The Fear of the LORD

                I thank the Lord for bringing me to this study on the attributes of God. He has opened my eyes to see God more as He is and not as I thought Him to be. After studying the Holiness of God and the Justice of God, I considered what should be the next attribute of God I to study.

                I took my oldest son out for a special boy’s night out (just the two of us) and we went to a local J.V. baseball game.  We were running late and only made the last inning. The sad thing is I can’t take my son to a sporting event because there are usually some “fans” who are vulgar, wicked, evil, wretched…lost and undone. In the time it took to play one inning I heard language that angered me…language my son should never hear. Some may argue that I am being overly protective and eventually he will grow up and live in this world and hear that language often. I say to those who feel that way, “No!” I am not being overly protective. I am doing what God has called me to do as his father.

                Why do men (and women for that matter) curse? Why do men take the Lord’s name in vain? I can tell you why. It is because they do not fear God. I thought about what it means to fear God. For years I have believed that to fear God simply meant to have a reverence, respect, and honor for God…to hold Him in awe. I remember teaching a Sunday school class on the fear of the Lord and saying something along the lines that the word “fear” does not mean being afraid or terrified, it simply means holding God in reverence.

                Recently, I got out my concordance and looked up the word “fear.” I quickly came to find out I was half right in my teaching. Yes, to fear God means to hold Him in high regard, reverence Him, honor Him. Something I did not know is that when I said “fear” didn’t mean being afraid or terrified, I was absolutely wrong.

1 Chronicles 16:29-30

29   Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring and offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

30   Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

                As I said, I took my Strong’s concordance and looked up the word “Fear” used in verse 30. This is what it had to say…

Fear    (2342) translated from Hebrew word Chuwl (pronounced: Khool). It means to twist or whirl to dance, to writhe in pain or fear. Four times it means to bring forth pained. Four times to tremble. Four times it means to travail. Twice it means to grieve. Twice it means grievous. Twice it means wounded and twice it means shake.

                This definition of “fear” is one we do not hear in our day. It is one that I did not use in my teaching. Yes we are to honor and reverence the Lord, but knowing His attributes and who He is should cause us to tremble in terror.

James 2:19  Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

                How is it that demons or devils tremble before God, but we humans have no fear of Him? Why do the majority of people in America say they believe in God, yet are not afraid of Him as they continue to live in sin?

2 Chronicles 6:30-31 (Solomon’s prayer)

30  Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all  his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)

31   That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

                In verse 31, the word “fear” is translated from the Hebrew word “Yare” (pronounced: yaw-ray). It means to fear; to revere; cause to frighten; afraid; terrible; dreadful.

                This word connotes the psychological reaction to fear. It indicates being afraid of someone or something. It means more than mere psychological fear it is being in absolute terror. In Exodus 20:18-20, the children of Israel experienced God as they never had before and they were afraid.

Exodus 20:18-20

18   And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20   And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

                How many times have we heard or even said, “God came and visited us…we felt the presence of the Lord?” When those times happened did those present tremble and shake in fear? Did they fall on their faces like Moses, Isaiah, John, Peter, James and all others who found themselves in the presence of God?

                One of man’s greatest problems today is he has no fear of God. He has no reverence for God, neither is he terrified of God.

Romans 3:18  There is no fear of God before their eyes.

                The word “fear” in this verse is translated from the Greek word “Phobos.” It means to be put in fear, alarm or fright; terror; to be exceedingly afraid; to be put in flight caused by being scared.

                Does that sound like us? Do we really fear God? If not, why not? I thought about it and this came to my mind. The reason there is no fear of God before their eyes is because men of God have not put it there. Think about the days of Jonathan Edwards when men preached sermons like “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” Preaching like that has all but died out. Very few are the men that preach on the wrath of God.

