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of God and of the Holy Trinity. I'll read beginning in paragraph 
one. The Lord our God is but one only 
living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite 
in being and perfection, whose essence cannot be comprehended 
by any but himself, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, 
parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in 
the light which no man can approach unto, who is immutable, immense, 
eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, it, most 
holy, most wise, most free, most absolute, working all things 
according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous 
will, for his own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, 
abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression 
and sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and 
with all most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all 
sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty." God, having 
all life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself, is alone in 
and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature 
which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only 
manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is 
the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to 
whom are all things. And he hath most sovereign dominion 
over all creatures, to do by them, for them, and upon them 
whatsoever himself pleaseth. In his sight, all things are 
open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite, infallible, 
and independent upon the creature. So as nothing is to him contingent 
or uncertain, He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his 
works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and 
men whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as creatures they 
owe unto the creator, and whatever he is further pleased to require 
of them. In this divine and infinite being, 
there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, 
and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having 
the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided. The Father 
is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding. The Son is eternally 
begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeding from 
the Father and the Son. All infinite, without beginning, 
therefore, but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and 
being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties 
and personal relations. Which doctrine of the Trinity 
is the foundation of all our communion with God and comfortable 
dependence on Him? Amen. Well, a wonderful presentation 
in these three paragraphs of what the scripture says concerning 
God. Now, certainly it's not exhaustive. 
There are more things that can be said about God, but if you 
had to find three paragraphs that gave a good overarching 
summary of theology proper, you could do no better than what 
we have in this particular section of the Confession of Faith. So 
last time, we noticed that paragraph one highlights the perfections 
of God. Sometimes we refer to those as 
the attributes of God, things that we attribute to Him, or 
attribute to Him, or say, concerning Him. As long as we make sure 
we understand that that's not the case where God is made up 
of several attributes, that's good language. But perfections 
is probably even better language. And as you go through this particular 
paragraph, as it expresses those perfections, the last or concluding 
statements indicate that God is this way toward His creatures. 
Notice, after listing the several things, it says, toward the end, 
the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and with all most just 
and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will 
by no means clear the guilty. So it's not the case that he 
has all those perfections, but he doesn't reveal them. He most 
certainly does reveal them, and that last section that I just 
read gives a summary statement of how he does. He rewards them 
that diligently seek him, and as well, he is most just and 
terrible in his judgments, hating all sin, who will by no means 
clear the guilty. So then we get to paragraph 2, 
and it gives more amplification. It indicates how God relates 
to the creation, how God relates to those things outside of himself, 
and then paragraph 3 indicates the sort of internal relations 
in the Godhead. In other words, Paragraph 2, 
how God relates to the creature, and in paragraph 3, how God is 
in himself. And so it's very important that 
we see the distinction in this section. So the perfections of 
God, God's external relations in paragraph 2, and then God's 
internal relations in paragraph 3. So we'll pick up in paragraph 
two at the external relations of God. Notice in the first place 
it underscores His independence, His solitariness, His aseity, 
the reality that He is not dependent upon others. Now, this is a most 
practical observation or doctrine, rather. We might think, oh, this 
is just head knowledge for the seminarian. No, we don't want 
God to be dependent upon us. We don't want God to be tied 
up or bound to us in terms of sort of a relationship of dependence. If you look at the prophet Isaiah 
as just one instance, he mocks the Babylonians because when 
they have their gods on a cart and that god falls off, the Babylonians 
have to pick the god up and put him back onto the cart. You have 
that instance in the book of Samuel, where they put the Ark 
of the Covenant in the temple of Dagon, and Dagon falls before 
the Ark of the Covenant. So the people of Philistia go 
into the temple that next morning, and they see Dagon having fallen 
over. So they have to pick Dagon up 
and prop him back up. So when we look at these various 
doctrines, or these truths, or these perfections about God, 
resist the tendency to say, well, that's just for seminarians, 
that's just for pastors, that's just for the doctors of the church, 
that's just for the people that really like to spend time studying 
such things. The last statement in paragraph 
three underscores the importance of the doctrine of God. It says, 
which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our 
communion with God and comfortable dependence on Him. Never forget 
the God that we are comfortably dependent upon is not like us. He is creator, we are creature, 
he is independent, and we are dependent. So notice how the 
confession underscores this in paragraph two. God having all 
life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself is alone in 
and unto himself all sufficient, not standing in need of any creature 
which he has made, nor deriving any glory from them. So again, 
the perfections in paragraph one indicate this. It indicates 
or says, whose subsistence is in and of himself, most free, 
most absolute. So he's not dependent upon us, 
and that's what it says here in paragraph two. Now, turn to 
Acts chapter 17, where the apostle Paul underscores this in his 
speech or his sermon at the Areopagus or Mars Hill. In Acts chapter 
17, the Apostle Paul is in Athens and he's perplexed or he has 
