away from them. They were probably too far gone anyway.

This kind of thinking became most apparent in what has been popularly termed “purity culture.” There lies a foundation for thinking about sex that says that sex is the enemy and any sexual activity outside of marriage results in irreversible damage, making a person ruined, like a piece of gum that has already been chewed. It reduces the entire rich, beautiful, biblical view of sex down to one rule: wait until marriage. By doing so, it fails to properly address any other aspect of sex or establish a full theological foundation for why God created us as sexual beings. This view of sexual purity leads to a culture where anybody who messes up sexually is better off hiding it than facing the ostracizing shame that comes along with people knowing about their mistakes.

The Stats

It is important to first recognize the reality of the world we live in. According to Common Sense Media’s national survey published in 2023, “73% of teen respondents age 13 to 17 have watched pornography online—and more than half (54%) reported first seeing pornography by the time they reached the age of 13” (Common Sense Media). Research from the Barna Group and Pure Desire Ministries published in 2024 found that seventy-five percent of Christian men and forty percent of Christian women report viewing pornography on some level (Beyond the Porn Phenomenon). Also from the Barna Group, “42% of Evangelical Christians in the U.S. have had premarital sex” (Premarital Sex Statistics Statistics: Market Data Report 2025).

The view of sexual purity that has been promoted over the last while has lacked a strong theological foundation and, for that same reason, failed to properly address the problem of sexual purity effectively. It has not only failed to keep people from sexual impurity but has then driven those same people in need of help to hide their sin and live in shame, sometimes leaving the Church altogether. Something needs to change. We need to restore the right perspective of sexual purity.

Avoiding Distortions of Sexual Purity

First, I want to quickly look at what we need to avoid. The first response to avoid is throwing away sexual purity completely. Many people who have been hurt by “purity culture” have responded by completely rejecting any plea for sexual purity. It is easy to see that if we desire to follow Scripture, there is some standard of sexual purity to follow.

The other response to be avoided is one that turns purity into a performance. This is really an offshoot of the thinking behind purity culture. It has still failed to realize the deeper purpose behind purity. This thinking can be seen in trends like “trad wives,” where a lot of the time modesty and purity are for the sake of an aesthetic or to look good rather than to honor God and our bodies.

Instead of either of these responses, we should turn to Scripture and look to see what God has to say about sexual purity.

Biblical Purity

Scripture does not treat sex as something utterly shameful and threatening. It treats sex as a profound, holy, God-designed gift within the covenant of marriage. From the beginning, God created us for the sexual union of a husband and wife. This design was a part of his creation that he called very good. Song of Solomon celebrates physical love and sexual desire between a husband and wife with no embarrassment or shame. The New Testament also affirms the sexual part of marriage, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:3, ESV).

When we do see commands to flee sexual immorality, it is important to look at the reasoning behind it. In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls believers to flee sexual immorality, not because our bodies are bad, but rather, because they are good. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, ESV). Biblical sexual ethics are based on the dignity and holiness of the body, not in fear, disgust, or shame.

This biblical view changes what purity means. A right view still upholds the standard of sex belonging inside the covenant of marriage, but it changes the why behind it. Purity is no longer a status that you lose forever the moment you mess up; instead, it becomes a way of living.

How does this change of perspective change how we live?

First, we must immerse ourselves in Scripture so that this right perspective of sexuality is not just a fact we know but becomes ingrained in how we think. Not only should we be intaking Scripture, but we should also be safeguarding our intake of the hyper-sexual things of the world. For “whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8, ESV). We cannot constantly consume things that drive us to a worldly view of sexuality and expect to have a biblical view ingrained in us.

Second, we must stop hiding in shame. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another so that we can be healed. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Find people you can trust and confess your struggles to them. Take advantage of the community God has given us and use that accountability to encourage growth. Sin thrives in darkness but flees when brought into the light.

Conclusion

In conclusion, remember that sexual purity is not a status that is lost forever the moment a mistake is made. It is a posture of living that is about honoring the God who made you by living in the way he designed you to live. Sex is not the enemy. It is a gift designed by God for covenant, for intimacy, and for the glorification of God within the bond of marriage.

Works Cited:

1. Common Sense Media. “New Report Reveals Truths about How Teens Engage with Pornography | Common Sense Media.” Www.commonsensemedia.org, 10 Jan. 2023, www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/new-report-reveals-truths-about-how-teens-engage-with-pornography.

2. “Premarital Sex Statistics Statistics: Market Data Report 2025.” Worldmetrics.org, 2025, worldmetrics.org/premarital-sex-statistics/.

When we examine the doctrine of the atonement, we seek to understand what exactly Christ does for us. The ultimate question the discussion hopes to answer is: “How does God maintain his justice while forgiving sinners?” While almost every theory of atonement is grounded in some biblical aspect of Christ’s incarnational work, only one answers the aforementioned question. That theory is Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA).

What is Penal Substitutionary Atonement?

Penal Substitutionary Atonement is the doctrine that Christ, in his death on the cross, bore the full legal penalty that God’s justice required for human sin. The word “penal” refers to the punishment of sin, “substitutionary” refers to Christ’s taking man’s place, and “atonement” refers to the restoration of man’s covenantal fellowship with God. The book of Isaiah reveals this understanding clearly, stating, “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV). Together, the doctrine encapsulates Scripture’s portrayal of the total work of Christ on humanity’s behalf — Christ’s substituting man with himself by taking on the full penalty due to sinners for the purpose of restoring our fellowship with God.

If sin must be punished, does God really forgive it?

Some have argued that the Bible’s presentation of God’s forgiveness runs contrary to the doctrine of Penal Substitution, stating that if sin has to be paid for, it cannot be forgiveness. Those who argue this will claim that God putting the legal debt on the shoulders of another simply transfers the payment, rather than actually forgiving the sin. While there is a certain logic that flows through this line of thought, it seems to extend from a faulty definition of forgiveness, followed by the neglect of several key passages.

What is Forgiveness of Sin?