                It seems like in the 70’s there came out a “version” of the Bible called “Good news for modern man.” All that is said of God is that God is love…Good news, God loves you. God has a wonderful plan for your life. I know in the past 40 years and probably even longer than that, preachers have gotten away from preaching on God’s wrath, Holiness and justice, to name a few. Today all that is preached about is the love of God, the mercy of God, the goodness of God, the gentleness of God, the kindness of God. Yes, these are all attributes of God, yet without proper understanding of all His attributes such as wrath and justice, preachers have not preached the whole counsel of God. They pick and choose what they want to preach on…and it is usually those attributes that are most easy on the consciences of men.

                God is love, but His love is a holy love and He loves only those things that are right with Him. He hates those things that are opposed to Him. God is just. God has wrath against sin and men should fear him in every sense of the word.

Matthew 10:28   And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

      

                 King Solomon, the wisest man (other than Christ) to have lived set out in Ecclesiastes 2:3 to find out what was good for men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. After giving himself to everything, he summed it all up in Ecclesiastes 12:13.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

                No doubt he came to this conclusion after reading Deuteronomy 10:12-13.

Wake up, you who profess belief in Christ, yet live like the world!  Fear Him! 

Wake up lost man, undone and outside of Christ!  Fear Him!

Wake up child of God!  Fear Him!    

 …the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is  knowing the truth and wisdom is knowing how to apply that truth.

Luke 12:5   But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.  

FEAR HIM!

God is Just

               A.W. Tozer,  in his book, “Knowledge of the Holy,” states this… “In the inspired Scriptures justice and righteousness are scarcely to be distinguished from each other. The same word in the original becomes in English justice or righteousness, almost, one would suspect, at the whim of the translator.”

Psalm 89:14  Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

Psalm97:2  Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

                I found this interesting so I looked up the Hebrew and Greek words which were translated into our English words “just” and “righteous.”

Hebrew

                In the Old Testament the Hebrew word “tsaddiyq” (pronounced: tsad*deek) is translated into the English word “Just.”  The same word in the Hebrew is also translated into the English word “Righteous” 

Greek

                In the New Testament, the Greek word “dikaios” (pronounced: de*ki*os) is translated into the English word “Just” and is also translated into the English word “Righteous.”

                Throughtout the entire Bible, the same Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) words are translated into the English word “Just” 94 times and into “Righteous” 238 times.

Deuteronomy 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth
and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Jeremiah 12:1  RIGHTEOUS art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee:

                In these two passages it says that God is just and righteous. Both are translated from the Hebrew word “tsaddiyq.” It is safe to say that A.W. Tozer knew what he was speaking about when he said that “justice”and “righteousness” are scarcely to be distinguished from each other in the inspired Scriptures.  These two English words can be used interchangeably. They mean the same .

                What is the definition of “Just” and “Righteous”? The Hebrew meaning is right in governing; right in one’s cause; right in conduct and character. The Greek meaning is upright, virtuous, keeping the commands of God.

                The Word of God is clear in speaking of the attribute of God’s justice or righteousness.  God is a just judge. God is just in punishing sin, and in rewarding righteous acts in His creatures.

God’s justice in punishing sin:

Ezra 9:15

Lamentations 1:18

Daniel 9:14

Nehemiah 9:33

Psalm 129:4

God’s justice in rewarding righteous acts:

2 Chronicles 12:6-7 

Psalm 145:17-20

Psalm 11:1-7

               

                The Holy Scriptures clearly state, in no uncertain terms, that God is just. He does right every time.  Justice embodies the idea of moral equity. Sin or iniquity is the exact opposite; it is the absence of moral equity.

                As we saw in Deuteronomy 32:4, all God’s ways are judgment. A. W. Tozer has this to say about judgment… “Judgment is the application of equity to moral situations and may be favorable or unfavorable according to whether the one under examination has been equitable or in-equitable in heart and conduct.”

