Indeed, that is the reason why Heaven is so glorious and full of joy. It is precisely because the LORD will be there. Heaven without God would be vain, worthless, and amount to absolutely nothing to the true believer. There is no true Heaven without God. If truth be told, the reason why the greatest commandment is to Love the LORD with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Mark 12:29-30), is precisely because God is the reward. But what this great commandment of the Law could not do, God did through the good news of His Son (Romans 8:3-4). The gospel is His means of bringing us back into right relation with Him. He rescued us. He foreknows, He predestines, He calls, He justifies, He glorifies. You can’t break that golden chain! (Romans 8:28-39). He brought us back to Him. The good news of salvation is attaining eternal life through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ Alone. And by His salvation, only then can we enter into endless bliss with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Himself. God is the Gospel (to borrow the title of a book). He is our treasure and our chief end (Romans 11:36). God initiated salvation; God will complete it as well (Philippians 1:6). From beginning to end, “Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9; Psalm 3:8).
That is why I resolutely believe that there are no other truths derived from Holy Scripture that give the proper justice and glory to the one, true, Triune, Holy, and living God of the Scriptures, than that which is known as Reformed Theology. In fact, I agree with the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that the Doctrines of Grace (i.e. Calvinism), are just a synonym or description for Biblical Theology. The Scriptures clearly testify to these glorious truths. Calvinism, in a nutshell, is all about the Glory of God. In fact, as you may have noticed, the blog is subtitled “Transformed and Reformed”. It is my firm conviction that the central tenets and truths of the Reformers are derived from Biblical Truth, (namely the Five Solas and the Five Points of Calvinism). These are solid, biblical, glorious God-honoring truths that have no parallel; for these truths are what the Holy Scriptures teach. Many in this day in age we live in would have us to believe that salvation is a work synergistically done both by God’s grace, and the sinners “free-will”. What escapes their notice is that man, who is dead in his trespasses and sins, in bondage to sin, desperately wicked, and only evil continually, cannot save himself (Ephesians 2:1-3; John 8:34; Jeremiah 13:33; 17:9; Genesis 6:5; John 6:63-65). Nor can he will to do that which is good in his unconverted state (Romans 8:7-8). It is only by the Sovereign, Monergistic power and grace of the Triune God Alone, that a sinner can be transformed into newness of life (John 1:12-13; 3:3; 4-8; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26-27). What also evades the notice of proponents of this synergistic, man-centered theology is that even the repentance and faith necessary for salvation (Acts 20:21), is entirely a gift from God (2 Timothy 2:24-26; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 2:8-9). No human being, in their fallen, natural condition can muster up some repentance and faith to save them (John 6:44). God must perform spiritual heart surgery. It is until He intervenes, until He transforms the heart, until He removes that heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh, that one can be saved (Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26-27). God transforms one’s disposition and inclination so that they can be turned from God-haters to God-lovers. It is entirely a gift from Him.
Not only that, but on top of salvation being absolutely a gift from God Alone, if any human being even has the audacity to say that they had something to contribute to their salvation, then they would have something to boast about before God (Romans 4:2-5)…But that is not what the Scriptures teach us. In fact, it unequivocally, forcefully denounces it. It does so because this is heinous blasphemy in the highest degree (and I would venture to say heresy in the highest degree as well). To attribute any bit of glory to someone/something else other than the One, True and living God is utter wickedness of the highest degree. The Scriptures speak of him who boasts, to “Boast in the LORD” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). He gets all the glory, especially in salvation.
Although this synergistic, man-centered theology gives the impression that it is not an aspersion upon the glorious character of God, it is. Inadvertently, whether by transgressing with their eyes wide open, or by simple, willful ignorance, this man-centered theology diminishes the glory, honor and praise due to His Holy Name. Surely when one departs from glorious God-centered Theology, then they become like Ichabod (for the glory of the LORD has departed; 1 Samuel 4:19-22). When we rob the Lord of His Glorious and Perfect Work to sinners by subscribing to this man-centered theology, one is not only unbiblical in their affirmations, but they also undermine the character of our glorious God. Only by truly seeing Him for who He is, we then, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, can we see the glorious Work of God in salvation. And from that, render the glory alone reserved for Him.
For the pilgrim that has finished his journey here on earth, being in the dwelling place of God is the only comfort for their soul (Hebrews 11; John 14:1-3). Nothing in this world can ever come close to the “Joy of the LORD” (Nehemiah 8:10). Oh how I yearn to bow down and worship Him with all the saints of old in the splendor of His holiness. Worship is the ultimate priority. It is what we were created for. The chief end of man is, as the Westminster divines put it, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” It is all about worshipping, glorifying and enjoying Him.
When we as finite creatures catch a mere glimpse of the one, true and living God, by His Sovereign mercy and grace, we can never be the same (Isaiah 6). We are as the prophet Isaiah when he received a glimpse of the glory of God for just a mere moment. He was never the same. He was transformed. He was reformed. He was transformed into newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17). He was reformed to a true, deeper, clearer understanding of our only Lord and God, Jesus Christ (John 12:36-41; 20:21). That is how we must view our Sovereign Lord. He is all together glorious and we must bow down in humble adoration on our faces and render the praise and glory due to His Holy Name.
“Theology Matters” as Dr. James R. White would say. This blog is merely one creature’s feeble attempt to express his heartfelt praise and worship to glorify His King in every way possible. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
For His Sovereign Glory Alone,
-Joshua Pérez
2 Peter 3:18
©Joshua Pérez
God-Centered: Transformed and Reformed Ministries