Let's continue to look at the issue of sin. Last time we looked at the Fall and we'll continue to look into the effects of Adam's sin.
Rm 5:19
"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous"
It is clear that because of Adam's sin all were made sinners. All of mankind are in the state of sin because of the Fall, this is what some people will call Original Sin. I think it's a weird term because it's not really talking about the first sin but talking about sinfulness that is credited to everyone because of the first sin, weird term but next time you hear it you'll know what people are talking about.
So the next question is how bad is this original sin. Who are affected by it and when are they affected by it? To answer the question who are affected by it, I will point to the popular verse Rm 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". EVERYONE is affected by sin. Everyone is sinful. Other verses that support this: Psalm 143:2, Galatians 3:22, Romans 11:32, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:9-12,
1 Jhn 1:8,10.
Next question, when are we sinful? Are we sinful from birth or are we only affected by sin in the sense that our sin nature incline us to sin? The Bible I think is pretty clear that we are sinful from birth.
This verse I think is the most drastic and clear. Ps. 51:5 "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." The psalmist here says that he was sinful at conception, I think that's very clear that from birth or even before birth we are already sinful. There is no such thing as a blank state or "tabula rasa". I did a verse search and found these other ones: Prov 22:15, Gen 8:21, Ps. 58:3.
So here is the deal because of the Fall everyone is sinful from conception. From Genesis 3:15 we see that because of sin we need a savior. Here we see that everyone is sinful from birth. Everyone need a savior from birth. This is hard to take for some people but the truth is that we are in a pretty bad state ever since birth. There is no such thing as childhood innocence.
For Christians the concept of Original Sin should lead us to praise God for the gift of Jesus Christ the one man that brought righteousness to many. Just as Paul says in Rm 5:12-20. Here is an excerpt Rm 5:15 "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!"
Furthermore, the doctrine Original Sin should give us an urgency to bring to Gospel to everyone, even those who are "young". Jesus welcomed to little children, let us also bring even the little ones to Him.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Behold, The Lamb of God!
Sorry for the lack of update, I have found it difficult to write out what I want to say about the corruption of man by sin. I have been bogged down by the intensity and the heaviness of the topic. Also, I was getting frustrated at some of the articles I've been reading that were riddled with jargons and technical terms. I feel that I have to write like that to be "good" and "scholarly". So, I apologize for writing in a way that's not really the way I speak and for the delay in my blog. I do want to write things out in more day to day language and explain Christian terms in simple language. I don't want to pretend to be or write like someone I am not.
With that said, I just want to share a little bit of what struck me today.
Jn 1:29
"The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'"
Jn 1:36
"and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'"
John the Baptist is telling people around him to behold! To behold is to gaze upon or to look with full attention. The way I understand it is to stop and observe the object that I am beholding. To literally be held by the object of interest. John the Baptist here is saying LOOK CAREFULLY, the Lamb of God.
This really convicted me. I asked myself how many times I have only glanced at Jesus, only looking at him for a moment, treating Him as common because of the familiarity. But here John is telling us to BEHOLD because Jesus is the one that takes away the sin of the world. He is the Lamb that is to be slain for the atonement of sins. He is our savior.
I then ask myself, what am I beholding if it was not Christ? Myself? People? School? Video Games? Sports? With such busy schedules and lives have I stopped beholding Jesus? Is He the apple of my eyes? Is He the one that I gaze upon and marvel at?
He is the saviour of the world, He is the Lamb of God, the only one who is worthy of our full attention and worship. Let's be intimate with God without making Him common. He deserves more than a glance. Imagine the body of Christ that is awestruck by His mercy and captured by His love. Let us stop and be held by His glory, let us marvel at His grace, let us fix our eyes on Jesus.
"Behold, the Lamb of God!"
With that said, I just want to share a little bit of what struck me today.
Jn 1:29
"The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'"
Jn 1:36
"and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'"
John the Baptist is telling people around him to behold! To behold is to gaze upon or to look with full attention. The way I understand it is to stop and observe the object that I am beholding. To literally be held by the object of interest. John the Baptist here is saying LOOK CAREFULLY, the Lamb of God.
This really convicted me. I asked myself how many times I have only glanced at Jesus, only looking at him for a moment, treating Him as common because of the familiarity. But here John is telling us to BEHOLD because Jesus is the one that takes away the sin of the world. He is the Lamb that is to be slain for the atonement of sins. He is our savior.
I then ask myself, what am I beholding if it was not Christ? Myself? People? School? Video Games? Sports? With such busy schedules and lives have I stopped beholding Jesus? Is He the apple of my eyes? Is He the one that I gaze upon and marvel at?
