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One of the unansweredquestions in a postmodernage is:What is the meaningof it all?The one characteristic of God that all ofthe world’s great religions share isEdward Carnell(Philosopher)“I am a Christian in partbecause it provides a storythat, better than any other,gives meaning to what Iexperience inwardly andobserve outwardly in thisworld.”DivineHoliness“God is light, and in Himthere is no darkness at all.”1 John 1:5“Holy, Holy, Holyis the Lord God almighty”“Holiness is the mostimportant singleattribute of God.”Augustus H. Strong(Father of Baptist theologians)If we fail to see God’sholiness, we will fail to fullyappreciate all of the otherimportant attributes of God.
Matthew 6Holiness set apart as undefiled“22 The eye is the lamp of thebody; so then if your eye isclear, your whole body will befull of light. 23 But if your eyeis bad, your whole body willbe full of darkness. If then thelight that is in you is darkness,how great is the darkness!”Majestic powerGod is the infinite“I AM” the first causeof all that exists.Moral purityGod is perfect loveand the light of life.Holiness is highlighted against the backdropof moral defilement, sin and death.Majestic powerMoral purityIsaiah 6Isaiah 6“3 And one called out toanother and said, "Holy,Holy, Holy, is the LORDof hosts, ! The whole earthis full of His glory." 4 Andthe foundations of thethresholds trembled at thevoice of him who calledout, while the temple wasfilling with smoke.“5 Then I said, ! "Woe is me, for I amruined! Because I am a man of uncleanlips, and I live among a people of uncleanlips; for my eyes have seen the King, theLORD of hosts." 6 Then one of theseraphim flew to me with a burning coalin his hand, which he had taken from thealtar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouthwith it and said, "Behold, this has touchedyour lips; and your iniquity is taken awayand your sin is forgiven."”Majestic powerMoral purityColossians 1Colossians 1“16 For by Him all thingswere created, both in theheavens and on earth, visibleand invisible, whether thronesor dominions or rulers orauthorities - all things havebeen created by Him and forHim. 17 And He is before allthings, and in Him all thingshold together.”“19 For it was the Father’sgood pleasure for all thefulness to dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcileall things to Himself, havingmade peace through theblood of His cross; throughHim, I say, whether things onearth or things in heaven.”Majestic powerJohn 1“1 In the beginning was theWord, and the Word waswith God, and the Wordwas God. 2 He was in thebeginning with God. 3 Allthings came into being byHim, and apart from Himnothing came into beingthat has come into being.”Moral purityJohn 1“4 In Him was life, and the lifewas the light of men. 5 And thelight shines in the darkness,and the darkness did notcomprehend it. 9 There was thetrue light which, coming intothe world, enlightens everyman.”Our response to theholiness of God resultingin God’s judgment and Hisloving provision for us iskey to understanding manyof the mysteries of ourcommon experience.
DivineHolinessJudgment MercyRamificationsThe fallen Cosmosbears witness to Godʼs holy wrath. !Nature operates imperfectly.Divine JudgmentGen.3:17“Cursed is theground becauseof you.”Explains manyof natures greatmysteries.Rom.8:22“the wholecreation groansand suffers . . .even we ourselvesgroan withinourselves,”Natural disasterscall for acts of God. !Our bodies decay and die. !Evil and death are allowed to reign untilthe end. !Bad things happen to everyone (righteousand wicked). !The image of God and the values of Hiskingdom are displayed against thebackground of a fallen world.17e groundyou.”Divine JudgmentRom.5:12“just as through oneman sin entered intothe world, and deaththrough sin, and sodeath spread to allmen,”Is the rootof our fearThe Fall createda profound dissonanceRom.1:18“the wrath of Godis revealed fromheaven against allungodliness andunrighteousnessof men”Genesis 3:10“I was afraidbecause I wasnaked; so Ihid myself.”
Dissonance - moral conflictRomans 7:19“For the good that I wish, Ido not do; but I practicethe very evil that I do notwish. ”Lily TomlinPersonalSocialInner spiritualconflictOuter socialconflictCarl Jung(comedian)“The biggestsource of stress inlife is reality andthose who choseto live in it.”Divine JudgmentIs thefoundation ofthe GospelJames 4:1“What is the source of quarrels and conflictsamong you? Is not the source your pleasuresthat wage war on your members?”“Through pride we areever deceiving ourselves.But deep down belowthe surface of theaverage conscience astill, small voice says tous, ‘Something is out oftune’.”Divine Judgment2 Cor.5:21“He made Him whoknew no sin to besin on our behalf,”Is the contextof our joyRom.5:9“having nowbeen justified byHis blood, weshall be savedfrom the wrathof God throughHim”
Romans 8“1 There is therefore now no condemnationfor those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For thelaw of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hasset you free from the law of sin and ofdeath. 3 For what the Law could not do,weak as it was through the flesh, God did:sending His own Son in the likeness ofsinful flesh and as an offering for sin, Hecondemned sin in the flesh,”H. Richard Niebuhr(Neo-orthodox Christian theological-ethicistsYale Divinity School)“The theology of liberalprotestantism was a Godwithout wrath who broughtmen without sin into akingdom without judgmentthrough the ministrations ofa Christ without a cross.”In a culture that ignores the holiness of Godthere can be no deep insight into the mostprofound mysteries of nature.1.! If there is no holiness, there is no true beauty.2.! If there is no holy judgment, there is no deepexplanation for many physical phenomena: physical death, social injustice, pain and suffering, corruption of nature.3.! If there is no holiness, there is no deep explanationfor human imagination, longings, hopes, and fears.4.! If there is no holiness there is no basis for theuniversal impulse to worship.In a culture that ignores the holiness of Godthere is no rational basis of right and wrong.1.! If the Cosmos is all there is, was, or will be, thenGodʼs holiness is meaningless.2.! If holiness is meaningless, then ethics, morality,justice, and virtue are baseless, and arbitrary.3.! If morality is arbitrary, then there can be no basisfor a common sense of good and evil.4.! But we all have a sense of good and evil.5.! We have reason to believe that we bear the imageof a holy God.
God is the infinite “I AM” the first cause of all that exists. God is perfect love and the light of life. Holiness set apart as undefiled Holiness is highlighted against the backdrop of moral defilement, sin and death. Isaiah 6 “ 3 And one called out to another and said,