Throughout the totality of Scripture, its consistent witness is clear. Forgiveness of sin is the removal of one’s covenantal obligation to pay the legal penalty required of sin by a transfer of debt. Paul gives a clear and well-known understanding of sin’s debt, stating, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). Thus, sinners are charged with paying the penalty of death. These were the terms given to Adam at the beginning. As our representative head, the same penalty is extended to all of mankind.

The phrase “forgiveness of sins” is translated from the Greek word ἄφεσις (afesis). The word occurs 17 times in the New Testament and “indicates the state of having a particular obligation removed…in a given relationship.”1 The rightful understanding of this word does not overlook the covenantal obligation due to one who has sinned. The penalty for sin is not a legal metaphor; it is a divine decree. Sin is a transgression of God’s relationship with mankind. Therefore, the just penalty for man’s sin against the one who gave him life is inevitably death.

This covenantal understanding of forgiveness is not unique to the New Testament. In Exodus 34:6–7, God reveals himself to Moses as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Hebrew: chesed).” Simultaneously, he declares himself to be one who “will by no means clear the guilty.” This passage fully displays God's abundant covenant faithfulness, yet also insists that the guilty cannot simply go unpunished. These two realities are not in conflict; they are held together by the same covenantal logic. God's covenantal faithfulness does not suspend his justice. Rather, it drives him to satisfy it on behalf of those he loves.

So, to forgive sin is not to overlook its penalty, but to remove it from the one who rightly bears it. If man were to pay the debt that he owes for sin, he would be left dead. Instead, by God’s forgiveness, he is freed from his obligation to pay his just penalty and is instead granted life.

The Penalty Must Still be Met

So then, if this covenental obligation does not terminate on the one to whom it is due, what happens to the penalty? In a discourse on Christ as the mediator of a new covenant, the Hebrew writer addresses with clarity the need for a penal substitutionary atonement. Here, the contextual logic is covenantal and legal, and the writer gives a straightforward answer to the question, stating,

“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22, ESV).

The writer does not ascribe a mere exemplary nature to Christ’s death. Rather, he provides a covenantal declaration that sin carries the penalty of death, and that penalty must be absorbed before forgiveness is possible. Christ, as both the high priest and the offering, fulfills what every Old Testament sacrifice pointed toward — the once-for-all payment of man’s sinful debt. Without Christ’s penal substitutionary atonement, there is no forgiveness of sins.

A Perfectly Just God

Now, before running wild with this conclusion, a final question must be asked: Why must sin’s penalty be suffered to enact God’s forgiveness? The answer can only be discerned by a proper understanding of God’s justice. Divine justice is not an optional role for God to take on, but rather, an essential aspect of his nature. Romans 3 reveals this and exactly how it is that his justice is upheld in the forgiveness of humanity.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26).

In this passage, many aspects of the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement are affirmed. First, Christ’s own blood is shown to be a propitiation (atoning sacrifice, cover). Additionally, the reason Christ was given is given in the statement, “This was to show God’s righteousness…” (vs. 25-26). The word “righteousness” is translated from the Greek word, δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosunē), and refers to the act of doing what is in agreement with God’s standards by fair and equitable dealing. The principle is not that Christ was given merely as an example of God’s love to mankind, but that his penal substitution was the necessary act to preserve God’s justice while securing forgiveness for humanity. This is affirmed by the conclusion of this pericope, which states, “so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (vs. 26).

Without the preservation of God’s justice by his rightful punishment of sin, there is no hope that the believer can be found as just. If God’s wrath toward sin has not been satisfied through Christ’s death, then no human has the right to stand before a just God.

Conclusion

So the method goes like this: Humans have broken the covenantal relationship with the almighty that they were made for by their sin. It is man’s own sin that has caused this, and he alone bears the responsibility for its due penalty. Thus, there stands an immutable debt that must be resolved to be reconciled to God. Until that debt is paid, a just God cannot maintain communion with man. So, in perfect obedience, Jesus suffers the legal punishment of death due to man for his sin. God then forgives the sinner, pardoning his iniquity by placing the debt of sin on the shoulders of Christ. By his death, the due penalty is met, and Christ enables man’s atonement to God.

In summary, Penal Substitutionary Atonement does not negate God’s forgiveness. Rather, it is the method by which a perfectly just God forgives the one who is deserving of death. Without Christ’s penal substitution, there is no hope for mankind before a perfect God.

This article is Part 3 of a series based on my Durrington Award-winning essay — Human Happiness and the Glory of God: Does the Pursuit of Man’s Highest Good Fulfill His Chief End?

Over the last two parts of this series, we've built the foundation: The highest good is the final resting place of desire — the one object that, when attained, leaves nothing left to long for. Scripture reveals that object to be God himself: the source of all flourishing, the fullness of joy, the only unwavering delight. Now comes the central claim: pursuing the highest good doesn't compete with glorifying God. It is glorifying God.

Man’s Chief End is Fulfilled in His Highest Good

The argument that proceeds from this point attempts to resolve the question, “Does the pursuit of man’s highest good oppose or fulfill his chief end?” This argument holds that man cannot accomplish his chief end without attaining his highest good. If man exists to bring glory to God, he also exists to enjoy him, since glorifying God necessitates a rightful delight in his value. This position is supported by the preceding arguments; God is man’s highest good, the source of man’s fullest happiness, and therefore, warrants a total and complete submission to the pursuit of God. Interestingly, the previously mentioned Westminster Shorter Catechism does not exclude enjoyment from man’s chief end. Instead, it affirms that man does not fulfill his chief end in the absence of the enjoyment of God. This understanding holds for these reasons: 1) the pursuit of the highest good glorifies its object, and 2) since glorifying God is to recognize his worth, God is not glorified where he is not enjoyed as the highest good.