He is the saviour of the world, He is the Lamb of God, the only one who is worthy of our full attention and worship. Let's be intimate with God without making Him common. He deserves more than a glance. Imagine the body of Christ that is awestruck by His mercy and captured by His love. Let us stop and be held by His glory, let us marvel at His grace, let us fix our eyes on Jesus.
"Behold, the Lamb of God!"
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sin - The Fall
Today we are going to look at Adam and Eve and their first sin, which will be refer to as The Fall, and it that affects us. The text is found in Genesis 3.
The Attractiveness of Sin
In Genesis 3 God had just finished creating everything and Adam and Eve were created and everything was good. Then came this serpent which I will suppose is the devil (2 Cor. 11:3,14, Rev. 12:9). It approached Eve and spoke with her to deceive her. Eve then respond to the serpent and answers his question. This would eventually lead to The Fall. What does this mean for us? Don't negotiate or even dialogue with the devil, He is more crafty than we are and we are weaker than we think. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Secondly, the serpent calls God a liar, "you will not surely die"(v.4). Furthermore, he tells Eve that God is withholding something good from them (v. 5). What we must know is that God's word is always true and it is final, do not even entertain the thought that God's word may be wrong. Moreover, God never withhold something good from us, never. He is the giver of every good gifts (James 1:17).
Thirdly, the woman saw the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom (v.6), this caused her to take the fruit. This is similar to what John says in 1 Jn. 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." When we are tempted we struggle with our flesh, we struggle with our eyes, and we struggle with our pride. When Adam and Eve took the fruit they succumbed to all three.
Where is Adam?
it is interesting to note that the serpent spoke with Eve not Adam although he was with her (v. 6). The serpent was so rebellious to God that he purposefully approach Eve rather than Adam, for God created the woman to be a helper to man. Note that man is not greater than woman because they are both made in the image of God (Gen 1:27) and one image of God cannot be greater than another image of God. However, God did appoint Adam to be in charge. God addresses Adam first after The Fall (v.9). The man is the first one to be held accountable. What is sad in this passage is that Adam did nothing to stop Eve from taking the fruit. This is very common in today's culture that the men are apathetic and does nothing. We men are just like our father Adam, we sin by omission. It is plain, in church men should take the lead (not that women shouldn't be leaders eg. Lydia), in marriage men should be the head. It is not a matter of equality, it is a matter of God's appointment, to do otherwise is rebellion, the devil approached Eve and flipped God's chain of power upside down.
Personal Effects of Sin
Sin separates. It separates one from another. Adam and Eve made coverings for their nakedness. They were made one flesh (Gen 2:24) yet because of sin they separated themselves. Before sin Eve address her and Adam as "we", after sin Adam addresses himself as "I". Sin separates one from God. They hid themselves from God and they no longer has unhindered communion with God and finally God removed them from the garden.
Sin brings shame. They were not ashamed (Gen 2:25) but once sin entered they were ashamed of their nakedness. Sin causes fear. Adam was afraid when God called him. Sin dulls the mind. Adam and Eve became stupider after sin. They thought they can hide from God, Adam thought he can blame God for his sin (v.12), how stupid. Sin not only separates but causes animosity. Adam blames God and the woman. Eve blames the serpent, but there is no one to blame all were punished.
Effects of The Fall
1. Because of The Fall, sin and death entered the world (Rm 5:12).
2. Because of The Fall, all men are totally corrupted by sin and are condemned (Rm 5:19, see Rm 5:12-21) We will look at the total corruption of man next blog.
3. Because of The Fall, man needs a saviour (v. 15). God pronounced the first gospel message in which He promised that the Seed of Eve will crush the head of the serpent, Satan. It is important to note that it is the Seed of Eve and not the seed of Adam. Jesus was born as the Son of God through the womb of Mary. Jesus was not the son of a man, thus not a seed of Adam, but of Eve. This just shows the sovereignty and omniscience of God!
4. Because of The Fall, the world became painful (v. 16-17). The woman now have to endure birth pains and the man has to toil.
5. Because of The Fall, the whole earth was cursed (v17-19).
The effects of the sin incurred at The Fall is extensive and pervasive. The Fall is the only reasonable answer to questions like "Why is there evil in this world", "Why does natural disasters and pestilence happen?", "Why are there stillborn and deformed babies?" etc. etc. They are all the results of sin's corruption which entered the world through The Fall.
