THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #45 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #27
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3727
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #45
THE LIFE OF MOSES #27
3 REVELATIONS OF YHVH'S NAME GIVEN TO MOSES #15
YHVH M'KADDESH ( PART 6 )
You may think it strange that no attempt to define Holiness has been made so far.
But here is an attempt after our daily studies on YHVH M'KADDESH and the topic of God's Holiness based on Isaiah's and John's vision.
The Holiness of God is the most difficult of all God’s attributes to explain, partly because it is one of His essential attributes that is not shared, inherently, by man.
We are created in God’s image, and we can share many of His attributes, to a much lesser extent, of course—love, mercy, faithfulness, etc.
But some of God’s attributes, such as omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence, will never be shared by created beings.
Similarly, Holiness is not something that we will possess as an inherent part of our nature; we only become holy in relationship to Christ.
It is an Imputed
Holiness. Only in Christ do we “become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s Holiness is what separates Him from all other beings, what makes Him separate and distinct from everything else.
God’s Holiness is more than just His perfection or sinless purity; it is the essence of His “other-ness,” His transcendence. God’s holiness embodies the mystery of His awesomeness and causes us to gaze in wonder at Him as we begin to comprehend just a little of His majesty.
We have two personages in the Bible who encountered God's Holiness.
1. The Prophet Isaiah's Vision at the Temple in Jerusalem.
Isaiah was a firsthand witness of God’s Holiness in his vision described in Isaiah 6.
Even though Isaiah was a prophet of God and a righteous man, his reaction to the vision of God’s Holiness was to be aware of his own sinfulness and to despair for his life (Isaiah 6:5).
Even the angels in God’s presence, those who were crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty,” covered their faces and feet with four of their six wings. Covering the face and feet no doubt denotes the reverence and awe inspired by the immediate presence of God (Exodus 3:4–5).
The seraphim stood covered, as if concealing themselves as much as possible, in recognition of their unworthiness in the presence of the Holy One.
And if the pure and holy seraphim exhibit such reverence in the presence of the Lord, with what profound awe should we, polluted and sinful creatures, presume to draw near to Him!
The reverence shown to God by the angels should remind us of our own presumption when we rush thoughtlessly and irreverently into His presence, as we often do because we do not understand His Holiness.
2. The Evangelist John's Vision in a cave at Patmos Island off Greece.
John’s vision of the throne of God in Revelation 4 was similar to that of Isaiah.
Again, there were living creatures around the throne crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8) in reverence and awe of the Holy One.
John goes on to describe these creatures giving glory and honor and reverence to God continually around His throne.
The Difference Between Their Visions
There is no record of John falling down in terror and awareness of his own sinful state, perhaps because John had already encountered the risen Christ at the beginning of his vision (Revelation 1:17).
Christ had placed His hand upon John and told him not to be afraid.
In the same way, we can approach the throne of grace if we have the hand of Christ upon us in the form of His righteousness, exchanged for our sin at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Similarity of Their Visions.
Isaiah and John present a unified picture of our holy, majestic, awesome God who does not change (Malachi 3:6), who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and “with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
God’s Holiness is eternal, just as He is eternal.
So why do some say the God of the Old Testament is vengeful but the God of the New Testament is loving? Isn't He the same throughout both Testaments?
Father God, may we be blessed with more and more revelations of Your Holiness without which no man nor woman can see You.
Hebrews 12:14
(King James Version)
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"