                When we say that God is just, we are describing the way God is and nothing more. When God acts justly He is not doing so because something outside of Him is compelling Him to do so. There is nothing above God…no law governing Him…forcing Him to act justly. It is His nature to do justice.  When God acts justly, He is simply acting like Himself from within. He is not influenced by anything that is not Himself.

                As we examine the truth that God is just, we are soon faced with the greatest problem man has.  As I was studying God’s justice I came across the following two verses.

Exodus 23:7   Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Proverbs 17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

                A question was raised by a Christian philosopher named Anselm who was the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. He lived between 1033A.D. and 1109A.D.  His question was this… “How can God be just and forgive the wicked?”  God, by His very nature is just and being so, He cannot forgive the wicked.  The justice that flows from God demands that sin be dealt with. Sin cannot be overlooked. It cannot be pardoned. It must be dealt with. That is the nature of justice. Holy justice must be satisfied!

                The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned. Every human who descended from Adam  was born in sin. Every person is totally depraved meaning that sin has affected every part of their being. Every human in his natural condition is right now under the full wrath of God for sin. Yet, Romans 3:24 tells us that some of Adam’s fallen humanity have been freely justified by His grace. How is it that God could justify the wicked when to do so is an abomination to Him?

                The answer is given to us. God cannot justify the wicked. His Holy justice must be satisfied. Sinful, wicked men are justified or declared to be right with God, by His grace through what?

Romans 3:24 - 26

24   Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25   Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

26   To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

                God justifies wicked men by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  He was set forth to be a propitiation. Do you know what a propitiation is? A propitiation is an appeasement to pacify. A propitiation is an offering made to calm, quiet and reduce one’s wrath to a state of peace.

                God set Jesus Christ forth to be an appeasement or to pacify the wrath of God for sin. Let me give you an example of propitiation.

            An example:  Say you were a slave in biblical times. If a slave was caught stealing, justice required immediate death…that is what the law said. So, imagine you are in your master’s home and you are caught stealing by your master who takes you by the collar and drags you down to the square where you will be executed. As you go, you fall to your knees and ask your master to be propitious to you.  In a sense you are asking him to disobey the law and let you live. You are asking for mercy. The problem is the law must be satisfied. The law requires a death.

Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

           That is the justice of God. God must punish sin. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came and redeemed all those that were given to Him by the Father which speaks of the hated doctrine of election.

John 6:37-39
37  All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 
38  For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

         Jesus Christ had no earthly father, therefore, He did not inherit Adam's sin nature. Jesus was without sin. He completely and perfectly fulfilled every law of God. At the appointed time, the Lord did not turn to the right or to the left, but set his face as a flint toward Jerusalem. He knew His appointed time had come.

       There in the garden of Gethsemane, just after having observed the Passover, Christ knew He was about to become the Passover Lamb. All those years from Moses until that very day when the Jews observed the Passover and killed the lamb, it was foreshadowing what Christ was about to do. 

       The Bible tells us in Matthew 26:38-39 that Christ's soul was exceedingly sorrowful unto death and as He prayed to the Father, He said, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. "

       The question arises... "what was in the cup that Christ didn't want to drink?" Some have dared to say Christ was afraid of the beating he was about to receive at the hands of the Jews and Romans as well as the pain of the crucifixion. Not so! What man did to Christ, though very heinous, was nothing to be compared with what God the Father did.  

       What was in the cup? The full wrath of God for the sins of the elect. That was what was in the cup. No one but God could have known the wrath of God for sin. Christ was about to become the very thing He hated...sin. Remember that Jesus said he and the Father were one. Remember that God is Holy and cannot look on sin. Because He is holy He hates sin. Jesus Christ hated sin, yet was about to become the sin of all those the Father had given to Him. Christ also knew when He became our sin, He would be separated from the Father...something that had never happened. 