The Grace of God
As we close this brief study on The Fall it is important to notice the grace of God and the provision of God to Adam and Eve. In response to man's rebellion, God cursed the devil and promised a saviour (v.15), He provided clothing for them (V.21), and He kept them from living in sin forever (v.22). God is wonderful, even when we are rebellious against Him (Rm 5:8-10). He still gives us Jesus, our savior and only hope. Even when we are sinners, He provides for us the breath that we take, the food that we eat, the clothes that we have. Lastly, even when we are defiled in our sins, He still desire to be with us, to clothe us with the righteousness of Christ and spend eternity with us. From Genesis to Revelations, God had pursued mankind and still pursues us today through the finished work of the cross.
In light of The Fall and its effects (pain, sickness, injustice, disasters and the full array of the corruptive work of sin) let us be reminded of the abundance grace and providence of God.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sin - Intro and Definition
In the next few posts we are going to look into the issue of sin and the sinfulness of man as a contrast to the holiness of God.
First of all what is sin?
1. Sin is breaking the moral law of God, lawlessness in our actions, thoughts, attitudes, and nature.
1 john 3:4
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness."
Sin can be actions, stealing, lying, murder (Ex 20). Sin can be thoughts, the desire to sin, premeditated sin, lust (Mt 5:28). Sin can be attitudes, hatred, jealousy, selfishness (Gal5:20). Sin is in our nature (Eph 2:3), this last point will be our focus in the next few posts.
Anything that we do, think, will, pursue that breaks the moral law of God is sin.
2. Sin is faithlessness.
Rm 14:23b
"... everything that does not come from faith is sin"
Heb 11:6a
"And without faith it is impossible to please God"
With these two working definitions of sin let's look at what they imply and how that match up to our view of sin today
What do these two definitions imply?
1. Sin is pervasive, coming from our nature, affecting all areas of our lives.
We were objects of wrath by nature and by that very nature we are corrupted by sin and sin through our thoughts and actions. We cannot escape sin apart from the grace of God (Rm 6:17-18)
2. Sin is primarily an offense towards God not man.
Sin is the breaking of GOD's law and it is faithlessness towards GOD. Sin offend God first and foremost. The first four commandments in the 10 Commandments are towards God (Ex. 20). Since God is holy, every sin is appalling and offensive to Him. Sin is a serious matter.
3. Everything that a non-Christian does is sin no matter how "good" it is.
Non-Christians does not have faith in God. Therefore no matter what he or she does it is sin. No matter how nice/philanthropic/loving/kind/giving etc. etc. he or she is, whatever the non-christian does is sin. Likewise, whatever the christian does without faith is sin. Anything that does not come from a reliance on God so that God may be glorified is sin. Apart from faith our "good deeds" are just for the praise of men and our own glory no matter how humble we seem.
What do these implications mean to us as Christians?
1 We must recognize the pervasiveness of sin in our lives and be on guard. If the Spirit is at work in us we should be more aware of and more disgusted by our sins (Gal 5:16-17).
2. We must take serious the issue of sin because it is not only men that we sin against but God. This applies especially with private sins. Private sins are sins that people don't know about and we keep doing them because we don't "get caught". How foolish for us to think that God does not see. We should fear the judgment of God far more than the judgment of men.
3. Live by faith and for the glory of God in all we do. Pursue the lost, no matter how good and righteous they seem, they are in sin and are under the control of sin by nature. Only the blood of Christ can bring salvation.
I hope this intro to sin helps us to have a proper orientation on this topic as we go deeper in the next few posts.
First of all what is sin?
1. Sin is breaking the moral law of God, lawlessness in our actions, thoughts, attitudes, and nature.
1 john 3:4
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness."
Sin can be actions, stealing, lying, murder (Ex 20). Sin can be thoughts, the desire to sin, premeditated sin, lust (Mt 5:28). Sin can be attitudes, hatred, jealousy, selfishness (Gal5:20). Sin is in our nature (Eph 2:3), this last point will be our focus in the next few posts.
Anything that we do, think, will, pursue that breaks the moral law of God is sin.
2. Sin is faithlessness.
Rm 14:23b
"... everything that does not come from faith is sin"
Heb 11:6a
"And without faith it is impossible to please God"
With these two working definitions of sin let's look at what they imply and how that match up to our view of sin today
What do these two definitions imply?
1. Sin is pervasive, coming from our nature, affecting all areas of our lives.
We were objects of wrath by nature and by that very nature we are corrupted by sin and sin through our thoughts and actions. We cannot escape sin apart from the grace of God (Rm 6:17-18)
2. Sin is primarily an offense towards God not man.
Sin is the breaking of GOD's law and it is faithlessness towards GOD. Sin offend God first and foremost. The first four commandments in the 10 Commandments are towards God (Ex. 20). Since God is holy, every sin is appalling and offensive to Him. Sin is a serious matter.
