the whole earth is full of his glory.”
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:3,5-6
God is holy. He is set apart from sin and impurity. His holiness causes him to strike out against sin in an effort to eliminate it from His presence. Such is the case in the Isaiah passage and Isaiah realizes his predicament. When he says, “I am ruined”, literally he is saying “I am undone, destroyed, non-existent.” He knows what it means to encounter the Holy God. He knows his death should be immanent. And the only solution is an act of grace on God’s part that results in Isaiah’s painful purification.
This story is a popular one among Christians, because though it highlights the tension between our understanding of holiness and forgiveness it comes down on the side of grace. But Joshua 24:19-20 tells of a different, holy God:
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
The context has the Israelites being implored to reaffirm the covenant. They reply that they will, but Joshua does not stop at that. He makes it clear that by entering into the covenant they are also pledging their lives to be as Holy as God is Holy. And such a commitment has repercussions if broken. God is not bound to be forgiving when we are faithless. Rebellion against God (which is what sin is) results in disastrous consequences. And Joshua knows well that the inclination of humankind is evil all the time.
These 2 passages pose quite a difficulty. In the Isaiah passage God is simultaneously holy and forgiving. The understanding that sinful people cannot see the holy God and live is contradicted by God himself by his own initiative. Yet Joshua makes it clear that this is not always the case. And so I believe it begs the question: “Will God forgive you? When will he stop? When does His holiness override His grace?”
Especially in American Christianity, our sense of entitlement leaves little to no room for God’s Holy judgment. Even though I often hear the sentiment that we are not deserving of grace, I see lifestyles that indicate an privileged attitude. But these passages show the great initiative taken by God to forgive. The decision rests solely with God. Sinful people cannot be around God. Thus God must imbue His holiness upon as to make us fit to be in his presence.
Many Christians are in desperate need of some Holy Fear of God. We need to be reminded that we are in danger of being obliterated when we come before the Holy God. I believe it would change the attitude that we bring to worship. We might not even be able to voice the words of the great hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” with this realization. And perhaps only then can we truly feel the weight of God’s grace and forgiveness.
“But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by his justice,
and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness.”
Isaiah 5:16
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1 comment:
You are right on. I can't help but laugh at the way some struggle to explain what the Bible REALLY means by fear. Like we are to work out our salvation with respect and trembling.
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