For it is not we who call God by these names. We do not invent them. On the contrary, if it depended on us, we would be silent about him, try to forget him, and disown all his names. We take no delight in the knowledge of his ways. We tend continually to oppose his names: his independence, sovereignty, righteousness, and love, and resist him in all his perfections. But it is God himself who reveals all his perfections and puts his names on our lips. It is he who gives himself these names and who, despite our opposition, maintains them. It is of little use to us to deny his righteousness: every day he demonstrates this quality in history. And so it is with all his attributes. He brings them out despite us. The final goal of all his ways is that his name will shine out in all his works and be written on everyone’s forehead (Rev. 22:4). For that reason we have no choice but to name him with the many names his revelation furnishes us. .Herman Bavinck
About This Quote
When I read this beautiful quote, I feel it is not only the name of God given to us, but also the names given to us by God. Our names are not our own, for they are all given by God who makes them known through his action in history. All names given to someone by God are important, for all of them reveal God's attributes. The great thing about our names is that they cannot be changed or erased, for there is no way to erase the truth that God has revealed through them.
Some Similar Quotes
- I sought to hear the voice of God and climbed the topmost steeple, but God declared: "Go down again - I dwell among the people.
- The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go God's love for us does not.
- Down on the lake rosy reflections of celestial vapor appeared, and I said, "God, I love you" and looked to the sky and really meant it. "I have fallen in love with you, God. Take care of us all, one way or the other." To...
- Let me tell you about love, that silly word you believe is about whether you like somebody or whether somebody likes you or whether you can put up with somebody in order to get something or someplace you want or you believe it has to...
- Love God and He will enable you to love others even when they disappoint you.
More Quotes By Herman Bavinck
- For it is not we who call God by these names. We do not invent them. On the contrary, if it depended on us, we would be silent about him, try to forget him, and disown all his names. We take no delight in the...
- Manifest in this trade (commercial sale of indulgences via bankers) at the same time was a pernicious tendency in the Roman Catholic system, for the trade in indulgences was not an excess or an abuse but the direct consequence of the nomistic degradation of the...