what's literally called a paroxysm. You see that in verse 16. Now, 
while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked 
within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. So for the Apostle Paul, the 
first and second commandment was still binding. The first 
and second commandment was not only binding upon the nation 
of Israel, but it also was binding upon the men of Athens. And so 
when Paul sees rejection of and rebellion against the true and 
living God, he goes first to the marketplace and he teaches 
there. Then he goes to the synagogue and he teaches there. And then 
the men bring him up to what was called Mars Hill or the Areopagus. to give his account with reference 
to the Epicureans or before the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. So notice at verse 22. Then Paul 
stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive 
that in all things you are very religious. For as I was passing 
through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found 
an altar with this inscription to the unknown God." They were 
simply trying to cover their bases, making sure that the gods 
out there would be appeased and would be happy with them. And 
then he says, therefore, the one whom you worship without 
knowing, him I proclaim to you. It's intriguing that Paul doesn't 
offer this up as yet another option amongst the pantheon, 
but rather he says, him I proclaim to you. In other words, I'm going 
to preach to you the true and the living God. Notice in verse 
24, God who made the world and everything in it, so the doctrine 
of creation, which the confession will appeal to in a moment. God, 
who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven 
and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor 
is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, 
since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. God does not 
depend upon us. He is independent. One theologian, 
a man by the name of John Webster, says, yet the triune God could 
be without the world. No perfection of God would be 
lost. No triune bliss compromised were 
the world not to exist. No enhancement of God is achieved 
by the world's existence. Now, I would suspect that some 
would take this explanation of both Acts and what the Confession 
says, and this particular quote from Webster, as suggesting, 
beginning to suggest that man is irrelevant. You mean God's 
life, God's being, God's existence isn't wrapped up in the creature? No, it's not. And that is good 
news for the creature, again, because God is God in himself 
with or without the created order. He doesn't receive glory as the 
confession says. Now, don't mistake that. That 
doesn't mean we don't glorify him and that he doesn't receive 
it. But when we glorify him, it is 
to speak well of him. But whether we speak well of 
him or not, he is well. That is not the case, or it is 
not the case, that until we acknowledge something or until we praise 
him for something, it actually isn't true. No, God is self-sufficient, 
God is independent. One other passage that I think 
underscores this is in the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8. 1 
Kings 8, this whole idea of independence is also seen in a doctrine we 
call transcendence. And transcendence simply means 
that God is transcendent. He is removed from the creation. He's not a part of it. We're 
not pantheists. We're not thinking that this 
table is God somehow. but rather he is removed. Now, 
as God, he is everywhere present because that's how he operates. 
But notice in 1 Kings 8 at verse 27. Let's go back to verse 23. And he said, Lord God of Israel, 
there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like you, who 
keep your covenant and mercy with your servants, who walk 
before you with all their hearts. You have kept what you promised 
your servant, David, my father. You have both spoken with your 
mouth and fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day. Therefore, 
Lord God of Israel, now keep what you promised your servant 
David, my father, saying. See his argument in prayer? You've 
shown yourself faithful, therefore be faithful and hear the words 
of my prayer. It's a wonderful way to pray 
when you understand these divine perfections or when you understand 
the attributes of God. We pray in light of the nature 
and being of God. We pray with reference to who 
he is and what he has said. You shall not fail to have a 
man sit before me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons 
take heed to their way, that they walk before me as you have 
walked before me. And now I pray, O God of Israel, 
let your word come true, which you have spoken to your servant 
David my father. But will God indeed dwell on 
the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven 
of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which 
I have built." Solomon is conscious of the dedication of the temple 
that he is not a Philistine. He understands that this temple 
is the symbolic representation of God's presence among Israel. 
He's not like the foolish Philistine who actually thinks Dagon resides 
in Dagon's temple. Solomon knows at the outset of 
the dedication that though the name of God resides there, it's 
not as if he is contained by the temple. He says in verse 
28, Yet regard the prayer of your servant and his supplication, 
O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which 
your servant is praying before you today, that your eyes may 
be opened toward this temple night and day, toward the place 
of which you said, My name shall be there. that you may hear the 
prayer which your servant makes toward this place. And may you 
hear the supplication of your servant and of your people, Israel, 
when they pray toward this place, here in heaven, your dwelling 
place, and when you hear, forgive. So in this sort of celebration 
of the attributes of God, he speaks of the incomparability 
of God. God's not like the other gods. 
As well, the faithfulness of God. God does what he promises. And then, as I said, the transcendence 
of God. He is removed. He's not locally 
present in the temple, and he's not confined there. But as well, 
he is imminent. That means he is, in fact, by 
virtue of the fact that he's omnipresent and immense, that 
he is with his creation. Not part of it, over it, but 
nevertheless present among his people. And then over in Psalm 
113, you see these twin concepts stressed as well. Again, this 
all underscores the independence of God. God having all life, 
glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself is alone in 
and unto himself all sufficient, not standing in need of any creature 
which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them. Notice in 
Psalm 113, I'm sure we looked at this before, there is a call 
to praise in verses 1 to 3, and then the reasons for that praise 
in verses 4 to 9. So after the call to praise, 
notice in verse 4, the Lord is high above all nations, His glory 
above the heavens. who is like the Lord our God 
who dwells on high, who humbles himself to behold the things 
that are in the heavens and in the earth. In other words, he's 
absolute. In other words, he's independent. 
