"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."--Isaiah 6:5
The Bible sometimes expresses the wrath with which God shows Himself to human beings as His anger, but God doesn't have emotions the same way we do. He is constant, unchanging. But most importantly, He is God, and He responds to sin, when He encounters it, in just one way--destruction.
Jesus, of course, made it possible for us to be cleaned from sin, and therefore come into God's presence, but God made no such cleansing provision for His world. The earth cannot meet God, not any more. It, too, now bears sin and God has only one option:
The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire; and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.--2Peter 3:10
The Lord is holy, completely and perfectly, and His holiness strikes down anything or anyone imperfect who falls within His gaze. He does this purposefully, the same way He formed His creation, instant and complete.
Biblical destruction is the only possible fate for a sinful creation encountering a holy God. Creation has no option but to quake and fall apart. It can do nothing else.
Only Jesus, sweet Jesus, stands between a holy God and a sinful creature. His love, and our faith in it, cast out all fear. The world will fall, but we will not--not if we cling to Jesus.
Interesting perspective. I was occasionally afraid of my daddy as a little girl (usually when I had incurred his wrath), but always loved him, and knew he loved me. While I am aware of the terrible aspect of God, I think of Him as I did my earthly father, always loving, even when I fail. For me, I celebrate the promise of our deliverance from his wrath.
ReplyDeletePeace and good to you.
I wonder sometimes whether God presents Himself to each of us in the form we most need Him...as loving to those who were treated harshly, like you, and as more terrible to those who were indulged, like me. That in itself is love, isn't it?
DeleteI rarely feel "afraid" of God- but wonder if I should fear Him more. Still trying to grasp His BIGNESS. So grateful for His grace.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right to distinguish between fear and being afraid. As God brings His magnificence, so He also brings His grace so we can, as much as possible, gaze on Him. Yes, grateful too, for grace.
DeleteJoanne.. thanks for the reminder of our awesome Jesus. Enjoyed reading this. Excited to get to "know " you! Blessings
ReplyDeleteIt is good to be reminded in community that it is right to have a Fear of the Lord.
ReplyDeleteMay we all stand in awe of our great and holy God. So thankful for Christ and His death on the cross for my sins.
ReplyDeleteI was once afraid of God, thinking He was sitting on His throne just waiting to me to mess up and...Thankful for Jesus and that He bridged the gap and paid the price for my sins.
ReplyDeleteEven so we should fear (have a reverent respect) for the Heavenly Father.
We don't hear enough about the Holiness of God... thank you for posting this.
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