The Holiness of God

From our Tuesday Morning Bible Study:

The initial stage of the Israelites' journey out of Egypt ended at the base of Mt. Sinai. It was there that God would give them His law and would meet with them. When God made His appearance on Sinai, the mountain was covered with smoke and burned with fire. Thunder sounded and lightning flashed. Moses records it as such:

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. (Ex. 19:18-19)

The people were struck with great fear. They remembered their sin and rebellion against God and feared that this awesome display of power was a sign that God was coming to destroy them. According to the writer of the book of Hebrews, even Moses, the man of God, feared exceedingly.

They feared because of two things; the power of God and the holiness of God. God's omnipotent power coupled with his absolute holiness should cause all sinners...that is, all people...to fear his presence. When God appeared to Daniel, one of the greatest men in the Old Testament, he fell on his face in sheer terror. When Isaiah saw the holiness of God he cried, "Woe is me for I am ruined." As the writer of Hebrews wrote, "For our God is a consuming fire."

Somehow, we have gotten the notion today that it is wrong to "fear" God. Much effort is made by many people, by many churches, to make God appear "non-threatening," thinking somehow that it makes God more "attractive." I guess that's fine if your goal is to generate greater numbers in attendance but it is useless if you want to accurately depict God as He reveals Himself in the Bible.

Let me tell you this, on Mt. Sinai, God was plenty threatening. His holiness and power were on full display. Just because we do not see such displays today many people seem to think that God has somehow changed. He is not the "threatening" God of the Old Testament but is now the gracious God of the New Testament.

God has not changed.

God offers grace to unworthy sinners today just as He did to the rebellious Israelites who were continuously disobedient in Moses' day. God reserves His great wrath for unrepentant sinners today just as He did to the unrepentant Israelites. God's wrath is delayed and his grace displayed because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ but God's power and holiness are undiminished. The same power that was displayed on Mt. Sinai will one day be seen by all when Christ returns "in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (2 Thess. 1:8)

We live in a wicked age when many people think nothing of blaspheming the name of God and of despising His Son Jesus Christ. It grieves us greatly to see this but let us not lose heart. Let us not grow weary in well doing because we serve a righteous, holy, and powerful God who will not always to allow his name to be cursed. The Son of God will return in righteous wrath to execute judgment on this sinful world and take His children home to be with Him. These are the days to live for.

Tony

Audio and Handout from Tuesday Bible Study (right-click to download)
A New Nation
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