God's an Ego-Maniac?

If God made us for his glory, doesn't that make him an egomaniac? Wow. Okay, so let me start here. I get where this question is coming from. Okay, I do. I understand exactly why someone would ask this question.

The Assumption Behind the Question

Okay, I don't see this question too often. But every now and then, you know, this kind of question pops up. And surprisingly, ladies and gentlemen, this question pops up both inside and outside the Christian community.

Did you know that? You know, some Christians, they wrestle with this question. And so anyway, I understand where this question is coming from. The question itself stems from a lack of perception. The proper way of viewing the issue of who God is, okay, and why we're here, all right?

Before I get into all of this stuff, let me do the same thing I did with the last question. Let me just start here. Do you see the assumption that is baked into this particular question? Do you see it?

I'll give you a moment. Those of you with me, I'll give you a moment. If God made us for his glory, doesn't that make him an egomaniac? Do you see the assumption in the question? Okay, here's what I see.

The only way that the answer is yes to this kind of question, the only way that's possible is if you assume that God is just another human being, okay? That he's exactly like you and me, all right? Because when you and I think too highly of ourselves, we are rightly scolded.

We are properly diagnosed with probably a mental disorder called egomania, you know? Or what's the other? The better phrase is narcissistic personality disorder, okay? That's the assumption. God is just like us.

God Is Not a Human Being

That assumption is incorrect, okay? Because God is not a human being. He's not Thor, okay? He's not like us. God is infinitely greater. He's infinitely more powerful. And he's all-knowing and all-righteous.

He's all the omnis, I like to say, okay? If you want to take the characterizations of God by Christians from the Bible seriously, that is God, okay? We are not even close to being like God. I mean, how he really truly is, which I think is why we spend so much time meditating and explaining and sort of marveling in the incarnation of Christ.

I mean, this is something that C .S. Lewis said was the greatest thing that ever happened was the incarnation, you know? In other words, the incarnation is Christ taking on human flesh in order to walk among us so that he could fix the damaged relationship that was broken between humanity and God going back to the Garden of Eden, okay?

In order to do that, God had to condescend from his level to our level in order to become human. Philippians 2 says it this way, the Son had to empty himself in order to walk in human flesh. I'm digressing.

The incarnation is amazing, and that's why we celebrate Christmas. But think about it like this. Simply for God to create something, you know, to create anything, really, it follows that what he creates will end up revealing his glory.

Creation Reveals God's Glory

Why? Because he's the source of creation. Source, capital S. And his glory flows out of what he creates. You ever see those photos of like a nuclear reactor, and they put the, you know, sort of the pieces of the nuclear, the functional pieces of the nuclear reactor under the water, and then all of a sudden you see this like glowing, you know, like blue or whatever color it is, you know?

I mean, why do they glow? It's because the nuclear energy gives off this kind of visible after effect. That's the created order. Because God has made everything, because he created, the created order gives off a visible after effect.

If you have the wisdom to see clearly. This is Romans chapter 1. All right? Go back to Romans chapter 1 and track what it is exactly that Paul is saying. It all begins where people exchange the truth for a lie.

They don't want to see God in the created order, but they can see God in the created order. I mean, that's what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 1. So anyway, it's kind of like divine radiation. And here's something else to consider.

Glory Belongs to the Most Glorious Being

The source of all things, which is God, is a truth about the world that must be properly understood. And it also must be properly acknowledged, or else it's going to lead to our spiritual danger. If we don't do it, it will lead actually to our own spiritual death.

If we don't comport ourselves in keeping with reality, because that is reality. If we don't do that, we're in real danger. Because our inclination is to get glory for ourselves, not to give it to God.

We want to steal His glory and give it to ourselves. And see, that's why I identified the assumption at the beginning of this question. Because if we try to get glory for ourselves, there's something wrong with that.

Because we don't ultimately deserve glory. And I think deep down, we all know it. Something deserves glory, but it ain't us. It has to be the top of the ladder. The best of the best in terms of glory.

And that's not the biggest mansion in the world. It's not a bright red Lamborghini. It's not the most beautiful sunset or nature scene that you've ever seen in the world. It's the most glorious thing in existence.

It stands above all those other things. That, whatever that is, deserves glory. And we all know that deep down. Because we keep trying to give glory to other things. That's why it's also wrong when we try to give glory to ourselves.

Now, God is at the top of the heap. He's the big kahuna. He's the ultimate. He's the most glorious being in existence who created everything. The beautiful sunset. The things and the features that we see.

Including human beings who also in turn create very cool things. Okay? It all comes from him because he's the source. And what's interesting is, even though God is the source. You know what he does not say?

He does not say, stop giving out that glory. He doesn't say, don't give any more glory out to things. Because it's in our nature to want to give glory. So, God doesn't say, you know that whole giving glory thing?

That's a huge mistake. That's not what God says. God says, giving glory is appropriate if it's placed on the right thing. Okay? But that's God. That's God. We should give glory only to what it is deserved.

Or to where it is deserved. God gets glory. And it's revealed in his creation. Because he deserves all of the glory. I mean, we are meant to look out at the created order. To see that beautiful sunset.

And go, praise God. God's glory is amazing. Praise God. By the way, do you think God gets something out of our giving him glory? You know? In other words, do you think that God gains something out of that enterprise?

God Does Not Need Our Glory

No. He doesn't. It's not like he, you know, he's talking to the angels. And then all of a sudden he goes, oh, wait, wait, wait. Somebody's giving me glory right now. Ah. That feels good. I needed that.

Ah, glory. They gave me some more. I needed it. That's not what's happening. God doesn't need anything from us. He doesn't need anything, period. Because if he had a need, he wouldn't be God. When we give God glory, he doesn't become more glorious.

You know? Instead, he is pleased with the fact that we are aligning ourselves in what is true about reality. He is pleased because giving him glory also is a requisite, kind of a precursor to deeper fellowship and relationship with God.

Okay? It's not because he needs it. It's because when we give him glory, we end up getting ourselves in the right orientation.