In other words, he's all sufficient. He is transcendent, but then 
notice this imminence is there. He humbles himself to behold 
the things that are in the heavens and in the earth. And concrete 
expression of that is found in verses seven to nine. He raises 
the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the ash 
heap, that he may seat him with princes, with the princes of 
his people. He grants the barren woman a home like a joyful mother 
of children. Praise the Lord. Now, two weeks 
ago when we considered those three attributes without body, 
parts, or passions, I made much of stressing that this without 
passions doesn't mean that God is static, that he's inert, that 
he's so far removed that he has no truck with his creation. No, 
God is able to be transcendent and imminent based on his nature, 
based on his being, based on who he is. Now notice, with reference 
to this doctrine of the independence of God, it underscores the consequent 
dominion of God in light of this independence. In other words, 
notice what it goes on to say, after nor deriving any glory 
from them, But, only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and 
upon them, he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through 
whom, and to whom are all things, and he has most sovereign dominion 
over all creatures, to do by them, for them, and upon them, 
whatsoever himself pleaseth. So God manifests his glory through 
the created order. The fact that God makes man, 
the fact that God upholds man, this is what it says. Only manifesting 
his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them, he is the alone fountain 
of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. 
Now the text is obviously Romans 11. Of him, and through him, 
and to him are all things. In other words, God is origin, 
God is sustainer, and God is the end or the purpose of all 
things. So God maintains this sovereignty 
over them as a result of this, well, not just of this independence, 
but by virtue of who he is. So notice, he has most sovereign 
dominion over all creatures to do by them, for them, and upon 
them whatsoever himself pleaseth. Bovink makes this observation 
concerning creation. When we look at creation, we 
know Genesis chapter 1 and 2, we know the rationale for the 
Sabbath. A lot of these texts are found 
in the Confession of Faith. We know from all of the Prophet 
Isaiah, we see it all throughout Scripture, this reference to 
God as being creator. Bovink said God is the real the 
true being, the fullness of being, the sum total of all reality 
and perfection, the totality of being from which all other 
being owes its existence. He is an immeasurable and unbounded 
ocean of being, the absolute being who alone has being in 
himself. Again, you might say, well, I 
don't read Bavink. I don't think about dogmatics 
in that particular way. Well, may I encourage you to 
do so? Brethren, we don't have to prop 
up our God and put him back in order. We don't have to reattach 
the hand that fell off of Dagon. Our God is most high. It's one 
of the descriptors in the Old Testament that's used often of 
God. He's most high. It seems to me that we often 
blur that distinction, and He's not so most high, but He shocks 
and jives with us. Now again, he is present, he 
is imminent, his goodness prevails, but he's not like us, and that's 
what the confession takes pains to underscore. He is the origin, 
the maintenance, and the end of all things, and then as I 
said, he manifests his sovereign dominion because of this and 
other perfections that he possesses. He has most sovereign dominion 
over all creatures, to do by them, for them and upon them 
whatsoever himself pleaseeth." Now before you go, well that 
doesn't seem fair. When we go through this particular 
section of the confession, it underscores God is holy. So it's 
not the case that God and His sovereignty is like impersonal 
fate. It's not the case that God and 
His sovereignty is devoid of wisdom and goodness. No, all 
of this is tempered by His holiness, His moral purity, so that when 
He exercises sovereign dominion over people, it's not arbitrary, 
it's not capricious, it's not the way it's oftentimes misrepresented. Now, we as a Reformed church, 
holding to a Reformed confession, underscore often the sovereignty 
of God. If you mix with non-Reformed 
believers, they don't always like that doctrine. They like 
it insofar that they live in Canada. They like it insofar 
that God made them to be an astronaut. They like it so far that God 
has given them certain giftings or talents or put them in certain 
circumstances. But when we get to a Romans 9 
16, it does not depend upon him who wills or him who runs, but 
on God who shows mercy. That's when they cry foul. They 
don't like sovereignty relative to the application of redemptive 
benefit to sinful people that deserve nothing. So the confession 
here underscores, and it will unfold this in more detail later 
when it gets to the order of salvation, but this is a general 
overarching statement that fits theology proper, that is absolutely 
intrinsic to our doctrine of God. He has most sovereign dominion 
over all creatures to do by them, for them, and upon them whatsoever 
himself please it. Now let's look at a few passages 
here. Turn to Psalm 115. You should 
be right there if you were just in Psalm 113. That worked out 
pretty well. Psalm 115. Now the contrast in 
Psalm 115 is between the dead idols and the true and living 
God. And with reference to the dead idols, the psalmist mocks 
them. Notice in verse one, not unto 
us, Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory. Because 
of your mercy, because of your truth, why should the Gentiles 
say, so where is their God? But our God is in heaven. He 
does whatever he pleases. See, that is a perfection that 
is distinct with reference to God. Now, there is a communicableness 
about the attribute of sovereignty. We are sovereign over our own 
being. We are sovereign over our homes. We are sovereign over our jobs 
and our cars and that sort of thing. So in a sense, it is a 
communicable attribute. But in this sense, it's an incommunicable. He has most sovereign dominion 
over all creatures. to do whatsoever himself pleases. And that's what the psalmist 
says. Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases. 
