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Why God Is Jealous for the Glory of His Name

God is jealous for the glory of his name much like you are concerned about your reputation.

name

To say God is holy is to say he delights in and jealously protects the glory of his name.

God’s concern for his name is at best a distant idea for most people, so let’s compare this to some things we might relate to.

Imagine a salesman living and working in a medium-sized community where a salesperson’s reputation quickly gets around. He cannot succeed without being trusted. He must develop a name for honesty and for delivering what he promises. Therefore his reputation is of ultimate importance to him.

Imagine a mother deeply committed to caring for her three young children. Her sense of identity and worth is lovingly wrapped up in the welfare and health of her children and family. Imagine how she would feel if a malicious rumor somehow started that she was neglecting her children, not changing her toddler’s dirty diaper for hours, sitting around watching movies half the day.

Imagine how an entrepreneur feels when she starts a company and invests much money and time to name and brand it and then to promote and market that name and brand. That name, the company logo, the values and standards it represents, its products and services—all are of ultimate importance to her. If a competitor begins to slander her company in the media, she will take that seriously and do all she can to maintain the truth about the identity of the company she has given years of her life to start.

These are examples of a normal human concern for reputation and name, for the value we all place on our identity and what others think of us, and the human need for self-respect.

The glory of God’s name

These examples are limited, imperfect windows into understanding God’s concern for his name. The stakes are infinitely higher for him. This is not just about someone’s business turning a profit; at stake is who is the God of the universe. Who created all things and thus owns everything and everyone? Who has the right to define right and wrong? And who has the right to give commandments to mankind and require obedience? Who deserves ultimate allegiance? Who deserves exclusive worship and love? And who matters more than anything or anyone? Who actually is the Almighty Lord at the center of everything? Who is the most glorious of all beings?

All that and more is at stake in God’s name. And therefore he takes seriously his name, identity, glory, and reputation in the earth. He does so for his own sake, for the sake of the truth, as well as for the sake of the people he created, who cannot have a right relationship with him apart from a true knowledge of him.

Intolerant of false gods

The truth about God’s name has been at the center of Israel’s long, troubled relationship with him. After delivering them in love from bondage in Egypt, God entered into a covenant of faithfulness with Israel, but again and again they turned their faith to idols, to the false gods of the nations like Baal and Molech. This is the running theme through all the prophets whom God sent to correct them.

Through the prophet Isaiah, for example, God says, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

At Mount Sinai, Moses, speaking for God, says, “You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14).

God’s very name is Jealous, meaning he does not tolerate rivals to his glory. He will not give his glory to another, not to another god nor to a human who wants to play God. Therefore he is unswervingly opposed to false gods and human pride.

Jealous

Webster’s Dictionary says one meaning of the word jealous is, “intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness.” Another sense of the word is, “vigilant in guarding a possession.” Both of these senses of jealous apply to God.

One reason God is jealous for his name is his perfect goodness. He seeks the highest good in all things, and he himself is the highest good. Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). Therefore the manifestation of his glory and the sacredness of his name are the best things that can happen to the world and to you. He alone brings life, and therefore he alone is peace, joy, love, and every good thing.

Vindicating his name

When God’s name is profaned, he takes action to vindicate it. Sometimes this involves salvation and sometimes judgment.

God’s name was profaned, for example, among the nations when he sent Israel into exile as a consequence for their stubborn (centuries-long) breaking of his covenant, so he told Ezekiel the prophet:

“Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 36:22–23)

Vindicated by giving salvation

Happily for Israel in this case, God vindicated his name by saving them from exile in Babylon and restoring them to their land. God says he will completely reverse their fortunes, not because they deserve it—they definitely do not—but as a display of his name.

Ezekiel continues: “[24] I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. [26] And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. [28] You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. [29] And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. [30] I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.” (Ezekiel 36:24–38)

Vindicated for God’s sake

God then doubles down on why he is showing this kindness to Israel, and it is not because they in any way deserve it. They in fact deserve only judgment.

“[31] Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. [32] It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

“[33] Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. [34] And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. [35] And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ [36] Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

God’s undeserved goodness to Israel vindicated his holy name.

God is holy because he delights in and guards his reputation.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

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Why God’s Holiness Requires His Justice

A holy God must be just. Who else could ensure that justice is ultimately done?

justice

May 2021 saw an extraordinary murder. Prosecutors charged a 14-year-old boy with killing a 13-year-old girl by stabbing her 114 times.

Suppose the case were tried in a place that did not require jury trials, but rather a single judge determined guilt or innocence and the nature of any punishments. Suppose in this case the judge found the defendant guilty but then dramatically told him, “I have decided this court will forgive you for what you did. You were having a bad week. School was not going well, and you were under a lot of pressure at home. You have grown up playing violent video games, and you are the product of your experiences.