3. Everything that a non-Christian does is sin no matter how "good" it is.
Non-Christians does not have faith in God. Therefore no matter what he or she does it is sin. No matter how nice/philanthropic/loving/kind/giving etc. etc. he or she is, whatever the non-christian does is sin. Likewise, whatever the christian does without faith is sin. Anything that does not come from a reliance on God so that God may be glorified is sin. Apart from faith our "good deeds" are just for the praise of men and our own glory no matter how humble we seem.
What do these implications mean to us as Christians?
1 We must recognize the pervasiveness of sin in our lives and be on guard. If the Spirit is at work in us we should be more aware of and more disgusted by our sins (Gal 5:16-17).
2. We must take serious the issue of sin because it is not only men that we sin against but God. This applies especially with private sins. Private sins are sins that people don't know about and we keep doing them because we don't "get caught". How foolish for us to think that God does not see. We should fear the judgment of God far more than the judgment of men.
3. Live by faith and for the glory of God in all we do. Pursue the lost, no matter how good and righteous they seem, they are in sin and are under the control of sin by nature. Only the blood of Christ can bring salvation.
I hope this intro to sin helps us to have a proper orientation on this topic as we go deeper in the next few posts.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Holy Holy Holy - Response of a prophet
Today we are going to look at just one more example found in Isaiah 6 which is about responding to God's holiness. There are a few more examples, but I don't think I will deal with it in this blog because I don't want to beat the topic of God's holiness to death. If you are really interested in this topic read R.C. Sproul's Holiness of God. Also, here are a few passages about the seriousness of honoring God as holy, if you are interested. Num. 20: 1-13, the story about Moses and the gushing rock. 2 Sam 6:1-11, Uzzah and the ark of God. Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira.
Isaiah 6:1-7
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, 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:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
Isaiah 6:1-7
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, 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:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
"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."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
I just want to draw attention to a few parts of the passage. This scene is very similar to the scene found in Rev. 4. Isaiah saw God seated on the throne and seraphs were surrounding Him crying "Holy, Holy, Holy". It is interesting to note that the seraphs were covering their faces and their feet with their wings. Even though they are so close to God, the seraphs still had to cover themselves in the presence of the King. I think it once again shows the creatures that are closest to God have a strong sense of humility and awe before God. It's kind of paradoxical, that the closer we are to God, the more we recognize His "set apart-ness" from us.
Examining the response of Isaiah, provides us a good guide to response to God's holy presence. First, Isaiah responded in a holy dreadful fear. He said "woe is me, I am ruined" which is like calling down a curse on himself. He really felt that he was ruined. Second, Isaiah was fearful because he was a "man of unclean lips". He became aware of his sins. Third, Isaiah was concerned about the sin of his people, for he "live among a people of unclean lips". Lastly, Isaiah responded in this way because his "eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
The application of this passage is simple. The question is do we have the same response when we encounter God. Are we stricken with a holy fear? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Prov. 9:10) "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12b). It is important to have a healthy fear of God. When we encounter God, are we made aware of our sins and how much we need a savior? Thirdly, when we see our King, are we drawn to the people that are around us and how they desperately need Jesus? Do we realize that seeing the King is a big deal, and it is by His grace that we can even come to Him each day?
The last part of the passage is amazing. The seraph brings a coal from the altar and touches Isaiah lips for the atonement and removal of his sins. Removal and atonement of sin is absolutely necessary to enter the presence of God. The coal from the altar gave Isaiah one time access to the throne room of God, how much more glorious is the blood of Christ which gives us unlimited access to His presence. The coal in Isaiah 6 points forward to Jesus and the necessity of the cross. It is impossible to approach a holy God without a holy saviour!
As this section about the holiness of God comes to an end, I just want to draw attention back to the cross. If this short study of the holiness of God did not give you a higher view of God and a deeper appreciation of Christ and the work done on the cross then the past few blog entries have failed you. God's holiness demands us to have a holy savior, which is God himself for no one is holy like our God, Jesus Christ. And this savior must atone for and remove our sins, which is only accomplished through the cross. My prayer is that as we look upon God and His holiness we would gain deeper insights into His glorious gospel and rejoice for it is truly good news.Saturday, July 11, 2009
Holy Holy Holy - The Throne Room of God
Sorry for the lack of update for the past couple of days, weekends are busy times.
