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God's Greater Glory: The Exalted God Of Scripture And The Christian Faith

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In God's Greater Glory, Ware critically assesses God's relationship with his created world. Particularly attention is given to God's interaction with free creatures that He created with volitional capability. Ware presents a coherent analysis of divine providence and sovereignty in relation to human freedom. Ware sees God's sovereignty as both exhaustive and meticulous over all things.

Prof. Ware defines divine providence as "God's providential dealings with human creation" (17). The author sees this particular concept," divine providence" as both 'providence and preservation' and 'providence and governance'(Ibid). Ware's long and classic definition of divine providence, is therefore articulated as " God continually oversees and directs all things pertaining to the created order in such a way that 1) he preserves in existence and provides for the creation he has brought into being, and (2) he governs and reigns supremely over the entirety of the whole creation in order to fulfill of his intended purposes in it and through it" (Ibid).

Ware's definition assumes two crucial elements. First, God's continual maintenance of his created order. Second, God's absolute control over all things in the universe. In other words, He perceives God as Creator and Preserver of all of his creation. Hence, God is a relational deity; whereby he pursues relationship with his creatures and He is consistently doing so.

The book is divided into two equal parts including an appendix. Ware gives ten lengthy chapters to defend his thesis. Part I deals with historical, hermeneutical and theological issues pertaining to God's interaction with the world. Part II focuses largely on practical issues, consistent with the Christian life (in view of God's providence and sovereignty). The book stands bodly in defense of the traditional view of divine providence. Throughout the book, the author interacts with the writings of theologians from different angles such as Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, Gregory A. Boyd, John Sanders, William Lane Craig, and John Calvin. In other words theological positions as defined as Arminianism, Open Theism, Process theology, Molinism and Calvinism.

Ware has dealt with the subject of "divine sovereignty and human freedom" with faithfulness and integrity. God's greater Glory opens a new window for Christians to behold the beauty of God, to see him more fully and adore him more dearly.

The first thing I want to say is WOW! This is an amazing book. Dr. Bruce Ware is a fine author and great Bible teacher. To be quite honest, I struggled reading this book at first. It is a very difficult subject and one usually reserved for discussions between scholars and theologians. This book is not intended for the layperson. Although this book will be very difficult for the average church goer, I want to encourage you to make an effort. It will be tough at first, but once you grasp the subject matter...boom! This book is a true joy giver. Dr. Bruce shows from Scripture that God is in complete control of all spectrums of life. In explaining how God can be sovereign over evil and still not be responsible for it, Dr. Ware makes a good and very convincing case, both philosphically and Biblically, for what he calls "compatabilist middle-knowledge." It definately has me convinced. This book definately lives up to its title. The Christian God of Scripture is awesome!

"Open theism" is a theological issue that has challenged the idea that God knows the future. In a former book to which this is a sequel, God's Lesser Glory, the author, professor of systematic theology and senior associate dean at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, argued that a denial of God's foreknowledge belittles him. This volume continues the discussion. The first of its two parts consists of four chapters and is entitled "Foundational Theological Bases for Divine Providence." The second, consisting of three chapters, has as its title "Practical Christian Relevance of Divine Providence." An introduction, conclusion, and appendix on "Defining Evangelicalism's Boundaries Theologically: Is Open Theism Evangelical?" round out the book's content. If you have people in your church who like to think deeply about questions like God's sovereignty and human free will, this book might be for your library. But the author places his "cookies" on the very top shelf so that even the tallest reader will have to stretch to reach them. This would, then, be an excellent book for a graduate or seminary course, but it will be far too difficult for the average church member.

God's people throughout the centuries have struggled to understand the relationship between God's sovereignty and our human responsibility. Recently, some theologians have developed a theological framework most commonly referred to as "Open Theism," in order explain the apparent paradox that exists between the twin realities of God's divine rule and our human freedom. This framework was previously critiqued in an earlier book by Bruce Ware entitled, God's Lesser Glory, in which the title of the book foreshadowed Ware's conclusion of Open Theism: it is a theological framework where "God's glory is cheapened and diminished" (9). The view presented in the present volume ('God's Greater Glory'), is, according to Ware, a vision of God in which his glory is "honored and exalted" (9).

Whereas 'God's Lesser Glory' was written as a critique of Open Theism, 'God's Greater Glory' is written as a positive affirmation of God's sovereignty as revealed in Scripture. That is not to say that Ware refrains from critically assessing the tenants of Open Theism in this present volume - in certain places this is necessary - but instead of narrowing in on the negative elements of Open Theism primarily, Ware's main thrust of God's Greater Glory is to present a glorious, satisfying, historically faithful and Biblically consistent vision of the sovereign God of the Bible.

