The Greatest Glory To Which God Could Ever Attain

 The Greatest Glory To Which God Could Ever Attain


Have we ever considered the question, "What is the greatest glory to which the True and Only God could ever conceivably attain?" . . . If we are inclined to think that it is preposterous for measly creatures like ourselves to even ask (or think about) a query/issue like this--we may be relieved of this concern, since God Himself has already revealed the answer to us; and He makes it clear that He takes great pleasure in our contemplating it (the question at hand). . . .

 

Let us start out by looking at some "options," that would have certainly been "available" to the Great Triune God.  One "option" would have been not to have ever created anything, (no universe, nothing).  In Themselves, the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity were (and are) perfectly fulfilled and "happy," again, in Themselves.  They certainly did not "need" to create anything/anyone (else).  But they did.  So, clearly, this is not the "option" that brought the Three Persons the *most* possible glory.

 

The second "alternative" would be to have created the universe just like God did--except with no rational agents (made in His image), who, of necessity, (because of their "rationality"; and their being created "ex nihilo," [from nothing]), would be capable of sinning.  (In other words, if God was to create rational agents, they had to be, of necessity, capable of sinning.)  At first glance, a creation without rational beings might appear to be a "good" choice--except that there would be no moral agents to give God glory (only animals and trees and stuff).  And God certainly receives more glory from rational moral creatures than He would had He not created them.

 

In "broad strokes," those are the two "other" basic paradigm alternatives before the Holy God--again, 1) no creation at all; and 2) a creation, but one with no created rational agency in it.  Neither of those "options" were chosen by the Great God.

 

So, the alternative that actually and in truth brought our Triune Deity the greatest possible glory, was to create an initially perfect world--even with angels and humans in it--but one which (of necessity) involved the potentiality that the rational creatures would possibly sin; (and, of course, God knew [and even decreed] that they would sin).  And, as we all know, this is precisely what happened: some of the angels did sin; and all of the humans (prior to the lone exception of Jesus Christ in His incarnation) also sinned.  The potential for God's greatest glory to be achieved, necessarily involved sin.  This is an important point to understand, believe, and remember.

 

But the possibility and eventuality of sin, itself, is not by any means the crowning wonder of the Triune God's pinnacle of glory, (though it clearly includes it [sin]). . . . The highest glory the Three Persons would achieve would involve the proper and due expunging, absolution, and pardoning of sin.  This would require that One of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Second Person, Christ, the Son of God, would become a Man (a human being); and live a perfect life in total fulfillment of the Law of God; would die a sacrificial, substitutionary, atoning, and vicarious death for elect fallen humans--who would receive His benefits by regenerative faith via legal imputation; would rise from the dead on the third day; would ascend into heaven; would be seated at the right hand of the Father, being crowned the glorious King of the church and all the universe; and then would rule and reign from there, where He intercedes for the church's saints, as the Perfect and Final High Priest--while, at the same time, He puts all His enemies under His feet.

 

God gets more glory from these wonderful historical gospel achievements, than from anything else.  And, the fact that now the Triune Lord is worshipped by *other* (especially-rational) beings, i.e. elect angels and humans, who are on earth and in heaven--this fact brings Him *more* glory, than if no angels or humans ever existed to love and praise Him.

 

The gospel itself is one of the greatest "proofs" for the existence of the One, Only, True, and Triune God.  The very truth of the Holy Trinity perfectly coordinates with the nature of, the needs of, and the perfection of all reality.

 

"For in him [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his [Christ's] cross," (Col. 1:19-20/ESV).

 

Rev. Mark J. Henninger

Treatise #116

7 July 2026

PS: Then, in the Eternal State, after the Judgment Day and the Resurrection of all bodies--everything is in its final state of perfection, bringing the Triune God eternal and ever-pleasing glory.

 

https://theologicaltreatisesinretirement.blogspot.com

https://henningerdevotions.blogspot.com

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