I have never liked the idea of sublimating God’s compassion for his glory like that. To me the idea is another version of lapsarian ordering, as if the last in action is the first in thought. For it seems to me to really undercut God’s genuine compassion and love for sinners. In his compassion, he glorifies himself, for sure. But the idea that he is compassionate for this reductionist higher goal is something that seems to go beyond the spirit of Scripture by attributing a hierarchy of causes and motivations (which we can trace out in a simple causal line), leading to a sort of symmetry between God’s glory in election and damnation.

My thoughts…

Thanks and take care,
David