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When we look back at Scripture, we see just how holy God really is. Anyone who came into the fullness of God (or Jesus in His heavenly form) were overwhelmed beyond comprehension.
Wrestling With GodIn Genesis 32, Jacob wrestled with a human form of God (many believe this was Jesus) and was overcome.
Genesis 32:25 HCSB When the man saw that He could not defeat him, He struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.
Seeing GodIn Exodus 33, Moses pleaded with God to see His face and God allowed for Him to only see the backside of Him, as Moses would have died had He seen God’s face.
Exodus 33:20-23 HCSB But He answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” 21 The LORD said, “Here is a place near Me. You are to stand on the rock, 22 and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”
Witnessing the Risen ChristIn Acts 9, Paul witnessed the glory of Christ directly before Him and fell down to the ground with blindness.
Acts 9:3-6 HCSB As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 “Who are You, Lord?” he said. “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” He replied. 6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
A RevelationWhile on the island of Patmos, John was caught up in the Spirit when Jesus appeared before him.
Revelation 1:10-11 HCSB I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” Revelation 1:17-18 HCSB When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
The glory and holiness of God/Jesus is certainly nothing to underestimate. Often, we do.
“There is a gap between our love for the gospel and our love for godliness… It’s not pietism, legalism, or fundamentalism to take holiness seriously.”
Kevin DeYoung
We tend to celebrate what Christ saved us from much more often than celebrating what He’s called us to. The sacrifice of Jesus was for both grace and truth. It is grace that saves us from sin, but truth that calls us forward into holiness.
You who love the LORD, hate evil! He protects the lives of His godly ones; He rescues them from the power of the wicked. 11 Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart.
Psalms 97:10-11 HCSB
You who love the Lord, hate evil! Yes, He rescues us from the power of the wicked, but He calls us forward into the light where the righteous rejoice in the freedom of holiness. Where have you compromised the holiness of God? Where are you leaning into His grace while neglecting His truth?