First, the pursuit of the highest good will inevitably glorify its subject. This pursuit is rightly performed in light of its value, namely that it, and only it, provides ultimate satisfaction. To glorify, as previously defined, is to acknowledge something’s excellence. Thus, the pursuit of the highest good glorifies its subject as it is pursued for its recognized value. Since it is the case that God is man’s highest good, any proper pursuit of him will be based on an appropriate understanding of his value, surrendering all else for his sake. The clearest example of this truth in scripture is found in Psalm 73, where David states, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26). Here, God is pursued as the portion to be desired above all else. In this pursuit, he is glorified by the delight that David has and seeks to have in him. If God were not most enjoyable in himself, he would not be shown as so great (glorified) that his people would forsake some higher pleasure for the sake of him, a lesser one. Rather, God, being man’s highest good, will inevitably be glorified when he is pursued as man’s fullest happiness.

Secondly, God is not glorified where he is not enjoyed as most pleasurable. It cannot be said that something is man’s highest good if it does not provide the fullest possible human flourishing. Therefore, to say that the Christian life involves the surrendering of one’s own happiness for the sake of God is to say that God is not most pleasing. This directly contradicts scripture’s plea for the Christian’s life. In the book of Matthew, Jesus states, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Following Christ means more than sacrificing pleasures; it means pursuing the greatest pleasure: God. This is also implied in 1 John, which states, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Assuming obedience is directed at glorifying God, this verse reveals that the one who loves God does not find God’s commands “burdensome.” Rather, he takes delight in them, like the Psalmist who said, “Oh how I love your law” (Psalm 119:97). If God is to be glorified by one’s service, his servant will not live piously by a neglect of his pleasure, but instead, in pursuit of the fullest pleasure: God. God is then not glorified by mere obedience, but more fully, man’s affectionate delight in him.

From these two arguments, it is clear that the pursuit of man’s chief end is not accomplished without the pursuit of his highest good. Rather than being two separate pursuits, they are mutually dependent. When man finds his satisfaction in God, he will do everything in his power to pursue it, since God is the fullest pleasure he can find. When God is recognized for his value and, in turn, pursued in such a way as to be esteemed greater than any other pleasure, it brings great glory to him because he is acknowledged and shown to be most glorious. Therefore, the pursuit of man’s highest good–rightly defined as delight in God himself–does not oppose the pursuit of his chief end, but rather, fulfills it.

Answering an Objection

An objection may be presented that assumes the pursuit of the highest good to be a self-centered one, as it operates in search of one’s own pleasure. By this, the objection would also assume this pursuit to be a self-glorifying one rather than a God-glorifying one. The fault in this objection is that it neglects man’s delight in God as an end in itself. This follows the understanding that God is not a means to another good, but rather, he is the highest good himself. It should be noted that affections (such as happiness, delight, satisfaction, etc.) do not come about without a cause. They are movements of the will which follow the perceiving of some good and its value. John Piper affirms this by saying, “It is not man-centered because the emotions of our worship are centered on God. We look away from ourselves to Him, and only then do the manifold emotions of our heart erupt in worship. Nor is it idolatrous to say our affections in worship are ends in themselves, because our affections for God glorify God, not us” (Piper 95).1 Given this, the pursuit of man’s highest good is not a self-centered one, as the delight had in God is only accessible by the heart’s glad reaction to God himself.

Conclusion

This essay argues that the common suspicion pitting man’s happiness against God’s glory rests on a fundamental misunderstanding of both. God is not the obstacle to maximum human happiness, but rather, the source. From this, the perceived conflict dissolves entirely. Scripture reveals him to be, by every qualification, man’s highest good, and therefore, worthy to be pursued above every other pleasure. Indeed, God is not glorified by cold, joyless obedience; he is glorified when he is treasured above all else. Thus, to glorify God and to enjoy true happiness are not competing obligations. They are, rightly understood, the same act. It is true then that, in the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him for ever.” All in all, the pursuit of man’s highest good truly fulfills his chief end.

The suspicion this essay recognized initially — that human happiness and God’s glory pull in opposite directions — turns out to rest on a misunderstanding of both. God is not the obstacle to your deepest happiness. He is its source, its fullness, and its only stable ground. To treasure him above all else is not to sacrifice your joy; it is to find it. Thus, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever” — and rightly understood, those were never two different goals at all.

This article is Part 2 of a series based on my Durrington Award-winning essay — Human Happiness and the Glory of God: Does the Pursuit of Man’s Highest Good Fulfill His Chief End?

In Part 1, I established the terms at the center of this question. The "highest good" is the final object toward which all desires are rightly ordered. Man's "chief end" is his ultimate purpose, which the Westminster Assembly identifies as “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” The apparent conflict between these two ideas is what this series is working to resolve. In this section of the essay, I seek to determine what man's highest good actually is, and what the rightful pursuit of it looks like in action.

Subscribe now

What is Man’s Highest Good?

To argue that the pursuit of man’s chief end and the pursuit of man’s highest good are mutually dependent requires determining what man’s highest good really is. This essay claims that God is man’s highest good and, for this reason, most valuable in himself, not as a means to achieve some greater object of value. For this claim to be true, an examination of scripture must reveal that 1) God is the source of all human flourishing and therefore is the resting place of desire, 2) God is most pleasing in himself, and in turn no greater happiness can be found beyond him, and 3) the happiness found in God is unwavering and self-sustaining.

First, scripture reveals God to be the source of all human flourishing. In the book of Jeremiah, God states, “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13, ESV). In calling himself the “fountain” of “living waters” (i.e., satisfaction and flourishing), God denounces the idea that he is merely a stream of pleasure, but rather is the source of it himself. Accordingly, if God truly is the source of human flourishing, he must be the good at which all desires are rightly ordered. David states, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:9). As the fountain, God reveals himself to be the source by which all is properly perceived. As Cicero taught, the existence of a highest good requires that every human desire, when it is aimed at something less, will remain unsatisfied. Thus, any pursuit that follows one’s perception of something to be the highest good when it is in fact not is ultimately meaningless. In sum, scripture reveals that God is the author of human happiness and, as author, the final good by which all desires may be properly ordered and understood.