Back to the topic of holiness, so why are we talking about holiness and not other attributes of God that people usually talk about in relationship to the Gospel, namely God's justice and God's love. One reason is just because I had been fascinated by this attribute of God for awhile now. Secondly, it is the only attribute that is repeated three times "Holy, Holy, Holy" in Isaiah 6 and Revelations 4, there is no passages that refers to God as "love, love, love" or "justice, justice, justice" or anything. Thirdly, I believe that His holiness permeates into all of His attributes and I will explain this later. Lastly, having even a glimpse at God's holiness can lead us to have a much more exalted and high view of Him, which in turns magnifies the cross.
Today we will look at the passage in Rev. 4 to have an examination of the response of those who dwell in close proximity to our God the King. It this chapter, the letters to the seven churches had just been recorded and now John is carried into heaven, specifically he is brought to the throne of God. The descriptions of this throne room are glorious, and there were four living creatures around the throne. These heavenly beings I would imagine are probably magnificent in appearance. Try to imagine you were John looking at throne and all that is around it, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures, it must have been mind boggling.
Then comes the part that really caught my attention.
Rev. 4:8-11
"Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.' Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
'You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.'"
This is somewhat a sneak peek of what heaven is like, well at least the throne room of God. In this passage it says that the four living creatures, the heavenly beings that are perpetually around the throne, never cease to say "Holy, holy, holy". This begs the question why are the creatures around the throne saying "Holy, holy, holy" and not any other adjectives for God?
I believe that the four living creatures are crying "holy, holy, holy" because holiness magnifies the fact that nothing is like God. It is the only description that places God in a place where He deserves. Although other adjectives of God are true and honoring to God, holiness does not make God just good and benevolent but supreme.
This is why I believe that God's holiness permeates throughout His other attributes. His supremacy marks all that He does. His love is of a different kind than ours, His justice is of a different kind than ours, all His attributes surpass our attributes. Only He is supreme and "Holy, holy, holy" is an emphatic declaration of God's supremacy.
Furthermore, God's holiness speaks also of His eternal nature. The four living creatures praise to the one "who was and who is and who is to come". The one the throne was described twice in the passage as the one "who lives forever and ever".
Lastly, to honor God's holiness is to honor His power, namely His creative power. It gives us the right perspective that we are creature and He is creator. He is eternal, no one created Him, we are not eternal, we are created. The four beings around the throne are called the four living creatures, they are created beings. They recognized God as holy and powerful and worshiped Him as "the Lord God Almighty". The twenty-four elders worshiped saying "for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being". They worshiped His holiness and His creation power. We do not have the power of being apart from God, God is being, He makes being possible. We cannot be without God, God can never not be. God is holy, He is supreme, powerful and the source of being.
So what does that mean to us, how shall we respond in light of His holiness? Firstly, we should recognize that we are created and He is the creator. He is the source of our being. It said in the passage that the four living creatures gave glory, honor, and thanks to God. We should respond to God in gladness because of Him we can have life. Secondly, we should not treat God as common even though we are given the privilege to be familiar with Him through the blood of Christ. Just because we can know God and have access to His throne room, it does not make God any more common. In fact, if we are truly in the presence of the King we should become more and more aware of His supremacy and holiness. The four living creatures. despite being consistently in the presence of God, still recognized Him as holy and the creator of all things, they knew they were mere creatures in the presence of the Creator. Being in His presence should lead us to a more exalted view of God. Thirdly, we should be in perpetual reverent worship. It says in Rev. 4 that the four living creatures never cease to praise God. In the presence of God, because of His majestic holiness, they are moved to unceasing worship, it is the only fitting response. Lastly, being in His holiness strips away all that we have. The twenty-four elders laid down their crown before the throne in worship. We too should respond in such a way to God, whatever is for our glory, whatever gives us honor, whatever power and authority we possess shall be laid down before Him who deserves all the glory, honor and power.
So here are some questions.
1. Do you joyfully honor God as the creator, despite any hardship that you may go through, knowing that it is only through Him that you can have being?
2. Do you gain a deeper appreciation and a higher view of God each time you are in His presence?
3. Have you made God or speak of God as if He is a common thing?
4. Are you continually aware of His supremacy and holiness?
5. Do you have a lifestyle of perpetual worship?
6. Have you laid down your crowns (glory, honor, power) before the throne or have you held on to some?
I really do pray that as we enter into the throne room and be in the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lord we too will be compelled to cry out "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." To Him be glory and honor and power forever and ever. Amen.
Back to the topic of holiness, so why are we talking about holiness and not other attributes of God that people usually talk about in relationship to the Gospel, namely God's justice and God's love. One reason is just because I had been fascinated by this attribute of God for awhile now. Secondly, it is the only attribute that is repeated three times "Holy, Holy, Holy" in Isaiah 6 and Revelations 4, there is no passages that refers to God as "love, love, love" or "justice, justice, justice" or anything. Thirdly, I believe that His holiness permeates into all of His attributes and I will explain this later. Lastly, having even a glimpse at God's holiness can lead us to have a much more exalted and high view of Him, which in turns magnifies the cross.
