Photo by Jenny Venturo
Are you starting to develop a more reverent awe for the holiness of God? Over the past few weeks we’ve been seeing how unapproachably bright, pure, and fiery God is. More importantly, we’ve discussed how understanding God’s holiness is foundational to understanding the Gospel. When we share the Gospel with people, we must begin by instilling the fear of God in them, which we do by showing them the holiness of God.
How do you show someone the holiness of God? The Law of God is a reflection of the righteous character of God. It is a standard of purity, revealing how good we have to be to get to heaven.
The Law of God consists of all of God’s commands contained in Scripture. The Ten Commandments give us a general picture of the Law of God. They show us the entrance price of Heaven.
Jesus projects the Ten Commandments in His famous Sermon on the Mount to include matters of the heart as well as matters of outward appearance. He calls lust adultery and hatred murder (Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28; cf. I John 3:15).
Just like the law of a nation, God’s Law has penalties for breaking the commandments. The penalty for sin is death. The Bible clarifies that the death referred to in Romans 6:23 is eternal death in Hell (Revelation 20:14-15).
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, He didn’t say “Believe in Me” like we might expect. He said “Keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:16-22). How do we get to Heaven? By being perfect (Matthew 5:48).
So we see that God’s holiness includes an aspect of justice. We love to talk about God’s love, and well we should, but we must not forget that justice is another attribute of God. God is angry with wicked people because He is just (Psalms 7:11). His anger is as pure and fiery as His nature.
As believers, we need to be bold to warn people that judgment is coming fast. The entrance fee for Heaven is perfection—one sin will send every one of us to Hell (James 2:10). We need an urgent, effective solution. And that solution is in the Gospel of the perfect Lamb of God.
Will you warn every man, and teach them with the wisdom that comes from a healthy fear of the justice of God? (Colossians 1:28).
Have you ever thought about Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler? What is the requirement for entrance into Heaven? What should you do with the medicine you have in your hand—the medicine that removes the penalty and power of sin?
This is the last devotional in our series on the holiness of God. Read the entire study here.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission. All rights reserved.