Secondly, God must be the object of the greatest potential human pleasure, and not merely a means to some greater pleasure. Based on Aristotle’s principles, the value of a good is determined by the level of satisfaction to be experienced in the attainment of its pleasure (i.e., how much happiness it provides). Accordingly, scripture must show that God himself provides more happiness than any other good. David writes describing God in Psalm 16:11, “in your presence there is fullness of joy…” The most important feature of this verse, as it pertains to the argument at hand, is the word “fullness,” which reveals the amount of joy to be experienced in the presence of God. Simply put, “there is nothing fuller than full.” According to scripture, if the fullness of human happiness is to be experienced, then it will only happen in the presence of God. There is therefore no greater joy to be experienced than the one derived from God himself.

Lastly, if God is to be man’s highest good, then scripture will reveal the delight found in him to be unwavering. Accordingly, Habakkuk reveals God as the only source of stable, unwavering happiness, saying,

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls — yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Two implications can be drawn from this text about the nature of goods and God as man’s highest good. First, every pleasure derived from a good that is not the highest good will inevitably leave the subject unsatisfied, as every other good is subordinate to the highest. Second, the happiness that is found in God does not waver with temporal circumstances but remains when every other pleasure falls short. Thus, scripture reveals a God who provides unwavering, unshakeable, stable delight, revealing God to be man’s highest good.

The Pursuit of the Highest Good

Before making the case that man’s highest good fulfills his chief end, it is appropriate to determine how man should pursue his highest good. In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle gives his expectation for how one should do this:

“Will not the knowledge of it, then, have a great influence on life? Shall we not, like archers who have a mark to aim at, be more likely to hit upon what is right? If so, we must try, in outline at least, to determine what it is...for it is this that ordains which of the sciences should be studied in a state, and which each class of citizens should learn and up to what point they should learn them…it legislates as to what we are to do and what we are to abstain from…so that this end must be the good for man” (Aristotle, Book 1.2).1

Aristotle notes that when this highest good is discovered, it should become the foremost effort of society to pursue it, since it will enable mankind to flourish most completely. Thus, a pursuit of the highest good will involve intentionally ordering everything in one’s life toward that object on the basis that it will provide the most happiness. Additionally, it will involve abstaining from anything that hinders or distracts from the pursuit of the highest good.

It follows then that, if God is man’s highest good, scripture will call for that same action to be taken in pursuit of him. The New Testament necessitates this kind of action from believers in passages such as Matthew 6:33, which commands the ordering of all life toward God’s kingdom first; Colossians 3:1–2, which demands the intellectual reorientation of the mind toward heavenly things; and Hebrews 12:1–2, which calls for actively stripping away whatever hinders that pursuit. In each case, the Bible commands what Aristotle portrays as the rational response to discovering the highest good. Therefore, the Bible clearly demands that believers align with what is expected from one in pursuit of man’s highest good.

Scripture has made the case: God is not merely one pleasure among many — he is the source, the fullest expression, and the only unwavering ground of human happiness. But knowing what the highest good is and knowing how it connects to man’s deepest purpose are two different things. That’s where Part 3 concludes the series, and where the apparent conflict between happiness and glory finally dissolves as both find their fulfillment within one another.

This article is Part 1 of a series based on my Durrington Award-winning essay — Human Happiness and the Glory of God: Does the Pursuit of Man’s Highest Good Fulfill His Chief End?

The essay begins with a notion that quietly shapes a lot of Christian thinking: the idea that to truly glorify God, you must set aside your own happiness. It assumes that, in fulfilling one’s purpose, happiness is, at best, unrelated, and at worst, in competition. This series will challenge that assumption from the ground up. But before the argument can be made, the terms have to be understood. What is meant by “highest good”? What is man’s “chief end”? And what does it actually mean to glorify God? Part 1 of this series lays that foundation.

Subscribe now

Introduction

There is a suspicion in modern-day Christian living that the pursuit of one’s own happiness is opposed to the pursuit of God’s glory. This assumes that, in aiming to show God as glorious, one must neglect his own pleasure. Under this view, a very devout man may surrender nothing short of all he has for the sake of accomplishing his pursuit to glorify God through obedience. As he does this, he will not find himself seeking what will make him happy, but rather, what the Creator demands. This understanding does not claim that happiness is a sinful or worthless experience. Rather, happiness would instead be regarded as nonessential and therefore not an aim in man’s purpose. In holding to this perception, one interprets the pursuit of happiness to be a self-centered pursuit, and the pursuit of glorifying God to be a God-centered one.

This paper argues that this understanding is mistaken because it 1) does not properly interpret man’s highest good and, by this, 2) wrongly separates the pursuit of man’s highest good from the pursuit of achieving his chief end. On the contrary, this essay claims that the pursuit of man’s highest good–rightly defined as delight in God himself–does not oppose the pursuit of his chief end, but rather, fulfills it.

The essay includes four major areas to establish its thesis. First, it defines key terms, connects them to their historical origins, and relays their theological purpose. Second, it reveals man’s highest good as God himself. Third, it showcases how one pursues his highest good. And lastly, this essay displays that a delight in God logically results in his glorification, and therefore fulfills man’s chief end. This progression should ultimately conclude that man’s highest good and the fulfillment of his chief end do not run in opposite directions, but instead, are mutually dependent.

Defining the Terms and Their History

The phrase “highest good” is the English translation of the Latin phrase “summum bonum.” The highest good is a philosophical concept that describes the proper object toward which all desires and their resulting actions should be ordered. Historically, the concept was conceived by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. In 350 B.C.E., he composed his primary work, Nicomachean Ethics, in which he examined virtue ethics and sought to discover the “eudaimonia” (the highest human good). In his opening statements, he claims,

“every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim…But where such arts fall under a single capacity…the ends of the master arts are to be preferred to all the subordinate ends; for it is for the sake of the former that the latter are pursued…If, then, there is some end of the things we do, which we desire for its own sake (everything else being desired for the sake of this), and if we do not choose everything for the sake of something else (for at that rate the process would go on to infinity, so that our desire would be empty and vain), clearly this must be the good and the chief good” (Aristotle, Book 1.1).1

In essence, Aristotle notes that every pursuit, by desire or by action, aims at meeting some good in its completion. He determined that there must be some final good for which every other good is pursued. Additionally, that which is the highest good is the object which is in itself most valuable, and, therefore, is not instrumentally valuable as a means to pursue some other end. Later, this concept was popularized by Roman orator and philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who wrote a book titled De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (On the Ends of Good and Evil). Daniel Dal Monte, Ph.D., observes Cicero’s understanding of the highest good, stating,

“It is not as though we move from good to good, with no higher unity connecting our various experiences…Underlying all these activities is an aspiration towards a state of complete flourishing and beatitude, i.e. happiness” (Dal Monte).2

Dal Monte affirms Cicero’s argument that for any of our pursuits toward happiness to have actual meaning, they are contingent on the existence of a singular highest good, an end in which all desires properly ordered will rest as satisfied. Therefore, the highest good is the resting place of desire because it supplies the best possible state of being for man, and the pursuit of it is equal to the pursuit of true and final happiness.