In my judgment, what brings spiritual power and persuasiveness to this book is Ware's passion for the vision of God he presents in God's Greater Glory. One of the most edifying portions of the book (that is a difficult distinction to make, to be sure!) is the preface where he explains why he has written this book. He is not driven by the desire to win an argument or feed personal ego - the stakes are infinitely higher than that. Ware writes, "If we are to escape the cult of self and find, instead, the true meaning of life and the path of true satisfaction, if we are to give God the glory rightly and exclusively owed to him...we must behold God for who he is" (9).

Ware is far from a cool, dispassionate, detached academician. His rigorous interaction with the subject matter is coupled throughout with heart-felt adoration of the sovereign God of Scripture. The reader is given a taste of the practical implications that Ware's vision will have on personal worship on page 158: "...worship happens only when we are granted eyes to behold God's magnificence, and splendor, and glory and majesty. This is a seeing with deep and abiding longing, a seeing that savors, eliciting a savoring that satisfies." Ware is passionately and personally engaged with the issue of God's sovereignty and thus his work is both accessible and beneficial for all of God's people, scholar and layperson alike.

Another notable strength is Ware's treatment of practical issues directly impacted by a study of God's sovereignty: suffering, prayer and service. Ware's discussion of suffering is especially clear, balanced, biblically saturated, and deeply encouraging. Yet, although Ware approaches and seeks to understand the issue of suffering in light Scripture, he does not attempt to speak where God has not spoken.

Perhaps one of the most important sentences in the book is Ware's observation that our lives are often marked by befuddlement. He writes, "How much of life, our life, is like this: we simply don't know. In our experiences of suffering and affliction, we are often in the position of Job was in, where we don't even know that we don't know, and we certainly don't know what the bigger picture is that would explain and make sense of our confusion and bewilderment" (163).

At the same time, however, and as we see in the life of Job, it is through the crucible of suffering that our beliefs about God's Providence are brought to the surface of our lives. A sincere and engaged reading and embracing of what Ware writes in this section will enable us, I believe, to respond to trials with the posture of Job, saying, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed by the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

Needless to say, I have profited tremendously from Ware's heart-felt and theologically rigorous treatment of the age-old questions relating to God's providence over all creation. I commend this book to you for your growth and edification, and I pray that God would enable us to live in light of these glorious truths.

Bruce Ware's contribution to God's sovereignty and his stand against Molinist middle-knowledge as empowering man to be the sole decider of his fate, has its precedent in certain Reformed personages: 'Both Terrance Tiessen and John Frame have, in recent years, urged this concept, even if not with the same terminology. I agree fully with these men and others who argue that Molinist middle knowledge, predicated on libertarian human freedom, is not possible.' p 27 Ware prefers to demonstrate the flaw of the theory of 'compatabilist middle knowledge' with special emphasis on the contingent choices that man is freely given, as opposed to historical convictions that our wills are subordinated yet interrelated to God's decree as the first cause. 'The theory of middle knowledge tries to harmonize the Pelagian notion of an indifferent free will with God's omniscience and thus is incompatible with a decree of God.' Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics 2:179. God's hidden and revealed will are not incompatible; His decree is His ultimate will, and His revealed will indicates what He wills that we do. This emphasis on God's ordination asks that believers live 'behind God', as there are 'reasons for suffering, though they are often hidden from our view'. p 31

Ware notes the importance of understanding God as both transcendent and immanent, and as fully self-sufficient while he seeks to ground Scripture as the basis for belief in divine providence. Especially God's relationship with the created order and governance of man is examined.

The Westminster Confession of Faith 3.2 states God is still sovereign:

'Although God knows what may or can come to pass, upon all supposed (contingent) conditions, yet He hath not decreed anything because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.'

The ideal lies within reach of Ware's finely-tuned ontological acknowledgement of God as sovereign, as he effectively lays bare the deficiencies of the Open Theism brigade.

This is one of the questions answered for me while reading this book. Tremendous help in getting to know God. God's Greater Glory is one from my top ten list. Ware has a way of helping you have a high view of God. I would highly recommend this book to Believers wanting to know their God more.

This book is an excellent resource. Although the subject matter is highly extensive and detailed, the author uses examples to help the reader to understand his point. He provides many thought-provoking ideas. When you are finished reading this book, you will have a far greater understanding of God.