“You should not have killed this girl, but everyone has a bad day now and then and does something they regret later. I am sure you are basically a good person, and I don’t think we should ruin your bright future by giving you a criminal record. So the court is releasing you and ordering you to attend anger management classes. After that is completed, let’s just act as though this unfortunate incident never happened. I’m sure the girl’s family and friends will get over this.”

The cross and righteousness and justice

Even in our super-permissive society, such actions by the judge would cause outrage. A good judge must punish the guilty and acquit the innocent.

We recognize this on a human level, but it is even more true when it comes to God in his role as the ultimate judge. Who else could fill that role? God must judge because he knows and rules all things, and because he is a moral being who created us as moral beings, and because he gives us commands that will produce a good society and holds us responsible for the harm done when we break  those commands.

God is a good and holy judge, a judge who only does what is right and just. Therefore he does not violate his standard of perfect righteousness and justice to save us from our guilt.

That is why Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins. God would not wipe away our sins simply on the basis of his mercy. We were unrighteous, and his righteous justice required punishment.

However, in love and mercy, he chose to make a way to save us. He would substitute for us and receive the punishment we deserved. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, [that is, God made his sinless son Jesus to be sin] so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This exchange satisfied the righteous justice of God. What Jesus did on the Cross satisfies the holiness of God. When God looks at a person who has faith in Jesus, he sees that person clothed with Christ himself and therefore clothed with his righteousness.

Only Jesus can satisfy God’s justice

This is why Jesus said no one can come to God apart from him. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). No other religion has

(a) a sinless leader

(b) who is the eternal Son of God

(c) who became a man

(d) who died as a substitute for our sins

(e) whom God raised from the dead, thereby vindicating him and his teachings and enabling him to save from death those who believe in him.

Without having the one and only Son of God as one’s Savior, no one can meet the demands of God’s holy righteousness and justice.

Perfection

That is because God’s standard for righteousness and justice is perfection. For example, one sin of Adam and Eve was enough to incur condemnation (see Genesis 3 and Romans 6:23).

We cannot imagine perfect justice. Human justice is always approximate and messy. Some criminals get away with crimes or get leniency they do not deserve. Some innocent people are convicted for crimes they never committed.

But God’s justice is perfect and comprehensive. He does not grade on a curve. He does not give mulligans (a golfing term for letting a player who has made a bad drive re-do it and score the hole as if the bad first shot never happened). Evil deeds incur real, objective guilt in God’s sight—a debt to God’s justice that must be paid—not just a subjective feeling of a guilty conscience.

God knows all things, all thoughts, motives, words, and actions, and he knows every person’s guilt. He knows every evil a person has ever committed and as a perfect judge will bring every last deed, bad and good, into the light and give the just recompense in perfect proportion, never too much or little in punishment, but extravagant in reward.

To say that God is holy is to say that he is just.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

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God’s Righteousness and Justice

The ideal person to deal with in any situation is someone who does what is righteous and just as commanded by God.

righteous and just

Would you like to have grown up in a family in which your parents and siblings and extended family who lived with you, were always loving, generous, peaceful, and faithful? If that was not the case, it was because one or more members of your family failed to do what is right as commanded by God.

Would you like to live in a town where all your neighbors and all the city officials and employees were law-abiding, honest, responsible, and servant-hearted? If that is not the case where you live, it is because your neighbors are not doing what is just and right as commanded by God.

Would you like to work for a company in which the leaders and your colleagues are generous, fair, honest, treating others as they want others to treat them? If that is not the case where you are employed, it is because your colleagues are not doing what is just and right as commanded by God.

Would you like to do business with a company—buying or selling, using their services—whose employees are diligent, honest, respectful, and fair? If that is not the case where you do business, it is because you deal with a company that has policies and employees that are not just and right as commanded by God.

Would you like to be married to someone who—okay, you get the idea. The point is, the ideal person to deal with in any situation is someone who does what is right and just as commanded by God. That is why God commanded these behaviors. That is one reason why all God’s commands are good. And that is why a holy God is passionately concerned about righteousness and justice.

Righteous and Just

To say God is holy is to say he is the sovereign creator who always does what is right and just and requires the same from the people he created. In fact, his character and will are the yardstick of righteousness and justice, and he will not compromise that standard for anyone.

Isaiah 5:16 says, “The LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”

For example, he gave to Israel the Ten Commandments and hundreds of laws based on them to reveal what righteousness and justice looked like in daily life and to establish righteousness and justice as the norm for his holy people. Honor your parents. Do not murder or commit adultery or steal or lie or be greedy. And so on. He insisted that his people live in the way that is right and just.

He commanded his people to be generous to the poor, the alien, the widow, and the orphan, and not to oppress them. The Lord upholds the cause of the weak and needy, and defends the oppressed. Psalm 68:5 says the Lord is “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows.”

