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Series:   Elements in the Problems of God

Divine Motivation and Humanity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2025

Jordan Wessling  and
Ross Parker
Jordan Wessling
Affiliation:
Lindsey Wilson College
Ross Parker
Affiliation:
Charleston Southern University

Summary

Theists maintain that God created the world and acts within it. However, opinions divide regarding the motives that rest behind and systematically structure God's actions ad extra, especially those actions pertaining to humanity. The major paradigms differ as to whether God is principally motivated (i) by the goal of glorifying Himself, or (ii) by the demands of His own holiness, or (iii) in perfect conformity to moral norms, or (iv) by perfect love. The challenge of providing a theoretical framework for understanding God's fundamental motives vis-à-vis creation constitutes the problem of divine motivation. This Element addresses this problem from a Christian perspective. It assesses leading divine motivational frameworks concerning God's engagement with humanity, and it defends one framework in particular: the Agapist Framework. According to this preferred framework, God's actions toward humans are fundamentally motivated by God's perfect love.
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Keywords

divine motivationdivine holinessdivine lovedivine glorydivine deliberationwhy did God create?
Type
Element
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Series: Elements in the Problems of God
Online ISBN: 9781009287074
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 19 June 2025

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