God may not be cruel and capricious. But don\u2019t pretend he isn\u2019t dangerous.
\n________<\/p>\n
A couple years ago, I visited Israel with a group of Christian journalists. We bobbed in the Dead Sea, ate \u201cPeter fish\u201d in Galilee, and ascended the desert fortress of Masada. We toured the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, prayed at the Western Wall, and sat amid Gethsemane\u2019s twisted olive trees. But for me the highlight of the trip wasn\u2019t a place. It was a person \u2014 our guide, Amir.<\/p>\n
Amir was in his late 50s, stocky, with skin that looked like leather from leading trips through the Holy Land for three decades. At each site, Amir would seek out an isolated spot, gather us in a semicircle, and expound upon the historical and theological significance of the site. Sometimes he seemed more like a preacher than a tour guide.<\/p>\n
I remember one talk in particular. With the Mount of Olives shimmering in the background, Amir described what he saw as the basic problem of the universe. \u201cGod longs to come down to earth to redeem the righteous and judge the wicked,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned toward us and stretched out his arms like a scarecrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis presence is like plutonium. Nothing can live when God comes near. If God came to earth, both the righteous and unrighteous would perish. We would all die!\u201d<\/p>\n
Initially Amir\u2019s metaphor struck me as strange. I\u2019d heard God described as father, master, king, warrior, judge … but plutonium? Yet as I recounted God\u2019s interactions with the ancient Israelites, I wondered if Amir was onto something.<\/p>\n
A Consuming Fire<\/p>\n
We evangelicals love talking about God\u2019s love. Just drop in on one of our church services and listen. You\u2019ll hear worship choruses dripping with lyrics that border on romantic. The sermon will gush with assurances of God\u2019s affection. While such affirmations are good \u2014 we need reminders of God\u2019s love \u2014 rarely do we speak of God\u2019s majesty, let alone whisper a word about his wrath. Among young Christians, this one-sided view of God is especially striking. Jesus is a homeboy or boyfriend. God is the big guy upstairs. Talk of divine holiness is dismissed as legalistic or judgmental.<\/p>\n
The Bible, however, describes God in sobering terms. Among the myriad titles given, he is called \u201ca consuming fire,\u201d \u201cJudge of all the earth,\u201d and the \u201cLord of hosts\u201d \u2014 a title that portrays God poised for battle, at the head of a heavenly army. In addition, the Bible stresses God\u2019s discontinuity with humankind. \u201cGod is not human that he should . .\u201d is almost a refrain in Scripture. We might imagine that God is a sort of Superman, just like you or me but with additional powers. But that kind of thinking betrays a dangerous illusion. God is radically different from us, in degree and kind. He is ontologically dissimilar, wholly other, dangerous, alien, holy, wild.<\/p>\n
When God shows up in Scripture, people cower and tremble. They go mute. The ones who manage speech fall into despair. Fainters abound. Take the prophet Daniel. He could stare down lions, but when the heavens opened, he swooned. Ezekiel, too, was overwhelmed by his vision of God. After witnessing Yahweh\u2019s throne chariot lift into the air with the sound of a jet engine, he fell face-first to the ground. When Solomon dedicated the temple, the glory of the Lord was so overpowering, \u201cthe priests could not perform their service\u201d (1 Kings 8:11).<\/p>\n
New Testament types fared no better. John\u2019s revelations left him lying on the ground \u201cas though dead\u201d (Rev. 1:17). The disciples dropped when they saw Jesus transfigured. Even the intrepid Saul marching to Damascus collapsed before the blazing brilliance of the resurrected Christ.<\/p>\n
I understand why such accounts are jarring for us. They stand in stark contrast from popular depictions. In movies, angels are like teddy bears with wings. God is Morgan Freeman or some other avuncular figure. In Scripture, however, divine encounters are terrifying, leaving even the most stout and spiritual vibrating with fear \u2014 or lying face-down, unconscious.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the story that best illustrates God\u2019s formidable holiness is found in Isaiah 6. In most Bibles the passage is titled \u201cIsaiah\u2019s Commission.\u201d This is a classic example of burying the lead. Yes, these verses record Isaiah\u2019s prophetic calling, but first we see one of the most harrowing images of God in all of literature.
