Chapter Eleven: The Greatness of the Love of Christ is Displayed in That Our Redemption Uniquely Declares His Divine Glory

God's great and final purpose in all of creation and redemption is to display his divine glory, the sight of which becomes the eternal and ever-increasing joy of his people (e.g. Isa. 43:7; Rom. 9:23; Eph. 2:7); but what is it, ultimately, that displays this glory and provides this joy? It is only the love of Christ. God is faithful, merciful, just, righteous, good, patient, pure – and we may see all those attributes gloriously displayed in Christ's accomplishment of our redemption. But of no other attribute is it said, as it is of his loving us, that it is what God “is”. But God is love. And that he is love may be seen nowhere more clearly than his redemption of us in Christ Jesus. This is the unique and highest glory of the godhead; and this glory is displayed in us, as vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:23); it is shown in the heavenly places in God's everlasting kindness toward us in Christ (Eph. 2:7); it is seen in how the Name which the Son of God won in the accomplishment of our salvation became the Name which is above every names (Phil. 2:5-11). “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the propitiation for our sins” (John 4:12).

God's great and final purpose in all of creation and redemption is to display his divine glory, the sight of which becomes the eternal and ever-increasing joy of his people (e.g. Isa. 43:7; Rom. 9:23; Eph. 2:7); but what is it, ultimately, that displays this glory and provides this joy? It is only the love of Christ. God is faithful, merciful, just, righteous, good, patient, pure – and we may see all those attributes gloriously displayed in Christ's accomplishment of our redemption. But of no other attribute is it said, as it is of his loving us, that it is what God “is”. But God is love. And that he is love may be seen nowhere more clearly than his redemption of us in Christ Jesus. This is the unique and highest glory of the godhead; and this glory is displayed in us, as vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:23); it is shown in the heavenly places in God's everlasting kindness toward us in Christ (Eph. 2:7); it is seen in how the Name which the Son of God won in the accomplishment of our salvation became the Name which is above every names (Phil. 2:5-11). “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the propitiation for our sins” (John 4:12).