2.2 God hath all life,1 glory,2 goodness,3 blessedness,4 in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all–sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He hath made,5 nor deriving any glory from them,6 but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things;7 and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatsoever Himself pleaseth.8 In His sight all things are open and manifest,9 His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature,10 so as nothing is to Him contingent, or uncertain.11 He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands.12 To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.13
1 Jn 5:26; 2 Acts 7:2; 3 Ps 119:68; 4 1 Tim 6:15; Rom 9:5; 5 Acts 17:24–25; 6 Job 22:2–3; 7 Rom 11:36; 8 Rev 4:11; 1 Tim 6:15; Dan 4:25, 35; 9 Heb 4:13; 10 Rom 11:33–34; Ps 147:5; 11 Acts 15:18; Ezk 11:5; 12 Ps 145:17; Rom 7:12; 13 Rev 5:12–14.
In this section, we continue to learn about the God of the Bible and especially about the relationship that He has to all His creatures in this universe.
First, we learn that God is fully self-sufficient. This means that He is not in any way dependent on His creatures for anything. He has all life in and of Himself. He is the source and sustainer of life, and all creatures are totally dependent on Him for their being and continual existence. God also has all glory in Himself. Creatures do not and cannot add to or subtract from His glory. The best they can do is to bear witness to and make manifest His glory.
Second, we learn that God is sovereign over all His creatures. By sovereignty, we mean His absolute rule and control over all things. As Creator, He has the right to do with His creatures whatever He deems good and whatever pleases Him. No one has the right to question Him or the power to prevent Him from doing so.
Third, we learn that God knows everything about His creatures, including what they will do in the future. Nothing surprises Him or catches Him off guard. He does not learn anything new from anyone because all knowledge, whether past, present or future, already resides in His infinite mind from all eternity.
Fourth, we learn that God is worthy to be worshipped, served and obeyed by all His creatures. It has been said that worshipping God is a privilege, and that is true. It has also been said that worshipping God is very fulfilling and satisfying, and that is also true. But what must never be forgotten is that as His creatures, we have an inherent duty and obligation to worship Him because of who He is and who we are in relation to Him.
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Westminster Confession of Faith — With Brief Pastoral Comments
© 2017 by Pilgrim Covenant Church
