His Ways Are Higher Than Ours
God's ways are higher than ours, and his thoughts of sovereignty, justice, and grace are far above human invention.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the profound mystery of God's eternal love and the incredible act of the Almighty assuming human nature to redeem mankind. He reflects on the atonement as a divine revelation, highlighting that such thoughts could never originate from man but are a manifestation of God's grace and sovereignty. Spurgeon marvels at how God chooses the lowly and the insignificant to fulfill His purposes, demonstrating that His ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours. Even when God reveals His plans to us, their grandeur and elevation leave us in awe of His wisdom and justice.
Text
Could man have dreamed that he was the object of eternal love, and that God would assume his nature? Could we have imagined that the Almighty would give his only-begotten Son to die for guilty man? The atonement was a thought which never would have crossed man's mind if it had not first of all been revealed to him by the great Father. The divine way of lifting up the poor from the dust and the needy from the dunghill, by his rich, free, omnipotent grace, is not of man nor by man.
The Lord's thought of choosing the base things of this world, and things that are not to bring to nought the things that are, his thoughts of sovereignty and thoughts of grace, all consistent with his thoughts of justice, are far above human invention, and out of man's range of thought. Even when the Lord explains his thoughts and ways to us, and brings them down to our comprehension as far as they can be, yet we cannot fail to wonder at their elevation and grandeur...
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "God's Thought And Ways far Above Ours," delivered December 2, 1877.
Sermon Outline
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God's Ways Are Higher Than Ours
- The Atonement Was Unimaginable
- Man Could Not Have Conceived Such a Thought
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The Divine Way of Lifting Up the Poor
- Through Rich, Free, Omnipotent Grace
- Not of Man Nor by Man
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The Lord's Thoughts of Sovereignty and Grace
- Consistent with Thoughts of Justice
- Far Above Human Invention
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The Elevation and Grandeur of God's Thoughts
- Even When Explained to Us
- Still Beyond Human Comprehension
Key Quotes
“The divine way of lifting up the poor from the dust and the needy from the dunghill, by his rich, free, omnipotent grace, is not of man nor by man.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“The Lord's thought of choosing the base things of this world, and things that are not to bring to nought the things that are, his thoughts of sovereignty and thoughts of grace, all consistent with his thoughts of justice, are far above human invention, and out of man's range of thought.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We should recognize the limitations of our understanding and acknowledge that God's ways are beyond our full comprehension.
- We should trust in God's rich, free, omnipotent grace to lift us up from our lowly state.
- We should submit to God's sovereignty and justice, knowing that they are consistent with each other.