Sinclair Ferguson

I won't embarrass you by doing that, but that's how we think about people.

I sometimes say I like people with horns, and I don't mean bullish people, but people

that you feel you can tell who they really are because they have these certain characteristics.

They're not bland.

And so with some people you feel, I don't really know who he is or who she is.

And so what the Westminster divines were actually saying to us there is, here are the things about God that you can know and rely on.

These are ways into thinking, well, what is he really like?

And the wonderful thing, I think, is he is all of these attributes.

He's all of them simultaneously.

And at the end of the day, these are not like seven or eight different sticky notes on God.

These are, as it were,

seeing that God is so great, we've got to use all of these descriptions, which we use seriatim, that is to say one by one, but they're all different ways of looking at the same person of God and means by which we can get to know him so that we know he is holy, we know he is infinitely great, we know he's also kind and generous, and he's all of these things all of the time.

I do like the question.

I mean, I like all the questions, but I think one question and answer that is really helpful for people is the question on justification.

I mean, I remember somebody telling me, if you want to define justification, it's just as if I'd never sinned, justified, right?

And I remember thinking, that's quite clever.

And then thinking, but it's not clever enough.

But many Christians think that's what justification is, means your sins are forgiven.

And it does mean that.

But if that were all justification meant, then in a way you're back with Adam in the Garden of Eden.