\n In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:<\/p>\n
\u201cHoly, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
\n the whole earth is full of his glory.\u201d
\nThe seraphim alone would make most mortals tremble. Their name, seraphim , literally means \u201cfiery, burning ones.\u201d Their cries shake the temple. Isaiah shakes too.
\n \u201cWoe to me! 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. (v. 5)\u201d
\nThe seraphim do little to assuage Isaiah\u2019s fears. It is not safe for him, a sinful mortal, to behold the unmediated glory of God. Death or cleansing \u2014 these are the only answers for Isaiah\u2019s predicament. Fortunately for Isaiah, the seraphim chose the latter.<\/p>\n
Around the time I was meditating on Isaiah\u2019s vision, I attended a worship service where the pastor invited congregants to call out God\u2019s attributes by finishing this sentence: \u201cLord, you are . .\u201d<\/p>\n
The responses came in rapid succession: \u201cLoving!\u201d said someone. \u201cMerciful,\u201d added another. \u201cGracious.\u201d…\u201dKind.\u201d…\u201dCompassionate.\u201d . .<\/p>\n
All true. Yet what I found interesting was what wasn\u2019t said. There wasn\u2019t a word about God\u2019s holiness, justice, or glory. Had Isaiah been in attendance, perhaps he would have added, \u201cTerrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course it\u2019s natural to ask, if portrayals of God holiness are unpopular why celebrate them? It isn\u2019t likely that the \u201cterrifying holiness of God\u201d tops the list of felt needs for our unbelieving neighbors. So why bother? Why not be content to focus exclusively on God\u2019s love?<\/p>\n
While sidelining holiness may seem innocent, nothing could be further from the truth. A healthy appreciation for divine holiness has a tremendous impact on how we live and how we relate to God.<\/p>\n
Holey Holiness<\/p>\n
After Isaiah\u2019s vision, the prophet realizes he has a problem. There\u2019s a dangerous gulf between God and him. It\u2019s not merely about God\u2019s power and grandeur. Isaiah fears he\u2019s doomed because he has \u201cunclean lips\u201d (v. 5). It seems that a revelation of God is accompanied by an overpowering sense of God\u2019s purity and a corresponding awareness of human sinfulness.<\/p>\n
While this concern for personal holiness is clear in Scripture, it has become murky in the church. Pastor Kevin DeYoung argues that we have a \u201chole in our holiness.\u201d He\u2019s not just talking about immorality per se; rather, \u201cthe hole in our holiness is that we don\u2019t really care about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
One nationwide study from Barna Group found that \u201cthe concept of holiness baffles most Americans.\u201d When asked to describe what it means to be holy, the most common reply was \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Of those identified as \u201cborn again,\u201d only 46 percent believed \u201cGod has called them to holiness.\u201d The study concluded, \u201cThe results portray a body of Christians who attend church and read the Bible, but do not understand the concept or significance of holiness, do not personally desire to be holy, and therefore do little, if anything to pursue it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Younger Christians in particular seem to view holiness as optional at best. Twenty-something writer Tyler Braun had this to say about his generation:
\n As the next generation of young Christians (including myself) continues to root themselves well within culture, we\u2019ve lost the marks that allow Christ to be seen by a world that denies Him. We\u2019ve lost holiness. Young believers have pursued life experience at the expense of innocence as we\u2019ve given up on caring about the sin in our own lives.
