“‘I am the LORD your God. Set yourselves apart. BE HOLY, because I AM HOLY’…” (Lev. 11:44) Isaiah had this vision: “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne…Above him were seraphim…They were calling out to one another. ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD who rules over all.’” (Isa. 6:3)
GOD IS HOLY–God is almighty, perfect, and separate from his creation. He is without sin of any kind. That’s great, but it makes a problem for us: our sinful human state separates us from him.
GOD IS RIGHTEOUS—God insists on justice, a price must be paid for every wrong. Sin is like a cancer that won’t go away. It must be destroyed, which means we all get the death penalty. Therefore no one can ever be good enough to make it to heaven BY THEIR OWN EFFORT, EVER! “…ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23)
GOD IS LOVE—God loves us, as His own creation, and wants to have an intimate relationship with us. So, after periods of Old Testament animal sacrifice, He provided us the perfect sacrifice by giving us Jesus Christ, who was very God and very human. Jesus died in our place to pay the ultimate price (death) for the sins of all humanity and to give a “NOT GUILTY” verdict to those who receive him as Lord of their lives. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8).
His resurrection overcame the powers of death and hell to guarantee eternal life to those WHO ARE HIS: “I am the Living One. I was dead. But look! I AM ALIVE for ever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Hell.” (Rev. 1:18).
When we grasp how holy and righteous God is—and then recognize his love, it becomes far more meaningful to us and influences us more powerfully than it ever could without first GRASPING THE KIND OF GOD WE’RE DEALING WITH and how desperately we need Him.
May we be filled with wonder at God’s holiness, righteousness, and love—as Jesus hung on the Cross for us.
Let’s take some time today, to thank the Lord…Bill Stockham