       There on the Cross of Calvary, Christ drank every drop of the wrath of God for the sins of the elect. From noon until 3pm, the Bible tells us in Matthew 27:45 that there was darkness over all the land. God the Father had forsaken God the Son because He had become our sin. Jesus Christ showed us the Father had forsaken Him by crying out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

       After Christ had drunk the last drop of the wrath of God for the sins of the elect, John 19:30 tells us He said, "It is finished." According to Luke 23:46 He then said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" and then He gave up the ghost. He had laid down His life for the sheep...His elect (John 10:15). 

       God the Father saw the travail of God the Son's soul and was satisfied. God the Father's wrath for the sins of the elect was appeased or satisfied. 

Isaiah 53:11  He shall see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

       Now we return to the question that was asked earlier... "How can God be just and forgive men of their sins?"

       A.W. Tozer had this to say about Anselm’s conclusion… “God’s being is unitary; it is not composed of a number of parts working harmoniously, but simply one. There is nothing in His justice which forbids the exercise of His mercy. To think of God as we sometimes think of a court where a kindly judge, compelled by law sentences a man to death with tears and apologies, is to think in a manner wholly unworthy of the true God. God is never at cross purposes with Himself. No attribute of God is in conflict with another. God’s compassion flows out of His goodness, and goodness without justice is not goodness. God spares us because He is good, but He could not be good if He were not just. When God punishes the wicked, it is just because it is consistent with their deserts; and when He spares the wicked it is compatible with His goodness; so God does what becomes Him as the supremely good God. This  is reason seeking to understand, not so it may believe, but because it already believes.”

       Many in our day do not study all the attributes of God, neither do they wish to. All they want to know about is His love and His mercy. They desire to know nothing else of God. Many preachers are not honest with men's souls when they do not tell them of the wrath of God and the justice of God and the Holiness of God. 

       Men will never understand the seriousness of their sinful situation until they are shown these attributes of God. Instead they will be sweet talked down an aisle and lead in a "sinner's prayer" and pronounced to be saved. Many of them...most of them will go home as lost and separated from Christ as they were when they started. 

       I close out with the words of A.W. Tozer in his book "Knowledge of the Holy"...

"Through the work of Christ in atonement, justice is not violated but satisfied when God spares a sinner. Redemptive theology teaches that mercy does not become effective toward a man until justice has done its work. The just penalty for sin was exacted when Christ our Substitute died for us on the cross. However unpleasant this may sound to the ear of the natural man, it has ever been sweet to the ear of faith. Millions have been morally and spiritually transformed by this message, have lived lives of great moral power, and died at last peacefully trusting in it."

"The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day nearer and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings we dare not so trifle with our eternal future."

 Mark 1:15  The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.

God proves once again that His grace is sufficient

     Hurricane season came early in 2013 as "Hurricane Influenza" unleashed the full force of its fury on my family for almost the last two weeks. Not a one of us escaped it's wrath. From the oldest (myself) to the youngest (Emmie) we all suffered the effects of the vicious storm known simply as the flu. Yet, throughout those 12 days, God proved once again that His grace indeed is sufficient.
     With fevers, chills, and aches now over the only remaining vestiges of the storm are the ever present coughs. The bend of my elbow has become well acquainted with my lips as it is no longer proper to cover your mouth with your hand when you cough.
     The empty cardboard spools of toilet paper (the poor man's kleenex) have been cleaned up along with the empty bottles of Tylenol and Motrin. The blankets have been returned to their storage areas and the endless cups of water and juice have all been washed and returned to the proper cabinets.
     As my fever broke Monday night, the storm clouds gave way to a bright and sunny Tuesday, the 13th Anniversary of the day my wife and I were wed. What a perfect ending to a long few weeks of sickness.
     There are some things in this life I will never understand like why it pleased God to save a wretch like me. As if that wasn't enough, He smiled on me by giving to me the most wonderfully awesome wife I could have ever dreamed of. He has blessed us with (in my estimation) the grandest marriage of all time.
     As a result of the 13 best years of my life, being married to my wife, the Lord has blessed us with 6 children. One of them we never met for the Lord took him/her home early during the 5th week of pregnancy. Four of them we have had the joy and pleasure of loving in person over the past 6 years and the last one we are waiting on as my wife enters her 12th week of this current pregnancy.
     Thirteen years ago I never could have imagined all that my life now is. I had no idea where the Lord was going to take us. One thing He has been patiently revealing to me is this...His grace is sufficient.