So God is in that category. He's in heaven. He does whatever 
he pleases. In other words, He's sovereign. 
In other words, He's independent. In other words, He is glorious. 
He is all-sufficient. Now notice what he says concerning 
the Gentiles who say, so where is their God? Their idols are 
silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, 
but they do not speak. Eyes they have, but they do not 
see. They have ears, but they do not hear. Noses they have, 
but they do not smell. See, brethren, when you read 
that, it's not just a theological treatise, which it is to a degree, 
but the psalmist is mocking. The psalmist is like Elijah at 
Mount Carmel when he says, where's Baal? Maybe he's gone on a vacation. Maybe he's in the bathroom relieving 
himself. He is mocking the idols of his 
age, and that's what the psalmist is doing. They have hands, but 
they do not handle. Feet they have, but they do not 
walk, nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make 
them are like them, so is everyone who trusts in them. See, that's 
a little-known or appreciated fact about idolatry and about 
the worship of the true and the living God. You become like that 
which you worship. G.K. Beal, in a wonderful book 
on idolatry, says, what you revere, you resemble, either for ruin 
or for restoration. When somebody takes on the idol, 
when somebody bows to the idol, they become like them. When we 
worship and serve the true and living God, we become like Him, 
not independent, not sovereign. not glorious in the way that 
the confession presents him, but we become like him in terms 
of godliness, righteousness, our doctrine accords with those 
characteristics of those virtues that are consistent with a profession 
of faith. You have the same emphasis in 
Psalm 135, but turn over to Daniel, Daniel chapter four. Again, underscoring 
the reality that he has most sovereign dominion, excuse me, 
over all creatures, to do by them, for them, and upon them 
whatsoever himself pleaseth. So in Daniel chapter four, notice 
specifically at verse 25. Again, these are some of the 
passages or texts referred to by the Confession of Faith. Notice 
in verse 25, they shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall 
be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass 
like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew 
of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you till you know that 
the most high rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever 
he chooses. Remember, Nebuchadnezzar was 
basically looking over at the kingdom he had built. He was 
marveling at the accomplishments of his own hand. And so God comes 
to bring judgment upon him by driving him out to live like 
a beast in the field. Now notice when this period ends 
and he comes to his senses in verse 34. And at the end of the 
time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding 
returned to me. And I blessed the Most High and 
praised and honored Him who lives forever. For His dominion is 
an everlasting dominion. His kingdom is from generation 
to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth 
are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will 
in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. 
No one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you 
done? He hath most sovereign dominion 
over all creatures." Now, before we say, well, you know, that's 
the God of the Old Testament, turn to the book of Ephesians, 
Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter 1, so with 
reference to the fact that God is independent, the fact that 
God is all-sufficient in and of Himself, there is this appeal 
to the fact that He made the world and that He as well governs 
the world with sovereign dominion, and that He does whatsoever He 
pleases. Notice in Ephesians 1 at verse 
11, in him also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined 
according to the purpose of him who works all things according 
to the counsel of his will. Now for all of the finagling 
and all of the desire and all of the hermeneutical gymnastics 
that goes into trying to evade the clear teaching of this passage, 
you can't do it. It either means what it says 
or it doesn't. In him also we have obtained 
an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him 
who works all things according to the counsel of his will. It 
is a statement or a declaration that underscores God not only 
hath sovereign dominion over all creatures in terms of their 
pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling, but also relative 
to their position in our Lord Jesus Christ. So, He has sovereign 
dominion over all creatures to do by them, for them, and upon 
them whatsoever Himself pleases. Now, one final passage before 
we move on to the next perfection. Look at Romans chapter 9. Romans 
chapter 9. I'm going to share a little autobiography 
here because I saw something once that I hadn't seen before. And it was quite shocking because 
I had talked to Christians about these sorts of concepts. God's 
absolute sovereignty, the fact that he chooses who it is he's 
going to save. And we oftentimes will go to 
Romans chapter 9 as sort of the showstopper when it comes to 
that sovereign dominion that he has over all creatures. Back 
in several years ago, I worked at Northrop Grumman, and I worked 
in a control center of sorts, and I worked with this fellow 
that probably would have professed that he was a Christian. You 
know, you've probably met that guy before. He probably isn't, 
but you don't want to be a judge and jury and, you know, castigate 
him. So you just try to be kind and 
answer any questions or whatever, you know, he may have. And so 
one night he brings his Bible to work. And of course, the questions 
start flying. And he asks me about predestination. And I said, well, you have your 
Bible there, turn and read Romans chapter 9. And I was sitting 
over here and he was sitting over there, or it could have 
been vice versa, it was a few years ago. And I watched him 
read and become visibly shaken. He understood what Paul was saying. 
