“How good is God,” wrote Jonathan Edwards, “that he has created man for this very end, to make him happy in the enjoyment of himself, the Almighty, who was happy from the days of eternity in himself … that he might make them blessed in the beholding of his excellency, and might this way glorify himself.”

A more profound sentence can hardly be found outside of the Bible. We were created to enjoy God now and for all eternity. The only profound discovery that tops this is that, from eternity past to eternity future, God delights in himself.

Wading into these deep waters is Jonathan Edwards scholar Kyle Strobel. In his new book Jonathan Edwards’s Theology: A Reinterpretation (T&T Clark, 2013) he writes, “[Jonathan] Edwards depicts God’s life as the mutual beholding of infinite beauty. God created humanity that another being might partake in God’s goodness and delight” (151).

This beatific vision — of the Father beholding and delighting in the Son for all eternity — is both profound eternal reality of God’s triune nature, and it’s also an open door for God's children. One day we will feast our souls on the visible presence of Christ (1 John 3:2). The beatific beauty of God changes everything about theology, how we live our lives now as Christians, and what we anticipate forever in eternity.

And it’s the subject of the new Authors on the Line podcast with Kyle Strobel. To listen to our conversation you can subscribe to the Authors on the Line podcast in iTunes here. Download the audio here (MP3). You can read a full transcript of our conversation here (PDF). And you can listen to our conversation on the DG resource page by clicking on the following link:

Enjoying God’s Beatific Beauty: An Interview with Kyle Strobel (37 minutes)