The Watchmaker

On Wednesday nights, we have been going chapter by chapter together through Arthur W. Pink's The Attributes of God. I thought that I would pen (or in this case, type) some thoughts together and share them with those of you who cannot attend.

When discussing God's solitariness, we must first understand that when our Triune God is alone, He has perfect relationship in Himself. Thus, He did not create the universe out of loneliness or an unfulfilled desire for praise. This would render our God imperfect considering that He is in need of something that He cannot provide for Himself. God is not in need of such things from His creatures because God has perfect praise and relationship within His three Persons. God created for His good pleasure, to display His magnificent glory. If perfection in relationship is found in God who is separate from His creation, what tremendous mercy is shown to sinners for whom Christ died to have reconciliation to God through Christ Jesus (Romans 5:10-11)! When we get away from the world and are "alone with God," we are indeed entering perfection. This perfection is alien to us (I Corinthians 1:30); in other words, entering into God's perfect relationship is not a substance or a work found in us, but given to us by Christ Jesus and His work.

How do we come to knowledge of this solitary, perfect, and Triune God? Pink describes the unhelpfulness of the illustration of the watchmaker. Consider a barbarian man in the amazon. He has never ventured further than two miles from his tribal village. He has never seen a photograph or an airplane. He has never known technology beyond that of a stick with a sharpened stone tied to its tip. Imagine this barbarian man walking along the beach and discovering a watch. He examines the watch and notices its fine details and inscriptions. He opens the watch and finds its intricate gear works. The complexity and fine detail would not bring even such a man as this to assume that the sands made this thing. He would not be so foolish as to believe erosion or time managed to form such fine and complex work (Psalm 14:1). This is what we observe with our universe. The complex design of this vast universe as well as the finer details of the human body such as the eye ball leaves humanity with no other understanding than that of intelligent design. The unhelpfulness Pink discusses in reference to this watchmaker is that studying the watch cannot tell us what the watchmaker is like. What are his characteristics? What brings him pleasure?

Studying the universe or sitting in a dark room thinking will not lead us to knowledge of our solitary, perfect, and Triune God. God is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3). Therefore, if we are to know God, He must reveal Himself to us, His creatures. God's glory must be revealed to us, and Christ Jesus reveals God's glory to whom He chooses (Matthew 11:27). The glory of God is observed in the face of Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 4:6). The Holy Spirit raises our dead hearts to a new life renewing our minds to witness the glory of God. Let us increase in the knowledge of God by reading, studying, and obeying the Word of God. The Scriptures tell us who God is, what He is like, and what pleases Him. The Scriptures tell us of our solitary, perfect, and Triune God.