Holy is one of those Christian words that ,if we are not careful, we will not think much about. We know that holy means perfect, pure, and right in every way. We also know that holy has to do with separation or being set apart. Yet, when we hear the word, we simply think of it as a term that makes things religious—a holy book, holy place, or holy gathering.
It would do us good, however, if we paid closer attention to what happens when people in Scripture recognize holiness. In Isaiah 6, when the prophet understood the holiness of God, he feared that he would crumble to dust in its light. In nearly every human contact with an undisguised angelic being, the person trembles or falls to the ground. Even the Lord warned Moses that he could not look upon the full glory of God and live.
In my reading through Luke, I came across another picture of a human response to holiness. Simon Peter was in his boat, and Jesus used it as a floating platform from which to speak to a crowd on shore. After his presentation, Jesus asked Peter to move the boat out toward deeper water and cast the net for some fish. Peter knows that this is not going to work, but he obeys Jesus. Then the net is so full of fish that the weight threatens to swamp the boat.
Look at Peter’s response to these happenings.
Luke 5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
When Peter saw what happened, he recognized something that is not said in this verse. He recognized that Jesus is holy. Peter recognized that Jesus is above and beyond him. And this recognition terrifies Peter. Peter falls to his knees and asks Jesus to go away because he fears the holiness of the Lord.
Why is this the case? When human beings, in our sinfulness, encounter the true God who made us, in his holiness, we recognize that we are not at all equipped to stand in his presence. We know that, if God does not protect us from his perfection, we will be consumed, destroyed, in an instant.
I once tried illustrating this point with the concept of an absolutely pure liquid. Pretend that a substance exists that is perfectly pure in every way and is infinitely powerful. Thus, the substance will never, under any circumstances, allow itself to be corrupted. Then imagine what would happen if something impure was dropped into that liquid. If the liquid were to remain pure, it would simply have to destroy every trace of the impure that was dropped into it, otherwise the pure would be corrupted, made impure.
Apply that to our being in the presence of holiness. We are sinners, every last one of us (cf. Rom. 3:10-23; Isa. 64:6). If we are plunged into the pure holiness of God without God somehow shielding us from his perfection, we will be, we must be, destroyed. To stand in such a place would be utterly terrifying.
It is that fear that made Peter ask Jesus to leave him. It is that fear that made Isaiah cry out, “Woe is me!” It is that fear that caused prophets to fall to the ground at a vision from God as if they were dead. Holiness necessarily terrifies the sinful, and we are all sinful.
With this in mind, there are two responses that should be almost immediate for the Christian of today. First, we should bow to the Lord, declare him holy, and offer him praise. We should be grateful to God for the perfect work of Jesus. Jesus lived a holy life on earth, a life none of us could possibly ever live. Jesus then died to actually take upon himself the proper punishment for our rebellion against God. Then Jesus rose from the grave proving that his work was done. In our salvation, God makes a trade: he credits Jesus with our sin(which was fully punished on the cross) and he credits us with the perfect life of Jesus so that we can enter his holy presence (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). Thus, the grace of God in Jesus Christ becomes the perfect covering under which we may enter the holy presence of God and not be destroyed. Under the grace of Jesus, we can exist forever in the presence of God without being consumed, keeping our true selves, though without sin. How grateful to God we should be for this immeasurable gift.
Second, we should not lose sight of holiness. In our culture, in our worship services, inn our prayer times we risk missing holiness. We are familiar with other pictures of grace, being adopted into God’s family as his children, and we sometimes allow those pictures to make us forget God’s dangerous holiness. The Lord does welcome us. The Lord loves us. The Lord has fully paid for all of our rebellion against him if we have come to faith in Christ. But we should also not lose sight of the trembling and awe that must be ours when we consider the terrifying holiness of the God who saved us. He is utterly unapproachable if we are not under his grace. Even under his grace, we should approach him, yes in freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12), but also in fear, trembling, and wonder. How do we cover both sides of confidence and fear? That, dear friends, is the mystery and beauty of true worship. That is the simultaneous mixture of joy and fear, of confidence and awe, of reverence and rejoicing.
C. S. Lewis tried to illustrate this concept in his children’s books. Lewis showed us Aslan as a mighty lion. The children could play with him, and yet the children also trembled at his roar. The children knew they were welcome with him, yet they could not gaze into his eyes without being aware that he was far greater than them, far more regal, far more dangerous. They learned early on that Aslan is not a tame lion, but he is good. And something of that picture should make its way into how we grasp the grace and holiness of God. And something of that joyful trembling must make its way into true worship for the Christian.
Pastor Travis Peterson 