Rightly has it been said that, “The ultimate reason and motive of all God’s actions are within Himself. Since God is infinite, eternal and unchanging, that which was His first motive in creating the universe must ever continue to be the ultimate motive or Chief end in every act concerned in its preservation and government. But God’s first motive must have been just the exercise of His own essential perfections, and in their exercise the manifestation of their excellence. This was the only end which could have been chosen by the Divine mind in the beginning, before the existence of any other object”. The Scriptures are very explicit on this point, “The Lord hath made all things, for himself” (Proverbs 16:4). “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things” (Romans 11:36). “Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
The ultimate motive, therefore, which moved God to ordain Christ as Satisfaction for the failed responsibilities of His people must have been the Divine glory, and not the effects intended to be produced in the creature. But glory is manifested excellence, and moral excellence is manifested only by being exercised. The infinite justice and love of God both find their highest conceivable exercise in the sacrifice of His own Son as the Substitute of guilty men. God did ordain to have other sons beside Christ (Romans 8:29), but it was in order that they might behold His glory (John 17:24), and that He might “be glorified in them” (John 17:10). To ordain Christ to come into this world as Man, only upon the occasion of man’s sin and for the work of redemption, would be to subject Christ unto us, and to make our good the “end” of God’s action. Such a conception is not only extremely absurd, but terribly impious. Adam was not made for Eve, but Eve for Adam; and as the woman is “the glory of the man” (1 Corinthians 11:7) so the saints are called “the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 8:23); and as the saints are Christ’s, so is Christ, the Mediator, “God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:23).