Today we will look at the passage in Rev. 4 to have an examination of the response of those who dwell in close proximity to our God the King. It this chapter, the letters to the seven churches had just been recorded and now John is carried into heaven, specifically he is brought to the throne of God. The descriptions of this throne room are glorious, and there were four living creatures around the throne. These heavenly beings I would imagine are probably magnificent in appearance. Try to imagine you were John looking at throne and all that is around it, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures, it must have been mind boggling.
Then comes the part that really caught my attention.
Rev. 4:8-11
"Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.' Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
'You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.'"
This is somewhat a sneak peek of what heaven is like, well at least the throne room of God. In this passage it says that the four living creatures, the heavenly beings that are perpetually around the throne, never cease to say "Holy, holy, holy". This begs the question why are the creatures around the throne saying "Holy, holy, holy" and not any other adjectives for God?
I believe that the four living creatures are crying "holy, holy, holy" because holiness magnifies the fact that nothing is like God. It is the only description that places God in a place where He deserves. Although other adjectives of God are true and honoring to God, holiness does not make God just good and benevolent but supreme.
This is why I believe that God's holiness permeates throughout His other attributes. His supremacy marks all that He does. His love is of a different kind than ours, His justice is of a different kind than ours, all His attributes surpass our attributes. Only He is supreme and "Holy, holy, holy" is an emphatic declaration of God's supremacy.
Furthermore, God's holiness speaks also of His eternal nature. The four living creatures praise to the one "who was and who is and who is to come". The one the throne was described twice in the passage as the one "who lives forever and ever".
Lastly, to honor God's holiness is to honor His power, namely His creative power. It gives us the right perspective that we are creature and He is creator. He is eternal, no one created Him, we are not eternal, we are created. The four beings around the throne are called the four living creatures, they are created beings. They recognized God as holy and powerful and worshiped Him as "the Lord God Almighty". The twenty-four elders worshiped saying "for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being". They worshiped His holiness and His creation power. We do not have the power of being apart from God, God is being, He makes being possible. We cannot be without God, God can never not be. God is holy, He is supreme, powerful and the source of being.
So what does that mean to us, how shall we respond in light of His holiness? Firstly, we should recognize that we are created and He is the creator. He is the source of our being. It said in the passage that the four living creatures gave glory, honor, and thanks to God. We should respond to God in gladness because of Him we can have life. Secondly, we should not treat God as common even though we are given the privilege to be familiar with Him through the blood of Christ. Just because we can know God and have access to His throne room, it does not make God any more common. In fact, if we are truly in the presence of the King we should become more and more aware of His supremacy and holiness. The four living creatures. despite being consistently in the presence of God, still recognized Him as holy and the creator of all things, they knew they were mere creatures in the presence of the Creator. Being in His presence should lead us to a more exalted view of God. Thirdly, we should be in perpetual reverent worship. It says in Rev. 4 that the four living creatures never cease to praise God. In the presence of God, because of His majestic holiness, they are moved to unceasing worship, it is the only fitting response. Lastly, being in His holiness strips away all that we have. The twenty-four elders laid down their crown before the throne in worship. We too should respond in such a way to God, whatever is for our glory, whatever gives us honor, whatever power and authority we possess shall be laid down before Him who deserves all the glory, honor and power.
So here are some questions.
1. Do you joyfully honor God as the creator, despite any hardship that you may go through, knowing that it is only through Him that you can have being?
2. Do you gain a deeper appreciation and a higher view of God each time you are in His presence?
3. Have you made God or speak of God as if He is a common thing?
4. Are you continually aware of His supremacy and holiness?
5. Do you have a lifestyle of perpetual worship?
6. Have you laid down your crowns (glory, honor, power) before the throne or have you held on to some?
I really do pray that as we enter into the throne room and be in the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lord we too will be compelled to cry out "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." To Him be glory and honor and power forever and ever. Amen.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Holiness of God - Transcendentally Pure
God's holiness does not only mean that he is completely different and separated and exalted, it also means that he is absolutely pure.
Ps 24:3-4
"Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong"
Heb 7:26
"Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens"
God in His very being is completely separated from sin and sinners, he cannot tolerate or even look upon sin. Furthermore, His moral purity is of an different kind than our moral purity. Whereas we can be a very moral being by the grace of God, but we, by our nature, are sinful, we can succumb to sin, and we often do. Apart from the work of God we are sinful and cannot possibly be pure.
