It is possible to worship God in a
general way or in a specific manner. Here Paul is specific, and we can see that
his specific expression of praise is very suitable for the context in which he
has explained aspects of the gospel. We would not be surprised if Paul had
linked the love of God to the gospel, and he does so elsewhere. But here he
links the gospel to the wisdom of God. How does the gospel show the wisdom of
God? Here are a couple of suggestions.
First, the gospel shows that God
is wiser than the devil who had imagined that through his wrong wisdom he had
managed to ensure that God would never receive glory from his creatures. Moreover,
the gospel shows that God is wiser than all the originators of alternative
religions who had devised ways by which they imagined God could be found – they
never found God through those ways, but millions have found him through the
gospel of grace.
Second, the gospel is the means
through which God will eventually have eternal glory. Glory here is a reference
to praise, and when we think about the numbers who will gather in eternity to
praise God we should be staggered by the success rate. All who the Father
planned to be there will be there. Not one will be missing. As we think about
the praise that will be offered, we can say with confidence that it will be
grateful praise offered by those thankful to God for his grace. We can also say
that it will be increasing praise in the sense that the redeemed will praise
with a developing understanding throughout eternity as they discover the many
blessings that God has in store for his people. Moreover, the praise that will
be offered endlessly will be marked by love that is always at its strongest.
The praise will be enthusiastic and warm, sung by those in harmony with one
another and with God himself.
Third, Paul mentions the
centrality of Jesus Christ in the eternal praise of God the Father. Obviously
he will bring glory to the Father in the period before the second coming as
well as afterwards. Yet I think Paul’s emphasis is that Jesus will remain
forever the mediator between God and man after the second coming; then he will
be forever the spokesman for God as he instructs us in what God has in store
for his people throughout that endless future; he will be forever the ruler
over all of the new creation; and he will be forever the priest who leads the
praise of the Father by the assembled throng throughout eternity. He promised
he would do this in Psalm 22:22, which says that he will declare God’s name to
his brothers in the gathering of his people.
As we think of the role of Jesus
in the future, we should admire the endless capability that Jesus will have,
and it is important to notice this because, as Paul says earlier, it is through
Jesus that we receive strength for the here and now. So if he will never lose his
strength in the future, we can be confident that we will receive it now. And we
can also remind ourselves of the celebratory nature of his role as he and his
people share in the fruits of his victory forever.
Paul closes his letter with
‘Amen’, which is how we all should respond to what Paul has taught us in this
letter. We say ‘amen’ to the God of all grace and his amazing purposes
described in chapters 1–12, and we show that we mean it by becoming the living
sacrifices described in chapters 13–16.
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