The phrase “chief end” describes man’s ultimate purpose. To name something “man’s chief end” is to name that thing the very ground for which he exists. Thus, man is living out his purpose when he ultimately pursues what he was created to accomplish. Although the roots of its concepts tie back to Aristotle’s writings in Nicomachean Ethics, this exact phrase was conceived by the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “a summary of Christian doctrine…written by the Westminster Assembly in London over 350 years ago” (Beveridge, Banner of Truth).3 The first placement of the Catechism states, “What is the chief end of man?… Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever” (Westminster Assembly).4 The Catechism suggests then that man exists for a purpose: glorifying God and enjoying him. Later, Jonathan Edwards, an American Puritan preacher and one of the leading figures of the First Great Awakening, explored and developed the catechism in more detail. In his dissertation titled, The End for Which God Created the World, Edwards argues that God’s purpose for creating the world rests in the pursuit of his own glory. From this, Edwards concludes that, if God’s aim in creating the world was to bring about his glory, man’s chief end is to glorify God. In other words, the world and everything in it exists for the purpose of glorifying God. In conclusion, man’s chief end is rightly understood as man’s ultimate and final purpose for existence.

Glory, as it pertains to God, describes his majesty, dignity, and honor. In this sense, God’s glory is not something that is given, but rather is possessed and preserved only by God’s own merit. Separate from this, when the scriptures speak of man giving glory to God or glorifying him, the words typically refer to the recognition of God’s glory. According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, “God is glorified, when such his excellency, above all things, is with due admiration acknowledged.” Consequently, God is worthy to be glorified because of his glory. Thus, if it is to be said that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, then his ultimate aim, rightly ordered, should be to acknowledge God as he is, and therefore glorify him accordingly.

So, we now have the vocabulary: the highest good, the chief end, and what it means to glorify. But vocabulary alone doesn’t resolve the tension. The real question remains — What exactly is man’s highest good? In Part 2, I attempt to answer this question, as it changes everything about how we understand true happiness.

Subscribe now

Defining Happiness:

First, it is helpful to give a brief definition of happiness. Oxford English Dictionary defines happiness as “The state of being happy; pleasure, contentment, or joy.” Additionally, it defines the word happy as “Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.”

Hopefully, it has already caught your attention that the word joy is included in the first definition. Joy is also listed as a synonym for the word happy, along with the words “glad” and “delight.” In summary, happiness is the experience of feeling pleasure, enjoyment, and contentment.

Defining Joy:

To biblically define joy properly, it must be understood as a fruit of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are those things which the Spirit produces in the life of the believer. They are essentially the character traits of a heart that has been transformed as the Christian “walk[s] by the Spirit” (Gal 5:16-25). So then, if joy is a fruit (or product) of the Spirit, it cannot be something we produce by our own effort. Instead, joy is given. It has a cause, and that cause is outside of our own power.

The definition of joy I have enjoyed most comes from John Piper. He states, “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.” The purpose of defining joy as a “good feeling” is to distinguish it from the belief that joy is an idea or a conviction. Joyful is not something that we cognitively decide to be. On the contrary, there must be something that leads to our joyfulness.

Scripture supports this by representing joy as a response to something good:

“For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” (Psa 92:4)

“I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” (Jer 31:13)

“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psa 19:8)

Therefore, scripture does not portray joy as a state of mind we force upon ourselves. Rather, joy is the heart’s glad reaction to the knowledge of something pleasing.

Are They Synonymous?

So, the question appears; does the Bible treat happiness as separate from joy? Is it the case that happiness is a worldly experience and joy is a Christian one? To that, I say, no.

Based on its definition, happiness is a reactive feeling consisting of pleasure or enjoyment. Biblically, joy is represented as the heart’s glad reaction to something pleasing. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that both joy and happiness are reactive feelings of gladness produced by something outside of ourselves that we find enjoyable.

With that, I reinforce the framework that holds that, by definition, joy and happiness involve the affections of the heart (or emotions). Calling happiness a feeling does not seem to be a point of debate, but I have heard many argue that joy operates outside the realm of emotion. However, joy is derived from an exterior source of pleasure, just like any other feeling. Thus, it seems remiss to claim joy to be exempt from emotion. After all, “If a person is joyful, then he or she is happy. There’s no such thing as glum joy. We cannot drain joy of emotion and still call it ‘joy.’”1

John Piper adopts this understanding in his book, When I Don’t Desire God:

“In this book I will use many words for joy without precise distinctions: happiness, delight, pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, desire, longing, thirsting, passion, etc.

I am aware that all of these words carry different connotations for different readers. Some people think of happiness as superficial and joy as deep. Some think of pleasure as physical and delight as aesthetic. Some think of passion as sexual and longing as Personal.

So I signal from the outset that the Bible does not divide its emotional language that way. The same words (desire, pleasure, happiness, joy, etc.) can be positive sometimes and negative sometimes, physical sometimes and spiritual sometimes. That is the approach I take.

Any of these words can be a godly experience of the heart, and any of them can be a worldly experience of the heart.”