I had seen Arminian Christians and other Christians read or 
know what was in Romans 9, but not respond and still maintain, 
no, that can't be what Paul is talking about. This guy got it. And when you look at what Paul 
is doing in this particular passage, he's underscoring that reality 
that God hath most sovereign dominion over all his creatures. 
Now, one of the things that typically happens when persons hear this 
is that they get upset. They get upset with you, the 
person that's telling them this, but ultimately they get upset 
at that concept of God. It just bugs them that He would 
be absolutely, comprehensively sovereign. And sometimes they 
might even call out or they might even issue a challenge. Well, 
why then and then they'll sort of fill in the blanks. Why then? 
Well, Paul countered that. Paul had to deal with that. And 
if you look specifically at Romans 9 at verse 14, after declaring 
the electing purposes of God, the sovereignty of God, and not 
forsaking that, he still continues to do that in this section. But 
notice that Paul is countering an objection in verse 14. He 
does this in Romans. Romans 6 verse 1. What shall 
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that 
grace may abound? May it never be. He's not making that up. He had heard that when he preached 
justification by faith alone. Someone would have said to him, 
Paul if we're justified by faith alone, then it doesn't matter 
how we live. So he counters that real-life objection in Romans 
6 what? No doubt, whenever Paul trafficked 
in the absolute comprehensive sovereignty of God, persons said, 
well, why does he still find fault with us? So that's what 
he does in verse 14. What shall we say then? Is there 
unrighteousness with God? Certainly not. See, if you present 
the absolute sovereignty of God, people will say, well, that's 
not fair. That doesn't seem right. That doesn't seem just. That 
doesn't seem good. How does Paul counter it? Is 
there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not. For he says, and 
he appeals to the book of Exodus, I will have mercy on whomever 
I will have mercy. And I will have compassion on 
whomever I will have compassion. So then it is not of him who 
wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the 
scripture says to the Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have 
raised you up. Why? So that you could realize 
your full potential? So that you could be all that 
you could be? No, God's not Jolostean. He raised up Pharaoh that I may 
show my power in you, and that my name may be declared in all 
the earth. Therefore, he has mercy on whom 
he wills, and whom he wills, he hardens. Now notice, you will 
say to me then, why does he still find fault? For who has resisted 
his will? The way that Paul counters this 
is beautiful. It is brilliant. Paul says, who 
are, but indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to 
him who formed it, why have you made me like this? Does not the 
potter have power over the clay from the same lump to make one 
vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting 
to show His wrath and to make His power known? We don't even 
think in those categories. You mean God wants to demonstrate 
His wrath, His justice, His judgment, His righteousness? Yes, He does. He made the created order to 
demonstrate that glory. Not that He receives glory from 
it, but He demonstrates that glory and His people that love 
Him and serve Him will attest to that glory. What if God, wanting 
to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with 
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the 
vessels of mercy, which he had prepared beforehand for glory, 
even us whom he called, not of the Jews only, but also of the 
Gentiles. Now, before you cash it in and 
say, well, I'm done with this sort of theology, understand 
that the confession goes on to describe how this all works. So we have the bare statements 
in paragraph two, chapter two, paragraph two, that he hath this 
sovereignty. But when we get to the eternal 
decree of God in chapter three, we get to divine providence in 
chapter five, and then the fall of man in chapter six, you see 
how it all works together, such that it isn't the case that God 
says, hey, I want you to believe on my son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we say, no, I'm never gonna 
do it. No, God changes our hearts so that we will. And it's not 
the case that he consigns somebody to hell that says, oh, but I 
really wanted Jesus. Oh, I really wanted a life of 
righteousness. I really wanted to serve you. 
That's not the way it works. And again, the confession will 
get into how the first cause, who is God, and the second cause, 
who is us, functions together and in harmony. It's not the 
case that God is compelling people against their will to come to 
the Savior. Thankfully, he constrains, he 
changes our will so that we will come to the Savior. But all of 
that to say, he hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, 
to do by them, for them, and upon them whatsoever himself 
pleaseth. Now notice the next perfection, 
it speaks of what God knows. We refer to this as omniscience. We have knowledge, but it's not 
omni-knowledge. We're not omniscient. We don't 
know all things at all times and every connection therein. 
