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The Doctrine of Examples in Understanding God's Sovereignty Goodness

God's sovereignty and goodness converge in Scripture's repeated use of examples—concrete demonstrations of divine character that instruct believers in both doctrine and practice. The biblical pattern moves from declaration to demonstration: God does not merely announce his attributes but displays them through historical acts, natural order, and the lives of his people.

Biblical Foundation for Divine Examples

Scripture presents God's righteousness as intrinsic to his character [1], described as "very high," "abundant," and "everlasting" [1]. This righteousness manifests in his testimonies, commandments, judgments, and acts [1]. The Psalms particularly emphasize that understanding precedes meditation: "Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works" [8]. God's wisdom, described as "perfect," "universal," and "beyond human comprehension" [4], becomes known through observable works rather than abstract speculation. Josephus articulates this principle when he writes that a legislator "should consider the Divine nature; and, upon the contemplation of God's operations, should thereby imitate the best of all patterns" [7].

God's goodness operates as "a perfection of his character which he exercises towards his creatures according to their various circumstances and relations" [5]. This goodness takes different forms—benevolence generally, mercy toward the miserable, patience toward the impenitent, and grace toward the unworthy [5]. The doctrine holds that "goodness and justice are the several aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection" [5].

The Pattern of Divine Joy as Example

God's emotional responses to his people function as instructive examples of his sovereign priorities. Scripture records God's joy over specific human responses: repentance, faith, fear of him, prayer, hope in his mercy, meekness, and uprightness [3]. This joy leads to concrete actions—prosperity, deliverance, comfort, and inheritance [3]. The pattern reveals sovereignty exercised not arbitrarily but according to consistent moral character. Solomon's case exemplifies this: God's delight in him produced tangible blessing [3].

Christ as the Supreme Example

The New Testament intensifies the doctrine by presenting Christ as the perfect embodiment of divine character [2]. Conformity to Christ's example becomes the standard for holiness, righteousness, purity, love, humility, meekness, obedience, self-denial, ministry to others, benevolence, forgiveness, and suffering wrongfully [2]. This Christological focus grounds the doctrine of examples in incarnational theology—God's character becomes imitable precisely because it took human form.

Paul's instruction to prove "what is well pleasing to God" [9] assumes believers can discern divine preferences through observation and testing. The church itself becomes an example through which "principalities and powers in heavenly places" learn "the manifold wisdom of God" [10]. This cosmic dimension suggests that divine examples operate on multiple levels simultaneously—instructing humans while displaying God's character to spiritual powers.

Pedagogical Function in Tradition

Matthew Henry observes that "the holy scripture, as it is a rule both of our duty to God and of our expectation from him, is of much greater use and benefit to us than day or night" [13]. He distinguishes between natural revelation, which "might have served if man had retained his integrity," and special revelation, which "must be done by the word of God" to recover fallen humanity [13]. John Gill emphasizes that Gospel doctrines "not only excel what the light of nature dictates and directs to, but even what the law of Moses commands and requires" [11]. These doctrines are "excellent in their author, nature, and use" [11], particularly those concerning God's love, grace, Christ's person and offices, and salvation [11].

The Thessalonian correspondence identifies suffering itself as "an example of the just judgment of God" [6], demonstrating that divine pedagogy operates even through adversity. Gill notes that when Gentile churches demonstrated liberality, the Jerusalem saints "glorify God; by giving thanks unto him, acknowledging him to be the author of all the grace and goodness" [12]. This creates a feedback loop: divine goodness produces human response, which in turn glorifies God and instructs observers.

The doctrine of examples thus functions as a hermeneutical bridge between God's transcendent attributes and human comprehension, making sovereignty and goodness knowable through observable patterns rather than speculative theology alone.

