The Nature of an End and Relevant Distinctions

The Definition of an End

An end is what an agent aims to achieve through their actions—something deemed desirable or good in their current state. For instance, Noah’s goal in building the ark was to preserve himself and his family, acting in obedience to God’s command (Genesis 6:22). The actions or tools employed to achieve the end are called means. Together, these constitute the full reasoning process behind the actions of free, rational agents.

The Relationship Between Ends and Means

Ends and means are interrelated. The end is the primary, motivating cause of an action, while the means are the methods employed to reach that goal. For example, the people in Genesis 11:4 desired unity and safety, so they planned and built a city and tower to achieve their end. Thus, the end determines the entire course of action, while the means are the means of achieving it.

The means have two types of causation:

1. Moral Causation: Where actions align with a moral rule, the means merit the end. For instance, Adam’s obedience could have led to eternal life, whereas sin leads to death.
2. Natural Causation: Where actions naturally cause outcomes, like Joab’s spear causing Abner’s death (2 Samuel 3:27).

The Twofold End: Work and Workman

There can be a difference between the end of the action (work) and the aim of the agent (workman). This divergence occurs when the means chosen do not align with the proper end. For instance, Adam aimed to be like God but instead brought guilt upon himself by eating the forbidden fruit. However, when means align with their proper end, as in Abel’s faithful worship, the end of the work and the workman are the same. God, unlike humans, never fails in aligning his actions with his ends.

Different Types of Ends

Ends can be categorized:

1. The Effected End: The immediate outcome of an action.
2. The Motivating End: The reason for performing the action.

For instance, a builder constructs a house (effected end) to earn rent money (motivating end). Similarly, the end achieved by Christ’s death was satisfying divine justice, but the ultimate purpose was God’s glory and, subordinately, our redemption.

Types of Means

Means can be of two kinds:

1. Inherently Good Means: These have value on their own, like studying for the sake of knowledge. However, when used as means, their value is considered in relation to the end.
2. Instrumental Means: These are not inherently good but gain value through their ability to achieve an end, such as amputating a limb to save a life or taking bitter medicine for health. Christ’s death falls into this category, as its goodness lies in achieving the redemption of sinners.

Applying These Concepts to Redemption

Having outlined these general principles, we will next apply them to the work of redemption. This involves examining the agent (God), the means (Christ’s death), and the end (our salvation). These will be considered in order to fully understand the process of redemption.

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A Modern English translation of Book 1, Chapter 2 of John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.