   

Arise, O Christian, and return to your first love.

          There is a good documentary that I believe every true Christian should watch. It is entitled "Agenda: Grinding America Down

." It is free to watch online for a limited time. You can copy and paste this address (http://vimeo.com/52009124) in your browser and it should take you right to it. If not, do a search for it. Either way you should be able to find it and watch it.

          There is hope for our nation as long as there is a remnant of true believers in Jesus Christ who will take Him seriously and heed the words of God in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

          Where do we begin to take our nation back? We start by Christian men taking there God-given responsibility to lead their families and teach them of God. Show them the Holy God of the Bible and not the "man upstairs" many professing church members worship. We must show our children their sin, the Holy God of the Bible and point them to Christ. Show them what Christ did for His people on the cross of Calvary.

          We do that by getting rid of the watered down, weak version of the gospel that has been preached in our churches for years and return to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ go to ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OBzX18rHQk ). You can also find it by going to Youtube and typing "The Acropolis of the Christian Faith (Paul Washer)."

          This is what needs to be preached in every church across the United States of America.

          The judgment of God is on the United States of America. Christian, will we do nothing and be crushed along with the rest of our nation, or will we turn back to God? Will we return to the God of our salvation? Will we cry out, "O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy?"

          Are you willing to humble yourself before Holy God? Are you willing to pray and I mean really pray...pray as you have never prayed before? Are you willing to seek His face as a man dying of thirst seeks water? Are you willing to turn (repent) from your comfortable, wicked ways and confess your sins? If you are not willing to do all these things, God will not hear from heaven. He will not let your sins go unchastened. He will not heal our land.

          There is hope for the United States! I am not a scholar in the study of the last days. I have heard men who have spent the majority of their lives studying eschatology and they say the United States appears no where in Scripture in the last days. I do not know the mind of God concerning the United States of America in these last days. I do know that whatever He has purposed will come to pass. I would rather be spending my time following Him in obedience than living like the world and watching our nation be destroyed from within.

           Arise, O Christian, and return to your first love...the Lord Jesus Christ! Spend the rest of your days in pursuit of Him and in teaching your family and others of Him. The line has been drawn in the sand...choose you this day whom you will actively serve. My choice is found in the words of Joshua 24:15... As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

God's Holiness and man's exceeding sinfulness

                Now we come to the aspect of holiness that every person must grasp if they are to understand the vileness of their sin.  Because God is set apart from all His creation and because He is entirely morally pure, He hates sin. He loves everything which is in conformity to His laws, and passionately hates everything which is in opposition to them.  He cannot even look upon it.

Habakkuk 1:13  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity;

               He cannot look at sin...sin cannot dwell where God is because God, by His very nature is a pure, blinding, white light of holiness. 

Psalm 5:4  For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 

                Without a basic understanding of the holiness of God, men cannot understand their sin. Man can no more understand he is a sinner than a fish can understand he is wet. Men have not changed since the days of Job...

Job 15:15-16
15  Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16  How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

                God is set apart from all His creation. He transcends high above everything He created in every way possible. He is pure in His holiness…so pure that heaven is not clean in his sight. And we are abominable and filthy men and drink down iniquity like we drink down water.

               Not only does God hate sin, but we must of necessity go even further. We live in a time and culture when men are preaching that God hates sin, but loves the sinner. Not so! To be honest with men's souls, we must preach and teach all of God's word. Yes God is love,  but always remember, His love is a Holy Love. His love cannot contradict His holiness.