And God's knowledge isn't like ours in the sense where we have 
to learn, we have to study, we have to open the book, we have 
to put our nose in it. God always knows all things there 
ever is to know all at once. Remember, we're dealing with 
an amazing and glorious God. But notice what it says concerning 
the knowledge of God. In his sight, all things are 
open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite, infallible, 
and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to him contingent 
or uncertain. So there is this declaration 
of his omniscience. You can turn to Hebrews chapter 
4. Hebrews chapter 4. Now this oftentimes is one of 
those perfections that scares people. You mean he really knows 
everything about me? Solomon says, Behold, the eyes 
of the Lord are in every place, beholding the good and the evil. So yes, God knows every aspect 
of our being, which again can be scary when we know certain 
aspects of our own being. But suffice to say, He loves 
us nevertheless. Notice in Hebrews 4 at verse 
11. and is a discerner of the thoughts 
and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden 
from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes 
of him to whom we must give account. Again, as parents we oftentimes 
use this, well at least I did. as a club to smack our children 
around. Oh, God's watching you. You know, 
God is going to get you. That sort of guilt manipulation. 
But it cuts both ways. God sees even the remaining corruption 
in our hearts, but loves us in Jesus Christ. He forgives us. He's merciful. He's kind. And 
one thing that I don't think we give enough sort of recognition 
to is that in the book of Revelation in chapters two and three, Jesus 
comes to condemn the practice of the churches, but he also 
commends them. I have seen your works, he says, 
with reference to the Ephesians. You have tested those who said 
they were apostles and were not. That's a commendable trait. Jesus 
finds that favorable and good. So the eyes of Yahweh are in 
every place beholding the good and the evil. We need to understand 
that God is omniscient. The perfection of that omniscience 
is underscored with these words. It is infinite, infallible, and 
independent upon the creature. Psalm 139 verses one to six, 
if I go to heaven, if I descend to Sheol, God's there, he knows, 
he sees my lying down, my getting up, he knows me intimately, there's 
not a part of me, a piece of me, a scrap of me that God does 
not know infinitely and fallibly and independent upon the creature. 
And then the nature of his omniscience is so as nothing is to him contingent 
or uncertain. That's gonna be dealt with a 
bit in chapter three. If you look at paragraph two 
in chapter three, although God knows whatsoever may or can come 
to pass upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything 
because he foresaw it as future or as that which would come to 
pass upon such conditions. Going back to the discussion 
of sovereignty relative to the salvation of sinners, It's not 
that God looks down the tunnel of time and sees that so-and-so 
is going to believe on Jesus, and so therefore He predestines 
him, or therefore He elects him. That's not what it's about. It's 
not a tunnel of time that God looks down, figures out who's 
in, figures out who's out, and then those that are in, He predestines 
or elects. That's not the way you're supposed 
to understand. for whom he foreknew in Romans chapter 8 at verse 
28. That's not what Paul is meaning when he says that. So this idea 
that there's these contingencies, that there's this sort of vagary 
in life, and God is sort of navigating along with us, that's not the 
God that the confession is representing in paragraphs 1 to 3 in chapter 
2. It's certainly not the God that 
the Bible sets forth to us all throughout from Genesis to Revelation. His knowledge is comprehensive, 
omniscient. Notice thirdly, in terms of the 
perfection, his holiness. Notice, after the, so as nothing 
is to him, contingent or uncertain. I'm kinda using the semicolons 
as the break for the new perfection. So you've got the independence 
of God, you've got a semicolon. You've got the omniscience of 
God, you've got a semicolon. Now we've got the holiness of 
God after that semicolon. I don't know if that's how they 
intended it, but it seemed like a wise way for me to proceed 
as I'm trying to put this material together. But notice, he is most 
holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his 
commands to him is due from angels and men whatsoever worship, service, 
or obedience as creatures they owe unto the creator and whatever 
he is further pleased to require of them. So that last statement 
is a bit of practical sort of implication. Based on who this 
God is, the creature is obliged to him. The creature, not just 
men, but also angels. So the extent of this obligation 
goes comprehensively. It's not just man, but it's also 
angel. Not just angel, but it's also 
man. And then in terms of the nature of the obligation, notice 
the extensiveness of that. Whatsoever worship, service, 
or obedience as creatures, they owe unto the Creator, and whatever 
further He is pleased to require of that. So that is the practical 
implication concerning the God who is independent, omniscient, 
and holy. So let's just take a few moments 
to discuss holiness. Notice, He is most holy in all 
His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. Now 
that word holy does double duty. The basic meaning of holy is 
to be separate. It is to be sanctified. That's 
what sanctify means, or holy means. They're the same sort 
of word group. It means to be removed from. 