Ware's volume was extremely helpful in addressing the "Open Theism" matter within Christianity a few years back. Still, I consistently reach for Ware as a theological resource. Companion to "God's Lesser Glory". "Lesser" is a more issue-specific book, whereas "Greater" is a more timeless book on Theology Proper and its practical applications.

Ware quibbles with Pinnock, Boyd, Sanderson, and Hasker throughout. Ware's world is the classical view of God, with exception of his introduction of "relational mutability" of God. Essentially he says that God has exhaustive foreknowledge with a new twist. Even though God acted, created, and planned instantly one time trillions of years ago (the Super Big Bang), that when time rolls around to events in our lives, God steps into it takes special notice and gets in the fray emotionally. This makes no sense. It would appear that a God that has exhaustive foreknowledge could have no future. He couldn't plan. There are no such concepts as "plan", "look ahead", "tomorrow", or "the future" or a "now" to such a God. It seems to be his effort to try to soften the stoic, impassible God of Calvin and Augustine. Ware offers us the same classical portrayal of God as microscopically controlling the world and through direct or indirect cause bringing about every act in the human drama. This would include all rape, murder, wars, holocaust, or whatever. He concludes the last few pages by going back to the example Sanders used of the death of Sanders brother. Ware tells us the only way to view events like this is that God "took him." The answer to his death is, as Ware writes, "Yes, the God of all wisdom, goodness, and power has ordained to take these lives." It was all brought about by God personally for reasons we cannot know. This is tantamount to saying God loaded the boxcars personally of those going into Hitler's ovens, or placing select individuals in the WTC when the buildings collapsed. Or, that he takes every sparrow by divine decree. He advises us as we have been advised for centuries by "classical" theologians that all evil, even gratuitous evil, is designed and brought about by God. This thinking is in the same vein of R.C. Sproul, who points out, "not even one molecule" of the universe is moved without God specifically controlling it. All human thought, since it must precede human acts and our behavior, is controlled, motivated, and directed by God, for His "greater" purposes.

His explanations of verses used by open theists, starting with Abraham's example, are through the eye of the beholder. He introduces "relational mutability" which he brings into the Abraham story in Genesis 22. Ware says "he (God) does interact with his people in the experiences of their lives as they unfold in time." God seems to get into the movie he made trillions of years ago since it is now being shown in theaters. "God literally sees and experiences in this moment what he has known from all eternity." He argues against himself somewhat in this area as he feels open theists do in their choices of emphasis of scripture. He points out that these verses as a whole should be taken as anthropomorphic statements, but he stops and chooses God's statement of "for now I know that you fear God", as teaching us "in the experience of this action, I (God) am witnessing Abraham demonstrate dramatically and afresh that he fears me, and I find this both pleasing and acceptable in my sight." He takes what he says is anthropomorphic language describing what goes on and pulls a whole new thought allegedly of God from the exchange of God and Abraham. All of the many other verses he covers to debunk open theology could just as easily be emphasized as open theists do. I didn't come away from any of his explanations saying--"Now I know."

He ends by stating that what gets everyone's ire up (open theists) is that they can't give up the idea there is no "free will" in the universe. He views them and their model as "diminishing" God and how human vanity or pride is swelled. God can't be diminished. One's view or take or image which has been created within their belief system of thought, can be diminished.

It always amazes me that individuals (Ware is one of them) that feel that libertarian free will believers bring God "down" by believing in a world where human beings can choose, make choices, contrary to the will of God. He says in his opinion that is the main problem of "open" theists.

Free will or freedom to choose is the greatest responsibility any human being has on earth. We must make choices. I believe that it doesn't reduce God, bring him down to our level, or elevate us up to his level by his granting us free will or free choice before him. It does just the exact opposite. It makes God a far more powerful God, unthreatened by us - one willing to, for His higher purpose, allow His creation to spurn him, reject him, curse him, and vilify him. God lets his creatures say no to him. Hell is, as C.S. Lewis stated, "locked from the inside." That is a free choice, unconstrained by God, or anyone else. Phillip Yancey made a great comment in his most recent book--Prayer. He wrote that--"History is the story of God giving away power." George Eldon Ladd wrote in his Theology of the New Testament that "evil is the price God paid for human freedom."

I still embrace after reading it concepts of the "open" model, particularly human beings having free will to choose what we do in life and all its decisions, and that God is not microscopically ruling our world. God does have a future. He can plan. He has things which he can look forward to. He is not brain dead. He interacts with us in our time zone. Prayers do move him.