West London Alliance Church




Originally posted April 25, 2009:


Owen repeats a definition of the what the end of Christ's death is: The end of the death of Christ we asserted, in the beginning of our discourse, to be our approximation or drawing nigh unto God; that being a general expression for the whole reduction and recovery of sinners from the state of alienation, misery, and wrath, into grace, peace, and eternal communion with him. (201)

The ultimate end of the death of Christ is indicated by Owen: The first is the glory of God, or the manifestation of his glorious attributes, especially of his justice, and mercy tempered with justice, unto us. The Lord doth necessarily aim at himself in the first place, as the chiefest good, yea, indeed, that alone which is good; that is, absolutely and simply so, and not by virtue of communication from another: and therefore in all his works, especially in this which we have in hand, the chiefest of all, he first intends the manifestation of his own glory; which also he fully accomplisheth in the close, to every point and degree by him intended.(201)

The chief end of the death of Christ was the glory of God because "the Lord doth necessarily aim at himself in the first place". I can hear an 'amen' from Piper on that phrase.

Owen gives a secondary end of the death of Christ a littler further on: There is an end of the death of Christ which is intermediate and subservient to that other, which is the last and most supreme, even the effects which it hath in respect of us, and that is it of which we now treat; which, as we before affirmed, is the bringing of us unto God. (202)

And we can see the benefit for us rendered when Christ glorified his Father. What blessings would we see in the lives of the people around us if we would seek God's glory first?




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