Jesus is holy, harmless, and undefiled, separate from sinners. God is separate. He's sanctified. He's holy. But as well, it describes 
God's moral purity. Moral purity. So he's separate 
and he's morally pure. Now the scripture makes much 
of the holiness of God. In fact, if you want a really 
good book on the holiness of God, R.C. Sproul's book by that 
name is excellent. If you've never read Sproul, 
that's, I think, well, maybe one of the few that I've read, 
so I'd say it's Sproul at his best. Of course, I don't know, 
because I didn't read a whole bunch of Sproul, but that book 
is a game changer, especially if you're sort of new to the 
Reformed faith, you're new to sort of theology proper and sort 
of an understanding of who God is as God reveals himself in 
the Bible. I remember that book being most 
helpful in terms of the holiness of God. But scripture is clear 
that God is holy. Exodus chapter 15, verse 11. And again, you see these concepts, 
or these perfections, or these attributes. The scripture doesn't 
treat it like a systematic theology. Scripture doesn't say, okay, 
here's the doctrine of God, and then it gives us each of these 
perfections and each of these attributes. No, when Scripture 
and the authors are rehearsing who God is, they sort of ball 
it all together. It's kind of like when you have 
a husband or a wife, and you're taken up with their beauty, or 
you're taken up with their kindness, and you just start letting fly 
with the adjectives and the descriptors, and, oh, how I love you because 
of this, that, and the other. It's not a systematic theology. 
In the first place, I love you because of this, and here's what 
I mean by that. Secondly, I love you because of this, and here's 
what I mean. The authors of scripture just take these things and they 
rehearse it back to God. Again, He does not get glory 
or He is not made glorious by that, but we as the creature 
express that glory to Him and He receives it. So notice in 
verse 11, again, sort of a compendium of the various things that we 
have looked at in this section. Who is like you, O Lord, among 
the gods? Who is like you, glorious in 
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Turn to the prophet 
Isaiah, Isaiah chapter six, and I think that Sproul's shown or 
shined, I don't know what the part is, is it shown or shined 
in the book Holiness of God at this particular section. But 
look at chapter 6, paragraph 1. In the year that King Uzziah 
died, the prophet is rehearsing his call to the prophetic ministry. 
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train 
of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim. Each 
one had six wings. With two he covered his face. 
Why? Because God's glory is blinding 
even to these angelic beings. He had to cover his face. With 
two he covered his feet. Remember at the burning bush, 
take off your sandals. The ground upon which you stand 
is holy ground. And with two he flew. And one 
cried to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 
glory. One man in a recent book on worship, specifically the 
regulative principle of worship, seems to think, or rather says, 
the church is kind of like singing to God, you're nice, you're nice, 
you're nice. No, holy, holy, holy is the Lord 
of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 
glory. The prophet Isaiah celebrates 
this perfection of God just by the way he writes. Isaiah refers 
to Yahweh as the Holy One of Israel about 25 times in his 
book. Now you'll say, well, that's 
a long book. Yeah, 25 times. About four times he refers to 
God as Holy One. Now when you consider the rest 
of the prophetic literature, Holy One of Israel is only used 
twice more in the prophet Jeremiah in chapters 50 and 51. So for 
Isaiah, when he saw the Lord high and exalted, When he heard 
the cry of the seraphim, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, 
the whole earth is full of his glory, it obviously made an impact 
upon him because now or when he writes his book, he refers 
to God as the Holy One of Israel and as the Holy One in several 
instances. And then one other passage that's 
very instructive is in the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 
four. This is a scene of the throne 
room in heaven that the seer gets, that the apostle John gets 
when he's on the island of Patmos for the testimony of Jesus and 
for the Word of God. And notice in Revelation 4 at 
verse 6, before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst of the throne 
and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes 
in front and in back. The first living creature was 
like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third 
living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living 
creature was like a flying eagle. Now, for those of you who perhaps 
may think, well, that's odd, go back to the book of Ezekiel, 
the book of Daniel, you'll see that what he's doing is he's 
using Old Testament sort of language and imagery and metaphor to speak 
concerning the glory of God. Verse eight, the four living 
creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and 
within, and they do not rest day or night, saying, holy, holy, 
holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Now when we're in chapter 1 we 
talked a little bit about the text of the Greek New Testament 
and I don't want to bore anyone and I don't want to get into 
a large discussion of that now but suffice to say that when 
John wrote the book of Revelation John's book went out, or rather 
people copied that book, and they took those copies and they 
preached them, they read them, they took them to the churches. 
Well, in the transmission, in the history of transmission, 
at times, scribes might add something or they might take away. This 
is the text or the discipline called textual criticism. not 
criticizing the Bible, oh, you're bad, but understanding that in 
the history of transmission and the fact that the New Testament 
has over 5,000 extant manuscripts, there's a few different readings 
that popped up into the transmission. There's a way of looking at those 
New Testament texts called the majority text. That simply means 
to take the most readings and go by that. So the most readings 
is the reading we take. The majority text here in Revelation 
4 has nine holies. Nine holies, not just three holies. Now that's really holy, right? 