Ultimately, it does not seem that happiness is all that distinct from joy. Both are pleasure-filled experiences of the heart, and its affections (or emotions). Both are felt in response to something we enjoy. Maybe it comes after a hug, a compliment, or a gift. Maybe it’s after a job offer, or some good news about one’s medical condition. Or maybe the feeling comes to a person after receiving the news of Christ’s sacrifice. Regardless of the feeling’s source, the two are not absent from one another. Where joy is felt, so is happiness, and vice versa. The two are not mutually exclusive. Joy and happiness are biblical synonyms.

The Dilemma:

Now, if we are to accept the two as synonyms, then we must find a way to apply scripture’s expectations for our joy to the term happiness as well. Scripture calls us to “rejoice always” (Phil 4:4) and be “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor 6:10). But is it possible to always be happy? Can our happiness coexist with our sorrow?

Scripture gives an eye-opening response to this question by way of Habakkuk, who states:

17 When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when the olive trees do not produce and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep disappear from the pen and there are no cattle in the stalls—

18 I will rejoice because of the Lord;
I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!

(Hab 3:17-18, NET)

To rephrase Habbakuk’s sentiment: “even when everything is going wrong, I will still be happy because God has made me glad!” How can we be happy when everything we have on earth falls apart? Only by the God who has welcomed us into the unchanging stability of a relationship with himself. He promises his provision, and by our trust in him and his continued working, our happiness can persist, even in sorrow.

The Biblical Distinction:

The Bible, then, does not call happiness a worldly experience and joy a Godly one. Instead, it differentiates between joy (or happiness) derived from God and joy derived from the World. Scripture calls us to happiness, not rooted in our circumstances, but in the unchanging knowledge of God.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Phil 4:4)

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. (Psa 13:5)

“I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love…” (Psalm 31:7)

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17)

There is temporary happiness, and there is eternal happiness. One is derived from the ever-changing world that never satisfies, and one is from the fountain of joy himself (Psa 16:11). The distinction the Bible makes is not between our concepts of happiness and joy, but instead, a delight in the world and a superior delight in God.

Why It Matters:

At this point, I am left to give a reason for this article. Why does it matter how we define joy? How detrimental to our faith is the line we use to separate joy from happiness? While there are many reasons as to why the proper understanding is so important, I will supply what I believe to be the most pivotal: I want to be happy, and God wants to be glorified.

So first: I want to be happy. There is no avoiding it. Michael Rucker wants to feel pleasure. In fact, almost all of the decisions I make in life revolve around my happiness. When I am cold, I put on a jacket. When I am tired, I go to bed. When I am thirsty, I find water. You are probably no different; equipped with an innate drive to seek satisfaction, whether immediate or future. God gave us this drive, and it was not by mistake. Consequently, sin operates at the level of desire as well (Jas 1:14-15). No one sins because they are obligated to do so. So why do we sin? Because it feels good! It makes us happy.

Simultaneously, God wants to be glorified. To glorify God is to acknowledge His supreme worth and display it by honoring Him in thought, word, and action. God calls us to glorify him hundreds of times throughout Scripture (John 15:8, Matthew 5:16, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36, 1 Peter 4:11, Psalm 86:12, Psalm 115:1, Isaiah 24:15, Isaiah 42:12, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 15:4, Philippians 2:11).

Now, what does this mean for us? There is no displaying the supreme worth of God if we choose sin over him. But, if sin is pleasing and makes us happy, how do we resist it? Does the Christian’s obedience to God’s commands rely on the eradication of our happiness?

Jesus supplies the answer in Matthew 13:44:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Notice how the man did not sell all that he had out of obligation, but out of joy. How? He knew the value of the field! In the same way, God does not call us to eliminate the pursuit of happiness from our lives. No—he calls us to know his worth and find a more pleasing experience of happiness in him!

When we extract the feeling of happiness from joy, we remove our obligation to enjoy God and delight in him. The result we are left with is nothing more than a group of employees who dislike their boss, but do what he says so they can get paid. What glory do we bring to a God whom we do not enjoy? Jonathan Edwards states, “God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in.”2 Thus, if God is truly as satisfying as he claims to be, then the thought of losing everything we have for the sake of gaining him becomes nothing more than a forgotten penny in the pocket of a trillionaire.

In fact, Paul embraces this exact perspective in Philippians 3:8, where he states,

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

So, how exactly does Jesus answer our question? It seems that happiness is not our problem when it comes to sin. Rather, our problem is that we are sacrificing the fountain of pleasure for the streams. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “If we consider the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak.”3

We want to be happy, and God wants to be glorified. The solution: a heart that has been made happy in God. In the words of John Piper, “God gets the glory, and we get the joy.” When God becomes our greatest pleasure and the source of our happiness, he is shown to be more glorious than anything else.

Conclusion:

If I have not persuaded you that happiness is synonymous with joy, then I hope I have at least convinced you of the necessity of a heart that is glad in God. For if we do not fight sin by our happiness in God, we will inevitably fall into the fleeting joys of lesser pleasures. The man who knows God’s glory most intimately is the man who is most happy. Do not settle for lesser pleasures. Be glad in God!

Why did he create the world? Why does God love us? Why does he long for us to be with him? Why does he forgive those who neglect him and betray him? Why does he hear their cries and guide their steps? The world will come to its own conclusions. So will many dry, joyless Christians who do not delight in the truth of God’s Word. But the satisfied who “is like a tree planted by streams of water” whose “leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3); he will find joy in who God reveals himself to be.

The answer to these questions ultimately determines something about God. Is there something special about us that God can’t live without? Or, is there a purpose God aims to accomplish outside of us? If the former, God is reliant on us. But if the latter, then therein lies something powerful and lovely to be understood about who God is. One text of scripture that answers this is Psalm 25. Through David’s lens, our eyes are opened to a glorious vision of God’s purpose for turning to us and heeding our cries.