             God hates the sinner just as much as He hates sin. How can I say that? I can say that because that is what God says in His Holy word which is magnified above His Holy Name.

Proverbs 3:32   For the froward is abomination to the LORD:

             The word "froward" means habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition. That is exactly what the sinner is, and the sinner is abomination to the LORD. The word "abomination" is the strongest word possible to attempt to describe the extreme disgust or hatred which God holds for the sinner. It really can't even be described.

Proverbs 15:26  The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD:

             Every single thought a sinner has is an abomination to the LORD.  The sinner is defiled in all his ways.

Titus 1:15  ...but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

           Every thought, every action taken by the sinner is defiled, polluted, contaminated with sin. Every fiber of his being is totally morally depraved and wicked, vile and loathsome to a Holy God.

          God says that the froward person who habitually disobeys Him and is habitually in opposition to Him is an abomination.

Psalm 5:4-6
4   For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5   The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hates all workers of iniquity.
6   Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

         God hates all those who do sin and of a necessity must destroy them. He must punish sin. The existence of sin demands His punishment as much as it requires His hatred.

Nahum 1:2  ...the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

        God hates sin so much that it was for only one sin Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden. For one sin, Ham and all his descendants fell under a curse which remains over them to this very day (Genesis 9:21). For one sin, Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land. For one sin Elisha's servant was smitten with leprosy. For one sin Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives.

Psalm 7:11  ...God is angry with the wicked every day.

      An angry God does not sound at all like the God of modern day preaching, but this is the God of the Bible! His holiness demands hatred for sin. The problem is men today do not really believe in the Holiness of God. Their concept of God is one sided because for the last 60+ years the only thing that has been preached in American churches is “God is love.” God will never send a man to hell because God is love.

                God says to those who think this way…

Psalm 50:21-22
21  These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
22  Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

               

                …He says, "you thought I was like yourself." The "god" that is worshipped in our country on Sunday mornings in many churches is a figment of the imaginations of the members and not the Holy God of the Bible. I know that sounds hard, but it is true.

                The “god” they worship is patterned after their own evil hearts and that is why they continue to live in their sin. The attributes of God, like His holiness, as seen in the Holy Scriptures, clearly demonstrate they are of supernatural origin.  The Holiness of God is not something men could have or ever would have come up with.

                The God of the Bible hates sin and those who do the works of iniquity. Nothing will reveal the total depravity of man, his exceeding sinfulness, his vileness, his wickedness like showing him the One true Holy God of the Bible.

                For most men today, they view sin as breaking man’s laws. Basically sin is committing a crime. Anything short of that they label as a mistake, a defect, or a disease. Even if a man break’s a law, such as speeding, he makes up excuses as to why he did. He doesn’t consider it a sin.

                The “god” which the vast majority of professing Christians “love” is thought of as being like Santa Claus…sure he knows if you’ve been naughty or nice, but he will bring you gifts anyway. Though they think their “god” does not like sin, yet he is lenient and winks at the “indiscretions” of youth.

                The word of God tells us (Psalm 5:5) that He hates all workers of iniquity and (Psalm 7:11) He is angry with the wicked every day. Even though clearly seen in the Bible, men refuse to believe in the true Holy God. They gnash their teeth in anger as His hatred for their sin is faithfully brought to their attention…because the “god” of their imagination is contrary to the Holy God of the Bible.

                Since God is Holy, He cannot accept man’s works. That is why we are saved by grace through faith and not because of our works. All our works are tainted with sin. Our best we have to offer are filthy rags before a Holy God.

Titus 1:15  ...but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure;

                In order for man to see how vile and repulsive his sin is he must be shown the Holiness of God in the pages of the Scriptures. God is Holy. He transcends all of His creation. He is completely, totally, wholly pure. By His nature He hates that which does not conform to His nature. Flowing from His holiness is His holy justice. Next we will attempt to study the attribute of the Justice of God.   