The point is, is that this is one of the perfections of God 
that is replete throughout Scripture. Our confession highlights those 
things that persons need to know concerning God. He is independent, 
He is omniscient, and He is holy. As a result of this, and again, 
the many other things already given in paragraph one, the many 
other things that we find throughout scripture, in light of that, 
He is due. To Him is due from angels and 
men whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as creatures they 
owe unto the Creator, and whatever He is further pleased to require 
of them. And let that holiness of God 
temper your understanding with reference to the other attributes 
or perfections. His omniscience, again, is not 
capricious. His sovereignty is not arbitrary. It is all according to his holiness, 
to his wisdom, to his goodness. Sometimes people liken Calvinistic 
or Reformed faith and its emphasis on predestination with blind 
faith or impersonalism. That cannot be the case. It's 
not the case that predestination or God's sovereignty is detached 
from God himself. Good, wise, merciful, kind, everything 
paragraph one and everything paragraph two highlights or underscores 
with reference to God. So with reference to his relation 
to creatures, paragraph 2 gives us that. Next time, we'll take 
up the relations in the Godhead, namely the triunity of God, and 
that's the specific section that deals with the Trinity. Well, 
I'll close, and then if there's any questions, we can discuss 
that. Our Father, thank you for the Word of God. Thank you for 
the revelation of who you are. I know at times, Father, we come 
to the scriptures just to see what there is for us, just to 
see what you say to us, but God, help us to stop, help us to ponder, 
help us to reflect on who you are, to reflect upon the independence 
of God, to reflect upon this divine omniscience and the reality 
that you are, in fact, a holy God. And may this temper the 
way that we approach you, may it promote in us fear, and trembling, 
and rejoicing, and all the things that scripture sets forth. And 
help us as well to see the obligation that we have as your creature 
to the creator, with reference to service, and obedience, and 
worship, and the various things outlined here in the confession. 
Go with us now into this hour of worship, be glorified in the 
midst of your people, and we pray through Jesus Christ our 
Lord, amen. Well, any questions on That's a very good book too, 
yeah. Yeah, and one of the passages 
that just comes to my right when I say the fullness of God is, 
he uses the word traumatizing. That the holiness of God has 
a traumatizing effect on sinners. And the idea is that this is 
very contrary to all the false visions of God that various people 
advocate in the modern era, where this, as you said, this casualness, 
this God is my buddy, talking to me while I'm shaving kind 
of thing. And the other piece that I want 
to quickly mention Yeah, yes. Another book, Andy read a bit 
of it last week, Steve's been reading it as we go through a 
prayer meeting, the Meditation for Prayer Meeting, it's called 
The Attributes of God by A.W. Pink. It's printed, it's a little 
paperback, the sections are about two or three pages, really good. 
It's also published under Gleanings in the Godhead. and you'll get 
the doctrine of God first, and then Christology second. I happened 
to find that copy in a used bookstore that's a Moody publisher, so 
if you happen to get that, get that, because it has both the 
Father and the Son in terms of the perfections or attributes, 
while God proper in terms of the first part, and then Jesus 
specifically in terms of Christology in the second part. So AW Pink, 
And his Sovereignty of God is a real humdinger as well. If 
you've never read Sovereignty of God by A. W. Paint, that's 
a showstopper. That's one that you just pause 
at moments and just... And it's in a lot of people's 
top five. Yeah, it's in a lot of people's top five. It's certainly 
an excellent work. So some good stuff. And again, 
let me just encourage as gently and as graciously, but nevertheless 
as forcefully as I may, the doctrine of God. We need to know the God 
whom we serve. We need to know the God whom 
we worship. We need to know the God whom we are preaching, and 
propagating, and defending, and all that sort of thing. And there 
is a defectiveness a lot of times among the people of God in terms 
of who God is. I just saw something recently, 
the number was atrociously high, that a bunch of evangelicals 
that were asked believed that the Holy Spirit is just sort 
of an idea. That's heretical. That's bad. That is not what the Holy Spirit 
is. So paragraph 3 is also crucial 
in terms of what the confession is setting forth in terms of 
who God is. If we mess up, On the Trinity, 
we do not have the true and living God. So hopefully we are able 
to think through these things. And again, you don't have to 
be Augustine, or Aquinas, or Owen, or Charnock, or any of 
these guys in your ability to explain and understand. But you 
should understand the contours of a biblical theology proper, 
and what scripture says concerning the Trinity particularly. And 
honestly, the Nicene Creed should be committed to memory in terms 
of Trinitarian theology. The departure today, that's the 
benchmark. Churches either affirm Nicaea, 
or they've gone away from that, and a lot of them have gone away 
from that, and that's not to strengthen the betterment of 
the Church. but it's ultimately a compromise and a rejection. And as Isaac said earlier, it's 
an idolatry. If we don't have the truth of 
the living God, we've got to ask the question, which God do 
we have? Can I give kudos to Sproul too, like Isaac? It was 
a showstopper and a real eye-opener for me, especially when I spoke 
last week, was that our problem is not hell. Our problem is the 
holiness of God. That's who we have to deal with 
in the end of days, and hell will be a result of that if we 
don't bow. And that's the real problem, 
right? For a sinner, it's the holiness of God, not necessarily 
all.