Weekly Devotional 3-22-21 The Holiness of God
Have you ever considered the holiness of God and what that means to you and me, to all persons from Adam forward? It is impossible of course for the finite mind to fully grasp the holiness of God. The non-regenerated person considers the holiness of God from logic and a rational view that is distorted by sin. This view mistakenly permits man to approach holy God on his own terms, by his own merit. The regenerated person views the holiness of God as being far above himself knowing that he only has the right of approach God because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The non-regenerated man believes that he may win favor with holy God by some deed or deeds (good works). The regenerated man knows that He has gained favor with God only because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on his behalf. The non-regenerated man holds that God is a loving God and will, at death, accept him into His presence not knowing that the holiness of God will not permit it. The regenerated man knows that God is a loving God, but also a just God, a God’s whose holiness demands that man be holy and that he has been made so not because of his own merit but because of the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.
The non-regenerated man believes that he can live life as he pleases and yet be acceptable by Holy God. He believes that God will wink at his “peccadilloes” (his offenses, his sin) and still commune and have fellowship with him. He does not understand that that the holiness of God will not permit it. For instance, Jesus said to His disciples, “2If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). At this point in His earthly ministry (His ministry of first advent) Jesus had begun telling His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and be killed. Peter rebuked Him for this and in response Jesus spoke the above words. His point was (and is), for one to be a true follower he must forsake self-rule and come under Jesus’ authority. The holiness of God demands it, Why? Because in self-rule man is subject to and will fulfill the desires of the flesh which is at enmity (war) with God.
The regenerated man is to, “1seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. 12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:1-17). The unregenerated man understands none of this because he is blind to spiritual truth.
About this in contrasting the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit with human wisdom Paul wrote: “1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1st Corinthians 2:1-14). The Holiness of God cannot be perceived or understood by human discernment or wisdom, it is an enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
If this message has stirred your heart in some way or another, do not be stiff-necked continually resisting the Spirit’s prodding, humble yourself and open yourself up to Him and you will see God in a new light and you will understand the holiness of God.
Steve
stevelampman.com stevelampman@comcast.net
Transforming Power; the Work of God on Behalf of Man