This week will mark the conclusion of our journey through the doctrines of God and how they relate to our unprecedented times. We’ve wandered through all kinds of truths about God over the last nine weeks. We discussed God’s unchanging nature, His independence, goodness, providence, immensity, mercy, holiness, and wisdom. I told you last week that we might close this series out on the Trinity, but I’ve decided to conclude it with the key to this series and the Christian life—God’s word and works.

God’s Words and Works

Way back at the beginning of this whole ordeal (March), I gave you three ways to think about God’s word from a guy who’s long passed away. The Puritan, George Swinnock (1626–1673), highlighted that God’s words are His works because of their (1) manner, (2) matter, and (3) effectiveness. The manner of God’s word is Scripture. The matter of God’s word is purity and certainty, because it points to a Triune God. The effect of God’s words is His workings in the created order, which we’ve examined in each of the various doctrines over the last several months. 

In the beginning of this series, we looked at Swinnock’s systematic approach to God’s words in order to better understand how to frame thinking about God and what makes Him trustworthy.  God’s words are His works. The works that are for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).

Why Does All This Matter?

Why does who God is and what God does really matter? And why is it important to see and understand God through His words?

The real reason that the doctrines of God matter is because the Bible has, in part, a large overarching theme: God is in relationship with people. All of Scripture is about a gracious, loving, simple, immutable, immense, independent, providential, wise, good, merciful, and holy God that is in relationship with people. That’s a powerful and bottomless truth. Each of these doctrines we’ve examined speaks deeply to how God relates to all types of people, in all sorts of situations, for all varieties of purposes. Whatever you have faced over the last three months, who God is and what God does (the doctrines of God) have immeasurable effects upon your life. I hope He’s changed you through knowing more about His persons and work.

Most of all, God’s words, and thus His doctrines, bring us face-to-face with the pinnacle of His relationship with people—the gospel. God’s words bring us face-to-face with Christ’s life of sacrifice for the redemption of a broken people. The gospel is the crown jewel of Scripture, the motivating factor for the church, and the focal point of God’s words and work. I love the gospel. I love that God has seen fit to form a relationship with me through its application to my heart and soul. It’s a powerful and endless truth that will last forever. It is the only hope for humankind. It is the only remedy to our disfunction.

If you tote nothing else away from this series, tote this encouragement: Your life does not have to depend upon the circumstances. It can depend upon the depth of your relationship with God. Your life depends upon which path/approach you take—the path of happiness, joy, and satisfaction found in relationship with God or the path of emptiness found outside of relationship with God. The choice is real, it depends solely upon Christ, and eternity hangs in the balance.

We’ve been pulling all these various doctrines through the lens of a Psalm each week to help us apply them. This week we will do the same as I’ll close this entire series on Sunday with a look at Psalm 1. This Psalm is the key to unlocking the entire book of Psalms. Furthermore, I’d be tempted to argue it is the key to unlocking God’s relationship with each of us. There are beautiful truths that we’ll examine in Psalm 1 and it will help us tie a bow on the last three months. I hope you will join in for one final ride on this series.  

Stand firm my friends and be the people of God.

God Bless,

Pastor Britt