God, on the other hand, is pure in His very being, that is to say He is ontologically pure. It is impossible for God to be impure, it is impossible for Him to do something that is not moral. Furthermore, He is ontologically holy, which means that without Him doing anything, just God being God, He is completely different, completely set apart, completely pure, He is the ultimate definition of holiness.
I don't think anything I wrote tonight are new ideas but I want to stress that there is a need to see God as holy, set apart and pure. I want to reiterate that in our nature we are the total opposite of God, we are His enemies and we are in contention with Him (Rm 5:10), even our righteousness are filthy rags (Is 64:6) which are repulsive to God.
As I wrap up tonight's blog I want talk about three implications of God's transcendental purity. Firstly, there is a need for clean hands and pure hearts to approach a holy God (Ps 24:3-4). Let us examine ourselves as we approach God, do we come with a godly fear and trembling? Furthermore, let us rejoice in the fact that Christ made it possible for us to approach the throne of God with confidence (Heb 4:16). I hope we can have a deeper appreciation for the sufficiency and necessity of the cross in light of the disparity between us and God. Secondly, have we treated God as something common? Have we talked about Him or approached Him without reverence? I think there is a need at times to approach God with an intimate attitude, like a friend or a child, but there are also time that we need to come to God with reverence and awe. Have we lived in a way that others see that God is not common but holy? Thirdly, as we walk with each other in community, are we keeping each other accountable to a standard that God has set for us, or have we settled for what is "good enough"? Let us passionately pursue one another, to encourage one another to be holy for our God is holy.
1 Pet 1:13-16
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"
Ps 24:3-4
"Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false. "
"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong"
Heb 7:26
"Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens"
God in His very being is completely separated from sin and sinners, he cannot tolerate or even look upon sin. Furthermore, His moral purity is of an different kind than our moral purity. Whereas we can be a very moral being by the grace of God, but we, by our nature, are sinful, we can succumb to sin, and we often do. Apart from the work of God we are sinful and cannot possibly be pure.
God, on the other hand, is pure in His very being, that is to say He is ontologically pure. It is impossible for God to be impure, it is impossible for Him to do something that is not moral. Furthermore, He is ontologically holy, which means that without Him doing anything, just God being God, He is completely different, completely set apart, completely pure, He is the ultimate definition of holiness.
I don't think anything I wrote tonight are new ideas but I want to stress that there is a need to see God as holy, set apart and pure. I want to reiterate that in our nature we are the total opposite of God, we are His enemies and we are in contention with Him (Rm 5:10), even our righteousness are filthy rags (Is 64:6) which are repulsive to God.
As I wrap up tonight's blog I want talk about three implications of God's transcendental purity. Firstly, there is a need for clean hands and pure hearts to approach a holy God (Ps 24:3-4). Let us examine ourselves as we approach God, do we come with a godly fear and trembling? Furthermore, let us rejoice in the fact that Christ made it possible for us to approach the throne of God with confidence (Heb 4:16). I hope we can have a deeper appreciation for the sufficiency and necessity of the cross in light of the disparity between us and God. Secondly, have we treated God as something common? Have we talked about Him or approached Him without reverence? I think there is a need at times to approach God with an intimate attitude, like a friend or a child, but there are also time that we need to come to God with reverence and awe. Have we lived in a way that others see that God is not common but holy? Thirdly, as we walk with each other in community, are we keeping each other accountable to a standard that God has set for us, or have we settled for what is "good enough"? Let us passionately pursue one another, to encourage one another to be holy for our God is holy.
1 Pet 1:13-16
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Holiness of God - Transcendentally Different
I want to start looking at the Gospel by first looking at God because it always starts with Him, Gen 1:1 "In the beginning, God...". More specifically I want to explore the idea of His holiness because I believe that as we look and study His holiness we will gain a deeper appreciation of Him and the Gospel.
First of all, since the attribute of holiness is communicable, I want to make clear that I am talking about here the holiness of God which I think is slightly different than holiness we have through Jesus. (We will deal with our personal holiness and corporate holiness at a later time)
So, what does holiness mean? There has been a very common definition that has kind of been accepted in churches today, that holiness means set apart. It is my intent to unpack this phrase "set apart" into at least two sense, relationally and morally.
Today, we'll look at how the Bible describe God as set apart relationally.
Ex 15:11
"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?"
1 Sam 2:2
"There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God."
Is 40:25
"To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One."
From these verses it is easy to see that there is no one like God. In fact there is nothing that even comes close to who God is. Although God through the bible speaks of Himself in metaphors and analogies to us, there is actually no good analogy that can fully describe God. He is not just a father, king, lion, ruler, groom etc. etc. He is all that description and more.