First, Our Need

David begins his appeal in verse one: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” Throughout the chapter, he makes several pleas to God. He calls on God to forgive his sins and deal kindly with him, saying, “Do not let me be ashamed”, “Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness, remember me,” and “Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am alone and afflicted.” He also asks God for transformation, saying, “Make me know Your ways…teach me Your paths,” and “Lead me in Your truth” (vs. 4-5). Additionally, he does not go without asking the Lord to bless him, saying: “Keep my soul and deliver me” (vs. 20), “Let integrity and uprightness guard me” (vs. 21). David is so confident in his plea before God that he even declares, “My eyes are continually toward Yahweh, For He will bring my feet out of the net” (vs. 15).

Now, it goes without saying that David had some serious guilt on his record. Hopefully, when we look at ourselves, we are self-aware enough to find ourselves in the same position: hopeless and in need of lovingkindness. We will perish without it (Psalm 73:27, Rom 6:23, Luke 13:3). So then, we ask: How does a sinner, fully aware of his own failure, come into the presence of an infinitely perfect God? What knowledge does David lean on that God will heed his cry and bless him?

Our Hope

He tells us the answer in verse 2: “O my God, in You I trust.” David does not implore God without hope. Instead, he comes cowering into God’s presence, trusting the mercy God has promised to the righteous.

If we truly know the depth of our own sin, and if we grasp the God of scripture, how could we ever enter his presence if we could not trust him to forgive us or to even hear our prayer? This would surely make our souls decay from the inside out. We would spiral into constant anxiety and instability, fueled by the uncertainty of our souls’ security (Jas 1:6-8). In other words, we cannot be happy if our souls are not at peace with God. And we cannot be at peace unless we trust God’s promise to hear, forgive, and bless us. Oh, how pleasant to trust the promises of God!

The Need for Why

Now, I could end this article here and simply tell you how glad it should make us to know that we can trust God’s promises. However, that would only tell you that we should and not why. The absence of the why behind God’s promise-keeping removes the ground to plant our trust in. Without it, our trust in God will turn to self-reliance, and we will end up doubting our worthiness to be heard, forgiven, and blessed.

How we need the unchanging knowledge of God to plant our trust in! Without it, we will surely lose trust in the storms of this life, and therefore, lose the joy that our confidence gives us to go before God. So, to preserve our gladness in trusting God to grant us mercy and grace to the humble, we must understand why God does so.

What His Purpose is Not

Now, we often halt our focus at the overwhelmingly marvelous sacrifice of Christ. It is certainly right for us to do so, as his sacrifice is what preserves our standing before God. However, David digs deeper to reveal the motivation behind such a mercy as the one Christ died to give.

First, it must be recognized what his purpose is not. We must not be so prideful as to have a view of God that, because he has saved us, he is required to incline his ear to us. May we eliminate the thought that turns God’s mercy into a transaction where God owes us his due. God’s purpose for his promise of welcoming sinners into his presence is not to appease a duty. He reminded Job in his plea for reason, “Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me” (Job 41:11). Who are we to hold a receipt over the head of the maker of our very minds (Job 38:36)?

Now, certainly, God will keep his promises and do what he has determined: “I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips,” says the Lord (Psalm 89:34). But rest assured, God’s upholding of his promise to grant his presence will not be motivated by obligation. So, rather than being motivated by us, he is motivated by something about himself.

For His Own Glory

In verses 7 and 11, David reveals and exalts this purpose for God’s hearing, forgiving, and blessing of his people.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

According to Your lovingkindness remember me,

For the sake of Your goodness, O Yahweh.

11 For Your name’s sake, O Yahweh,

Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

David trusts that God will meet his request on the basis that God is always in pursuit of displaying his glory. John Piper supports this principle in his book, Desiring God, by stating, “In everything he does, his purpose is to preserve and display that glory…God’s glory is the greatness and worth and beauty of his manifold perfections…[which] signifies a reality of infinite greatness and worth.” So then, when God hears, forgives, and blesses us, he does so to make himself look great (glorious). From this, we are made happy to know that we can always trust God to answer our call. Why? Because it displays his glory!

Now, for God, making himself look great means making himself look as he really is. David affirms this in verse 8, saying, “Good and Upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.” Paul displays this principle in 1 Timothy 1:16, stating, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” So, God’s purpose in all that he does is to bring about his glory. If you are still not convinced, I have left a list of scriptures that support this theological principle at the bottom of this article.

Now, does this make God unrighteous for being so self-interested? After all, does he not condemn our self-centeredness repeatedly throughout scripture? “[Love] does not seek its own…” (1 Cor 13:5). The difference between God and us is that there is nothing more valuable or supreme than God himself. God would not be supremely valuable if he esteemed something as more worthy than the pursuit of his own glory. “God would be unrighteous if he valued anything more than what is supremely valuable. But he himself is supremely valuable…It is right to take delight in a person in proportion to the excellence of that person’s glory.”1 This is why it is right for God to seek his own glory.

How God’s Pursuit of His Glory Makes Us Glad

So then, how can our hearts find joy in this knowledge of the one true God? To me, the knowledge that “God’s ultimate goal is to preserve and display his infinite and awesome greatness and worth and beauty”2 is what allows me to gladly call on God, without fear that I will be turned away or left unforgiven. How can I be sure he will show me mercy? Because he seeks to show his glory! Without this knowledge, there is nothing stable for me to hold onto. God will never look at our spiritual performance and find so much favor in us that it will motivate him to answer our call. Rather, God will, “Remember [his] compassion and [his] lovingkindness” and “remember me, for the sake of [his] goodness” (Ps 25:6-7).

Oh, how happy it should make us to know that God will always do what brings him glory! How soothing to know that he will unfailingly do what displays his lovingkindness and mercy! How glad to know that God will never break his promise to hear and forgive and bless us because by keeping it, he will show his unfailing power of perfection! This is the ground that God gives us to plant our trust in: the knowledge that he will always do what brings him glory.

May the knowledge of God’s pursuit of his own glory make your heart glad!

Scripture to support God’s glory as his ultimate pursuit:

• Ex 7:5; 14:4, 17-18; 1 Sam 12:22; Ps 23:3; Ps 106:7-8; Isa 42:8; Isa 43:6-7; Isa 48:9-11; John 12:27-28; Romans 9:17; Romans 11:36; Phil 2:9-11; Colossians 1:16; 1 Pet 4:11; Rev 4:11.