      

The Holiness of God

    In my last post, I ended with a quote from A.W. Pink. I want to state it again, only this time put it in words I use. He was a bit more brilliant minded than I am. Basically, I understood him to say, “so few people today are used to meditating on the attributes or perfections of God. Of those who occasionally read their Bibles, few are even aware of the awe-inspiring majesty of God. If they were, they would worship Him. Most believers assume that every knows God is wise, powerful and merciful, yet they never even come close to an adequate understanding of His being, His nature, or His attributes as revealed in the Word of God.”

                I was recently informed that to understand the vileness of sin and what salvation required, I must first have an understanding of who God is, what He is like. I didn’t understand why I was told that until I started to study the Attributes of God. Now I see why.
               
                Humanly speaking, God is past finding out. We will never fully understand Him, but by His grace, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, we can learn as much about Him as He is willing to reveal to us through the Scriptures. To study all His attributes will be a task I will perform throughout all eternity.

                I could spend a lifetime studying His omniscience, or the truth that He is all knowing, and never be able to understand His knowledge. Read all of Psalm 139 to get a glimpse of His knowledge concerning man.

Psalm 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

                I could study His immutability, or the truth that He never changes. What God has spoken and what He has promised will come to pass. He changes not.

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

                I could study the truth that He is an infinite God. He has no limits. Not even heaven and earth can contain Him.

1 Kings 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house I have builded?

                Books have been written concerning the attribute of God’s Sovereignty. I have spent much time studying this truth. I have taught many Sunday School lessons on this subject and yet I will never be able to fully grasp it all.

Daniel 4:35  And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

                Our God is a solitary God. He is self-sufficient, self-sustaining, self-existent, long-suffering, good, merciful, loving…on and on we could go and never find end to the study of all God’s attributes. However, for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ…our sin and salvation, I want to bring out only a few of God’s attributes that are dealing in the salvation of men.

                To understand our sin, we must understand that God is a Holy God. To understand our sin, we must understand that He is a Just God. To understand sin, we must understand God is a God of Wrath. To understand sin, our need of a Savior, what Christ accomplished on Calvary…to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must look into these attributes of God.

                Only when we understand these attributes will we be able to understand the vileness of our sin. Sin would not be what it is if God was not who He is. Because God is who He is, then sin is what it is…vile, loathsome, wicked, evil, an abomination before a Holy God.


                We will begin our look into the attributes of God with the attribute of His holiness. Our God is a Holy God. I know we say, “He is a Holy God,” but do we even understand what holiness is? The holiness of God is not often taught in churches today. Why is that? When was the last time you heard a sermon on or personally studied about God’s holiness? To my own shame, I have not studied the attribute of God’s holiness until now. God is a Holy God!  What does that mean?

                Holiness is the most difficult attribute to define because it deals with the essence of God’s character. Trying to define holiness is like trying to define God. It cannot be done completely. We can describe it and give examples of it from the pages of scripture, but  we cannot define it entirely. Holiness is what makes God who He is.

Exodus 15:11  Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

                The Bible says that God is “glorious in holiness.” Lets us first look at the word,“holiness.”  Our English word “holiness” is translated in this text from the Hebrew word, “Qodesh” which means set-apart, separated, sacred. A thing is holy if it is set apart for a special use. Other words used to describe holiness could be distinctive or different. Holiness is that characteristic of God that sets Him apart from all His creation.

                Consider this: The Seraphim, the holiest, most powerful of all of God’s creation…the ones that hover above the very throne of God, cannot look on the holiness of God.

Isaiah 6:2-3
2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

                Do you see that? They cover their faces, showing their inability to look on the holiness of God. They cover their feet showing that they are created beings and they fly crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” God transcends even them. God is separated from His creation. He is above His creation in every way.

                Notice something else. The Holiness of God is the only attribute of God that is mentioned in triplicate. Here is Isaiah 6 and again in Revelation 4 we see it being said of God that He is Holy, Holy, Holy. If the word of God proclaims Him holy once, then that’s enough to settle it. When He says it twice, he is placing emphasis on it. But when he says it three times, it is of supreme importance!

                Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God is “Love, Love, Love.” Neither does it say that he is “Merciful, Merciful, Merciful” or “Just, Just, Just.”  It says He is “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

                How many times I have sung the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” and never gave it much thought? The thought of His holiness is something we far often take too lightly. The reason why is because we don’t understand it and we don’t understand it because we have never dared to studied it. We are too comfortable with the modern teachings of God.

                Consider Exodus 33:18 when Moses desired to see the glory of God. What was God’s response to Moses’ request? 

Exodus 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

                God is Holy in that He is set apart from His creation. None of His creation can so much as look upon His Holiness.   

               There is another quality or aspect of the Holiness of God. Holiness also means “morally excellent; pure.” God by His nature is morally pure. The Hebrew word "Qodesh" comes from the Hebrew root word "Qadash" which means proclaimed to be entirely pure. God is separated from sin. He cannot sin. Neither does he tempt men to sin as seen in James 1:13.

                God is so pure, He cannot tolerated sin in any form or fashion. That is the nature of holiness. God hates sin. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things God hates. Many in our day do not believe that God hates. They have been taught for so long that God is a God of love. The problem is they have been given only one side of the coin. One cannot understand God’s love without understanding God’s holiness. Because God is holy, His love is a Holy love. Holy love hates sin.

                Let me give you an example. If we love God as we say we do, then we are to love what He loves and hate what He hates. If we say we love children, then we must hate abortion. If we say we love marriage, then we must hate adultery and divorce. Yet, how many professing Christians today are indifferent when it comes to abortion or divorce?Many have no problem telling or laughing at perverted jokes, watching movies which mock sin, and have no trouble taking the LORD's name in vain? The reason this can happen is because their profession is a false one, or they do not understand God's holiness.

                Consider His holiness!  Muse, meditate, think on Him and His holy nature.

1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

              As I said earlier, we will never even come close to fully understanding God or the attribute of His holiness. That should not discourage us from seeking to learn as much about Him as it pleases Him to allow us to. 

             God's holiness should cause the lost sinner to tremble in fear. For the saved it should be a source of great thanksgiving.

Psalm 30:4   Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of   his holiness.

             Holiness is the greatest of the attributes of God. All His other attributes flow through His holiness. His holiness adorns all other attributes. God's justice is a holy justice. God's love is a holy love. His wisdom is a holy wisdom. The arm of His power is a "holy arm" (Psalm 98:1). His promise is a "holy promise" (Psalm 105:42). His very name, which signifies the combination of all His attributes is holy.

Psalm 103:1  Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Psalm 111:9  He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant forever; holy and reverend is his name.

             His name is holy. His works are holy (Psalm 145:17). His law is holy (Romans 7:12). Yes, His holiness is manifested in His law...the word of God.

Psalm 19:8-9
8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

               

                Our Holy God, who has manifested His holiness in His word, has magnified that word above even His name.

Psalm 138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

                God is Holy. He is set apart from His creation. He is high above and separated from everything He created. Before Genesis 1:1, He had no needs. He didn't need to create in order to be God. Creation did not complete God. He was complete and content in Himself. Creation did not add one thing to Him. He did not need the seraphim to fly around His throne crying "Holy, Holy, Holy." He did not need the companionship of man to sustain Himself. He needed nothing. He needed no one. He created simply because it pleased Him to do so. Had He not created one thing, He still would have been perfectly holy.

               Not only is he separate from His creation, He is absolutely, morally, perfect in His nature. He has no sin...not even the shadow of sin can be cast upon Him. He is light and His perfect holiness shines so bright it drives sin and the shadow of it from His very presence. 

              How does a God who is holy in His very nature deal with sin?  In my next post I want to write about God's holiness and man's exceeding sinfulness.