He is set apart relationally in the sense that in relation to everything he is totally another, completely different. He is also set apart positionally, He is above all things, like Jesus in Phil 2:9-11 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".
I want to draw attention to the contrast between our holiness and God's holiness. First, our holiness is setting apart horizontally, whereas God's holiness is setting apart vertically. Secondly our holiness should bring glory to God not ourselves, whereas God's holiness brings honor and glory for Himself as you can see in Philippians 2, Christ is glorified and so is God the Father.
What I mean by horizontal and vertical "set apart-ness" is that we can set ourselves apart for God but we are still humans, we have just removed ourselves "horizontally" from things that defiles. God on the other hand does not choose to set apart Himself, He is set apart by default, He cannot not be set apart. There is nothing equal to Him that is to say there is nothing to His left and His right. Everything is below Him, therefore His holiness is transcendent, He is transcendentally set apart, transcendentally different.
As we close out on this idea of how God is set apart relationally and positionally, let us approach God with an increased and renewed sense of reverence and awe that there IS no one like our God. Let us set apart God as our number one, let nothing even come close to God in our lives. Let us examine ourselves and see if there are anything that we have placed on the same level as God or even above God, this could be school, career, your future mate, your spouse, your friends, ministry, TV, video games, your pastor, etc. etc. Let God reclaim the place that only He deserves in our lives.
First of all, since the attribute of holiness is communicable, I want to make clear that I am talking about here the holiness of God which I think is slightly different than holiness we have through Jesus. (We will deal with our personal holiness and corporate holiness at a later time)
So, what does holiness mean? There has been a very common definition that has kind of been accepted in churches today, that holiness means set apart. It is my intent to unpack this phrase "set apart" into at least two sense, relationally and morally.
Today, we'll look at how the Bible describe God as set apart relationally.
Ex 15:11
"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?"
1 Sam 2:2
"There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God."
Is 40:25
"To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One."
From these verses it is easy to see that there is no one like God. In fact there is nothing that even comes close to who God is. Although God through the bible speaks of Himself in metaphors and analogies to us, there is actually no good analogy that can fully describe God. He is not just a father, king, lion, ruler, groom etc. etc. He is all that description and more.
He is set apart relationally in the sense that in relation to everything he is totally another, completely different. He is also set apart positionally, He is above all things, like Jesus in Phil 2:9-11 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".
I want to draw attention to the contrast between our holiness and God's holiness. First, our holiness is setting apart horizontally, whereas God's holiness is setting apart vertically. Secondly our holiness should bring glory to God not ourselves, whereas God's holiness brings honor and glory for Himself as you can see in Philippians 2, Christ is glorified and so is God the Father.
What I mean by horizontal and vertical "set apart-ness" is that we can set ourselves apart for God but we are still humans, we have just removed ourselves "horizontally" from things that defiles. God on the other hand does not choose to set apart Himself, He is set apart by default, He cannot not be set apart. There is nothing equal to Him that is to say there is nothing to His left and His right. Everything is below Him, therefore His holiness is transcendent, He is transcendentally set apart, transcendentally different.
As we close out on this idea of how God is set apart relationally and positionally, let us approach God with an increased and renewed sense of reverence and awe that there IS no one like our God. Let us set apart God as our number one, let nothing even come close to God in our lives. Let us examine ourselves and see if there are anything that we have placed on the same level as God or even above God, this could be school, career, your future mate, your spouse, your friends, ministry, TV, video games, your pastor, etc. etc. Let God reclaim the place that only He deserves in our lives.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Gospel Intro
So I deleted the 3 posts that I had and hopefully get a new start with this blogging business. I want to begin a series of posts that look into what I understand the Gospel to be. This will help me and maybe the readers to hash out what we actually believe about the Gospel, why it is good news and hopefully to gain a deeper appreciation of the Gospel. With that said, I hope whoever reads this would comment and share about what their thoughts on the Gospel as well.
Throughout this series, my hope is to tackle topics and issues surrounding the Gospel so that We can see the richness and the necessity of the cross. Furthermore, to draw out the implications of the Gospel to our lives. Lastly, to gain a deeper passion for sharing the Gospel.
Hopefully this will be a fun blog for myself and you guys that are reading!
Throughout this series, my hope is to tackle topics and issues surrounding the Gospel so that We can see the richness and the necessity of the cross. Furthermore, to draw out the implications of the Gospel to our lives. Lastly, to gain a deeper passion for sharing the Gospel.
Hopefully this will be a fun blog for myself and you guys that are reading!
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