What Motivates God to Do the Things He Does?


When President Trump took his oath of office, he failed to put his hand on the Bible.  

  • Whether that failure was intentional or not, God in His providence allowed it to happen.  
  • Looking at today's disastrous state of affairs, one cannot help wonder if God was sending us a message - 
  • Trump's failure to put his hand on the Bible could be a sign that God Himself had removed His hand of blessing over our country.  
  • And that God in His providence and power ordered this very public "mistake" to happen to both protect and promote the glory of His name.
Why does God do the things that He does? 

  • What motivates God to action? 
  • One thing, and one thing alone - the glory of His Name!
When God created the world, 
  • He did so in order that man might glorify His Name for creation’s majesty and beauty. 
  • And so man does. 
  • O LORD our LORD how excellent is Your Name in all the earth (Psalm 8:1). 
  • The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1).
Why did God elect some fallen men to salvation? 
  • That He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).
Why did God reprobate others and leave them in their sin and condemnation? 
  • In order to show His wrath and to make His power known (cf. Romans 9:22-23).
Why does God forgive us our sin? 
  • For Your name’s sake, O LORD, 
  • pardon my iniquity, for it is great (Psalm 25:11). 
Why does God grant us the guidance of the Holy Spirit? 
  • For Your name’s sake, 
  • lead me and guide me (cf. Psalm 31:3). 
God’s dealings with His people are all motivated by the glory of His Name 
  • (cf. Exodus 9:16, 1 Samuel 12:22, Psalm 106:8, Isaiah 48:11, Ezekiel 36:22). 
  • Because God does everything for the glory of His Name, 
  • He commands that we must do everything with the same goal in mind. 
  • Our greatest goal in life must be to glorify God.
And that is why He gave us the Third Commandment:
  • You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain; 
  •  for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.
To be continued...
Adapted Excerpt from Only By True Faith by Van Delden

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