The effect of its source results in those qualities that make it so distinct. While happiness which proceeds from the world is dependent on circumstances which are so often out of our control, the happiness of a Christian is made stable by the trust we have in the one who controls all things. Where the happiness that the world offers aims at providing constant stimulation, Christian joy provides stable satisfaction. When the world’s pleasures seem desirable in the moment, God grants the righteous the gift of Himself as the fountain from which all desires come. Truly, the life of a Christian is the happy life. Now, by “happiness” I do not mean superficial cheerfulness or emotional ease, but the deep, settled joy that scripture locates in communion with God. Or, as the Puritans called it: the affection of joy. And while this happiness will not look the same as the world’s idea of happiness, it will both outlast and overcome it because of the beauty and eternality of its source.

To me, Psalm 16 is a narrative from David of the happiness he has experienced in the Lord and a call for God’s protection of it. The chapter is probably most referred to for verse 11, which provides us with the doctrine of God’s blessedness as perfectly happy in himself: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This displays both the nature of the fountain from which all the streams of joy come (Jer 2:13) and the experience of knowing God (Phil 3:8). Certainly, the knowledge of God and the tasting of his sweetness is the fullness of our pleasure in life, but how do we sustain the experience of it? What is this God-supplied joy reliant on? From this chapter alone, I think David provides three God-given spiritual practices that sustain this experience of joy.

1. We Must Set Ourselves to See the Joy-giver.

David makes several proclamations throughout the text regarding his knowledge of who God is (the fountain of true joy) and the actions he takes to see him as such. In verse 2, he sees God and therefore knows him as his source of happiness, where he states, “I have no good apart from you,” as well as in verse 11. He also remembers the experience of the knowledge of God and its pleasures in verse 6, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance”, verse 7, “the Lord who gives me counsel”, and verse 9, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.” How does David expect his knowledge of God and of the experience of his joy to persist? By setting the Lord before him always. David does not expect his joy to be preserved outside of an active effort to place God before him that he may see and soak up the goodness that has been revealed.

This is certainly the importance of active Bible reading for the Christian today. If God is the fountain of joy, then his word is the cup he has given us to drink from (Psalm 119:103). Christians lose their happiness when they lose their access to the tasting of the fountain. John Owens puts it like this: “By beholding the glory of Christ by faith we shall find rest to our souls. Our minds our apt to be filled with troubles, fears, cares, dangers, distresses, ungoverned passion and lusts. By these, our minds are filled with chaos, darkness and confusion. But where the soul is fixed on the glory of Christ then the mind finds rest and peace for “to be spiritually minded is peace” (The Glory of Christ, 1684).

2. We Must Recall the Sorrow of the Wicked.

Because of our indwelling sin (the sinful pull of the flesh and its desires that affect the Christian even after regeneration), we must remind ourselves of the “sorrows of those who run after another god” as David did in verse 4: “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” David preserves this adamant refusal to collaborate with the wicked by not only reminding himself of the true joy of the Lord but also of the sorrow that comes with their life.

One of my favorite tools in the fight against sin’s temptations is the imagination. The imagination is always at work in us when making our decisions about what we will do. When sin approaches, and I feel the urge to give in to the momentary pleasures of it, it seems so attractive because of the pleasure I imagine it will bring me. But then, I am presented with a further step: “Will I imagine the sorrow that comes in its end?” The father in Proverbs 5 and 7 reveals this principle by calling to his son’s imagination, the end of his lust. Scott Hubbard writes, “Before, the son had seen the forbidden woman dressed scantily on the corner, her couch covered with linens, her bed perfumed — lust wearing makeup. Now, he sees her black-robed and holding a sickle, her couch a sinkhole to hell, her bed an open coffin”(Desiring God, 2023). Oh, that we will remind ourselves of the riches of the righteous life and the sorrow of the wicked life! How much more joyful would we be if our happiness did not depend on momentary stimulation but on the satisfaction of the wisdom we employ in the pursuit of God’s promises?

3. We Must Rely on the Sovereign Grace of God.

Finally, David recognizes the provider and protector of this joy, without which there can be no cause for joy to begin with, and there would be no persistence of it in the face of failure. In verse 1, David cries, “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge,” and in verse 8 he states that he has only “set the Lord always before him” on the basis that, “he is at my right hand, [and] I shall not be shaken.” Oh, that we know our need for God to preserve our joy! May we never trust our hearts to remain steadfast to the joy of the Lord by our own willpower, for even David, the man after God’s own heart, knew his heart was not so stable. In Psalm 51, right after David commits his sin with Bathsheeba, he calls on God, saying, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” As Christians, we should already know God to be the source of our joy as it proceeds from his Spirit (Gal 5:22). How we need to be on our knees like David if we ever expect to feel the happiness we ought to feel in our seeing of God!

Additionally, for the Christian, this happiness is dependent on the bedrock of our justification by Christ’s death. Justification is first and foremost a legal declaration made by God on behalf of a soul. When we are justified before God, we are declared righteous in order to be brought out of our deserved alienation from God. John Piper states, “That’s what the word justify means: not make just, but declare just. We can see this in Luke 7:29 where the people “justified God”! That is, they declared that he was just. They didn’t make him just. The difference [with us] is that we are sinners and do not have righteousness of our own” (When I Don’t Desire God, 2004). David does not claim his joy to be a product of his own righteousness. Rather, David claims his joy to be the product of the righteousness that God has preserved in grace, despite his sin. We see this claim in verses 9 and 10, which state, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”

How joyless a people we would be if our justification were based on our own righteousness and not held in place by Christ’s. Rather, we are granted to experience the happiness of Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Praise God for the peace he has brought us, which enables our happiness in his grace!

Conclusion:

When God himself is our joy, our soul’s happiness will no longer be fragile or superficial, but rooted and sustained: sustained by our setting ourselves to see his glory, reminding ourselves of the sorrow of sin, and relying on his sustaining of our joy and the security of it he provides through Christ. May we always fight for joy!