God’s motivations

A former neighbor was highly involved in community service. She told me that she “loved helping people because it makes me feel so good.”

Truly selfless actions are rare. We want ourselves to look good, and if that doesn’t seem to motivate our actions, it usually pops into play when a camera shows up. We want to be liked by others, which also comes into play as soon as someone criticizes what we do. For most, this is their way of life. For me, I’ve spent years seeking my own glory, not knowing that there is another way to live.

Today’s devotional reading starts out with, “Many people think the main reason God saves people is so that He can keep them out of hell, or so that they can experience His love or lead happy lives. But all those reasons are secondary.”

He goes on to say that God saves for His own glory and uses this verse: “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15), but he didn’t quote the first part of it!

This statement and that verse make me think. Why did God save me? If He did it for me, then the me-centered answer is that He saved me because He loves me and wanted me to be His child. This is true, yet I know that the love of God isn’t about my merit. Sinners are hardly loveable and only the most narcissistic person could think that was true.

Instead, God loves me because of who He is. It is His nature to love, to want the best for, to be patient and kind toward those He created. The Bible is clear that His love is not about me. From His perspective, God is motivated to save people because He loves us. However, from my perspective that amazing sacrificial love is a wonder and it glorifies Him.

The Bible says that God does not think the same way I do. This makes me wonder if when He thinks about doing good toward us, is He doing that to glorify Himself? Does that mean saving us for His own glory is the same as selfish me doing things for my glory?

John Piper wrote a book about the delights of God. He alone is worthy of glory and He can be joyful in Himself, needing nothing or no one to make Him any happier or more satisfied than He already is. As a human being, that is a lofty concept that most people cannot grasp. We want glory but don’t deserve it; God enjoys glory because He alone is worthy of it.

Yet there is another angle to this. I think God saves people for our sakes, just as today’s verse says. He does it for you and me, for our eternal well-being, for our present standing before Him. His salvation is selfless; He spared no cost that it might happen. This isn’t a human, “look at me” effort, but done with our need and blessing in mind.

However, because of this great selflessness and sacrificial act, He is glorified. No one else is like that. No one gives up everything that others, even who are enemies, might gain everything. This makes my salvation a glory for God. Not that He was seeking it, but because He was concerned for others, not Himself.

This is difficult to apply. I know that I am to be selfless. The mystery is that if I am focused entirely on the well-being of someone else, I am seldom aware of myself. My own needs are far from my mind and any thoughts of glory for me do not exist.

During those times (which should happen more often) I might say and do things that people thank me for and I’ve no clue what they are talking about. As this verse says, at that point it is God who needs to be thanked, not me. Salvation may be for my sake, but because He alone is worthy, any glory that comes out of it must be for His sake.