I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven
for his name’s sake.
1 John 2:12
It’s simple, is it not? John says he is writing because their sins are forgiven. What more needs to be said? This alone is reason enough to write volumes upon volumes. Our sins have been forgiven for the sake of God’s name.
We live in a world full of people who are quite caught up in their own good. I know this because I am a person, and I am obsessed with my own good. We are not people who are prone to even considering that something could be good unless it is good for us. Unfortunately, this is not consistent with reality. In this one little sentence John is confronting the problem of grace with the reality of God’s only motivation—His love for His name.
Everything is done for the sake of God’s name. We could rephrase this by saying that everything is done for the sake of God’s reputation. Not that God is concerned with building up a false view of His greatness. The truth is that God is eternally concerned with communicating an accurate view of His glory. If we know this—that God does all things for the sake of His glory being known, and not ultimately for the sake of anything else—we can see with greater joy the truth of the gospel. God is going to exalt His name. Period. The great miracle is how He chose to do this in His children.
The miracle is that John did not say, “I am writing to you, little children, because you have been damned for His name’s sake.” Or, “because there is no hope.” The miracle is that John said, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake!” When we understand that God’s name will be exalted no matter what and that our forgiveness is not necessitated by justice, we will be more joyful in the gospel. When God glorifies His name, He is simply doing what He is always doing. The children of God are the joyful recipients of the greatest news anyone has ever heard: that God has chosen to do what He absolutely must do by giving us what is immeasurably good for us.
Let us be thankful that, of all the ways that God could have chosen to lift up His name, He chose the most costly for Himself and most joyful for those who would believe.
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One Comment on "My Gain Is for God’s Glory"
Anen, brother. I am thankful indeed!