\nWhy is there such a lack of discernible holiness? Why this confusion on a basic Christian teaching? For Braun, the problem traces back to a lopsided understanding of God. \u201cWe picture God only as a God who provides mercy, not judgment. So of course we can get away with our sin, because God forgives.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believe he\u2019s right. And not just about the younger generation. This thinking pervades the church \u2014 and we shouldn\u2019t be surprised. We lack a practice of personal holiness because we\u2019ve lost a theology of divine holiness. When we neglect a part of God\u2019s nature, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised when that same attribute goes missing in our lives.<\/p>\n
The Bible repeatedly makes the connection between God\u2019s holiness and ours. \u201cBe holy,\u201d God says, \u201cbecause I am holy\u201d (Lev. 19:2). \u201cJust as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do\u201d (1 Pet. 1:15). We will never be perfect. Not on this side of eternity. But when we gain a fuller vision of God, our lives will begin to reflect his holiness.<\/p>\n
Awesome Again<\/p>\n
We go to great lengths to create atmospheres conducive to meaningful worship. Each year we publish reams of books on worship, hold worship conferences, and spend millions of dollars on instruments and d\u00e9cor we hope will lead people into the presence of God. None of this is wrong. Atmosphere is important. But no matter how much we invest, without an appreciation of God\u2019s holiness, our worship is fated to be superficial and, at best, momentarily moving.<\/p>\n
But when we glimpse God\u2019s holiness, we begin approaching God with \u201creverence and awe\u201d because we see him as \u201ca consuming fire\u201d (Heb. 12:28). \u201cUltimately transcendence is what makes a worship service meaningful,\u201d writes pastor Bill Giovannetti. When God shows up, worship doesn\u2019t have to be manufactured or drummed up. Worship is the natural reflex of mortals to the presence of a holy God. As Matt Redman puts it, \u201cWorship thrives on wonder. For worship to be worship, it must contain something of the otherness of God.\u201d A vision of God\u2019s holiness rescues our worship from superficiality and makes it passionate and profound.<\/p>\n
Note how Isaiah responds to his vision of God. At first he is distraught. But the passage doesn\u2019t end in despair. After the majestic appearance, the Lord asks, \u201cWhom shall I send? And who will go for us?\u201d (v. 8). At this point Isaiah\u2019s dismay becomes determination. \u201cHere am I,\u201d he says. \u201cSend me!\u201d (v. 8).<\/p>\n
Other stories of divine visitations follow a similar pattern. Initially the visited person is terrified, but fear gives way to obedience.<\/p>\n
Today, it\u2019s no different. When I think of services in which I have sensed God\u2019s presence, it wasn\u2019t because the music was particularly good or the sermon especially profound. It was because there was a collective sense of God\u2019s holiness. I recall standing in a room with 300 people singing \u201cHow Great Is Our God\u201d and feeling like we were blending into heaven. Only an intense appreciation for God\u2019s holiness produces such moments. Only when we marvel at his majesty will we achieve the deep intimacy that grows out of a true appreciation for who God is.<\/p>\n
The cruel irony of choosing God\u2019s love over his holiness is that we end up losing both. The affection of a familiar, buddy deity isn\u2019t worth much. Only the love of the Lord of heaven and earth, who dwells in unapproachable light, is truly awe-inspiring. When we lose sight of God\u2019s greatness, his love loses meaning. Perhaps this is why we write more saccharine love songs about God\u2019s affection or make bizarre speculations that Jesus would have died \u201cjust for me.\u201d Are we trying to convince ourselves, through repetition and superlatives, that his love still has meaning?<\/p>\n
Only when we rediscover the holiness of God will we be overwhelmed by his love. Only then will we realize how truly good the news of the gospel is \u2014 that this holy God turns out to be a lover, that the temple curtain designed to protect us is now torn to let us in. But let\u2019s never forget that he is the God of Isaiah 6. His throne is still exalted. The seraphim still cry holy. And so must we.<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
From the issue May 2014, Vol. 58, No. 4, Pg 56, \u201cOur Radioactive God\u201d<\/p>\n
Drew Dyck is the managing editor of Leadership Journal and author of Yawning at Tigers: You Can\u2019t Tame God, So Stop Trying (Nelson Books, 2014), from which this article has been adapted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
God may not be cruel and capricious. But don\u2019t pretend he isn\u2019t dangerous. ________ A couple years ago, I visited Israel with a group of Christian journalists. We bobbed in the Dead Sea, ate \u201cPeter fish\u201d in Galilee, and ascended the desert fortress of Masada. We toured the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, prayed at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2723,2722,2721,1869],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6951"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6951\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}