Sources

  1. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Righteousness of God, The — Is part of his character -- Ps 7:9; 116:5; 119:137. Described as Very high. -- Ps 71:19. Abundant. -- Ps 48:10. Beyond computation. -- Ps 71:15. Everlasting. -- Ps 119:142. Enduring for ever. -- Ps 111:3. The habitation of his throne. -- Ps 97:2. Christ acknowledged -- Joh 17:25. Christ committed his cause to -- 1Pe 2:23. Angels acknowledge -- Re 16:5. Exhibited in His testimonies. -- Ps 119:138,144. His commandments. -- De 4:8; Ps 119:172. His judgments. -- Ps 19:9; 119:7,62. His word. -- Ps 119:123. His ways. -- Ps 145:17. His acts. -- J”
  2. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Example of Christ, The — Is perfect -- Heb 7:26. Conformity to, required in Holiness. -- 1Pe 1:15,16; Ro 1:6. Righteousness. -- 1Jo 2:6. Purity. -- 1Jo 3:3. Love. -- Joh 13:34; Eph 5:2; 1Jo 3:16. Humility. -- Lu 22:27; Php 2:5,7. Meekness. -- Mt 11:29. Obedience. -- Joh 15:10. Self-denial. -- Mt 16:24; Ro 15:3. Ministering to others. -- Mt 20:28; Joh 13:14,15. Benevolence. -- Ac 20:35; 2Co 8:7,9. Forgiving injuries. -- Col 3:13. Overcoming the world. -- Joh 16:33; 1Jo 5:4. Being not of the world. -- Joh 17:16. Being guileless. -- 1Pe 2:21-22. Suffering wrongfully. --”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Joy of God Over His People, The — Greatness of, described -- Zep 3:17. On account of their Repentance. -- Lu 15:7,10. Faith. -- Heb 11:5,6. Fear of him. -- Ps 147:11. Praying to him. -- Pr 15:8. Hope in his mercy. -- Ps 147:11. Meekness. -- Ps 149:4. Uprightness. -- 1Ch 29:17; Pr 11:20. Leads to him Prosper them. -- De 30:9. Do them good. -- De 28:63; Jer 32:41. Deliver them. -- 2Sa 22:20. Comfort them. -- Isa 65:19. Give them the inheritance. -- Nu 14:8. Illustrated -- Isa 62:5; Lu 15:23,24. Exemplified Solomon. -- 1Ki 10:9.”
  4. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Wisdom of God, The — Is one of his attributes -- 1Sa 2:3; Job 9:4. Described as Perfect. -- Job 36:4; 37:16. Mighty. -- Job 36:5. Universal. -- Job 28:24; Da 2:22; Ac 15:18. Infinite. -- Ps 147:5; Ro 11:33. Unsearchable. -- Isa 40:28; Ro 11:33. Wonderful. -- Ps 139:6. Beyond human comprehension. -- Ps 139:6. Incomparable. -- Isa 44:7; Jer 10:7. Underived. -- Job 21:22; Isa 40:14. The gospel contains treasures of -- 1Co 2:7. Wisdom of saints is derived from -- Ezr 7:25. All human wisdom derived from -- Da 2:1. Saints ascribe to him -- Da 2:20. Exhibited in His works. ”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Goodness of God — A perfection of his character which he exercises towards his creatures according to their various circumstances and relations (Ps. 145:8, 9; 103:8; 1 John 4:8). Viewed generally, it is benevolence; as exercised with respect to the miseries of his creatures it is mercy, pity, compassion, and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering patience; as exercised in communicating favour on the unworthy it is grace. "Goodness and justice are the several aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection. God is not sometimes ”
  6. II Thessalonians “II Thessalonians 1:5 (DRC) — For an example of the just judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which also you suffer.”
  7. Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 11, section 4: life well, and give laws to others, in the first place should consider the Divine nature; and, upon the contemplation of God's operations, should thereby imitate the best of all patterns, so far as it is possible for human nature to do, and to endeavor to follow after it: neither could the legislator himself have a right mind without such a contemplation; nor would any thing he should write tend to the promotion of virtue in his readers; I mean, unless they be taught first of all, that God is the Father and Lord of all things, a”
  8. Psalms “Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works. -- Psalms 119:27”
  9. Ephesians “Ephesians 5:10 (DRC) — Proving what is well pleasing to God.”
  10. Ephesians “Ephesians 3:10 (Geneva1599) — To the intent, that nowe vnto principalities and powers in heauenly places, might be knowen by the Church the manifolde wisedome of God,”
  11. Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 8:6: Hear; for I will speak of excellent things,.... Such are the things of the Gospel; they not only excel what the light of nature dictates and directs to, but even what the law of Moses commands and requires; the doctrines of the Gospel are excellent in their author, nature, and use; particularly those which respect the love, grace, and mercy of God, the person and offices of Christ, the efficacy of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, and the great salvation which he has wrought out. These are the doctrines of grace which proceed out of Wisdom's mouth, and are suc”
  12. 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 9:13: Whiles by the experiment of this ministration,.... That is, the poor saints at Jerusalem having a specimen, a proof, an experience of the liberality of the Gentile churches ministered to them by the apostles, first, they glorify God; by giving thanks unto him, acknowledging him to be the author of all the grace and goodness which they, and others, were partakers of; particularly for your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is the doctrine of grace, life, and salvation by Christ, of which he is the author, as God, the subject m”
  13. Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 19:7: God's glory, (that is, his goodness to man) appears much in the works of creation, but much more in and by divine revelation. The holy scripture, as it is a rule both of our duty to God and of our expectation from him, is of much greater use and benefit to us than day or night, than the air we breathe in, or the light of the sun. The discoveries made of God by his works might have served if man had retained his integrity; but, to recover him out of his fallen state, another course must be taken; that must be done by the word of God. And here, 1. The psalmist gives”
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