God is an end in Himself

After being convicted recently about my lack of consumption with God’s glory (namely, His personhood), my husband wisely pointed me to one of his theology books, Christian Theology by Millard Erickson. Skipping straight to the section on “What God is Like,” I have since been soaking in the seeming simplicity and vast complexities of our great God. However, one section in particular really seemed to strike the point of my conviction and that was the following:

“Further, our relationship with God is not merely a one-way street … He is a living, reciprocating being. He is not merely one of whom we hear, but one whom we meet and know. God is to be treated as a being, not an object or force. He is not something to be used or manipulated. While our thinking and practice may at times betray such a view, it is not consistent with the biblical picture. The idea that God is simply something to be used or something that solves our problems and meets our needs is not religion … God is an end in himself, not a means to an end. He is of value to us for what he is in himself, not merely for what he does … it is because of what he is that he is to be loved and served, not only supremely but exclusively. God as a person is to loved for what he is, not for what he can do for us.” (p. 270-271)

That is the rub for me. After reading this passage, I was confronted with the question, “Do I worship God because of all that He is or because of what I think He can do for me?” I want to be able to say that I am a follower of the true and living God for Who He has revealed Himself to be through His written Word, but when I truly examine my “thinking and practice” at times it would suggest otherwise.

May God continue to humble me and reveal areas of sinful idolatry that I may return to a sincere heart of worship before Him … that He may be my supreme end!

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