The righteous judge

God does not stop at giving commandments; he also holds people responsible for how they respond to those righteous and just commandments. He is the Judge of all. As the Creator of all people, he alone has the right, and the infinite knowledge and power, to hold each person morally accountable for their conduct. Therefore because he is holy, he punishes evildoers and rewards the righteous.

Ezekiel 28:22 says, “They shall know that I am the LORD when I execute judgments in her [the city-state of Sidon] and manifest my holiness in her.”

Isaiah 33:22 “The LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us.”

Romans 2:6 says, “He will render to each one according to his works.”

For example, the Lord punished Cain for murdering his brother Abel (Genesis 4). He judged King Ahab and his wife Jezebel for stealing the vineyard of their neighbor Naboth and killing him (1 Kings 21). He providentially ordered events in astounding ways so that Haman, the oppressor of the Jews, would be hanged on the gallows he had built to execute Mordecai (Esther 3–7).

God is the righteous judge of every person, city, and nation.

Final Judgment

Because he is righteous and just, he will someday bring an end to this current evil age, and he as Holy One will conduct a Final Judgment Day. He will then with perfect fairness and all knowledge judge every person who has ever lived. He will call each person to account who ever wronged you. And he will reward you for every good thing you have ever done, no matter how insignificant or small it seemed at the time. He will bring everything into the light and give every thought, word, and deed its just reward or punishment. He will then create a new heavens and earth in which there is perfect righteousness and justice for all.

Psalm 9:7–8 says, “The LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.”

It is good that the world is ultimately run according to God’s justice and righteousness, and that God will ultimately judge all people and happenings. Good people want to live in a place where people do what is right. Only criminals, lawbreakers, and those who hate God want a world without righteousness and justice and the Holy One who alone can sustain them through his laws and judgments. God’s holy justice and righteousness make possible peace, prosperity, and happiness for all his people.

How should we live?

Given God’s holy insistence on what is right and just, how should we live?

1. We should obey God’s holy, moral law. We should love our neighbor as we love ourselves, treating others as we want to be treated. (Romans 13:8–10)

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23)

2. We should obey human laws (that do not counter God’s laws). (Romans 13:1–7)

3. We should help the needy and weak, defend them from others who would exploit them, and not take advantage of them ourselves.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27).

(Matthew 25:31–46)

4. We should live in light of the Final Judgment, which will be the most important day in our lives. On this day God’s righteousness and justice will be on full, ultimate display, and if we have not prepared for it, we will be sorry. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

5. To be ready for the Final Judgment, we must believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ to receive the forgiveness of sins. Only through faith in Christ will God justify anyone, for only Jesus is the Son of God, and only he died as a substitute for our sins to satisfy completely the justice and righteousness of a holy God. (See Romans 3:9–26. John 3:1–21; 35–36. Ephesians 2:1–10)

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

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God’s Purity and Your Health

God’s purity and your health are linked. Because God is absolutely pure, he loves what is clean, and what is clean brings health to every aspect of your life.

gods purity and your health

With all the knowledge and technology available today, you would think clean, healthful water would not be hard to get in America.

Several decades ago the idea that tap water was contaminated and unhealthy took hold among the masses, and a wave of marketing persuaded us that if you wanted pure water you needed to buy bottled water. I did not want to spend a major part of my budget on bottled water, but when I did drink it I felt as though I was doing something healthy. I felt I was putting purity in my body, water that cleansed my body of toxins.

Then we began to learn that bottled water was contaminated. Chemicals could leach from the plastic. Lots of bottled water did not come from clean sources. Just because water was in a bottle did not mean it was pure, as many people had assumed. Bummer.

Foul in Flint

Then you have a case of major negligence from a municipality like Flint, Michigan. In 2014 a crisis began over the presence of lead in the city’s water supply. For months numerous governmental leaders and agencies who were responsible for the situation denied or minimized the problem. But eventually they could no longer deny the facts. The number of children showing up in local hospitals with lead poisoning was increasing. They were being poisoned by drinking tap water and suffering neurological harm.

One outside expert on municipal water quality, who was brought in to study and report on the situation, said about the governmental leaders handling the crisis: “It was the injustice of it all and that the very agencies that are paid to protect these residents from lead in water, knew or should’ve known after June at the very, very latest of this year, that federal law was not being followed in Flint, and that these children and residents were not being protected. And the extent to which they went to cover this up exposes a new level of arrogance and uncaring that I have never encountered.”1

Stories like that do not make for trust in government.

Don’t drink from the water fountains

Here in Chicago we have not had a problem as bad as Flint, Michigan, or the same level of official negligence as far as I know, but we have had tainted tap water. When the Flint story came out, people here started testing the water and found that the water flowing from the fountains in public parks and in public schools had excessive levels of lead in many places, due to old lead pipes. News sources listed locations where the water was bad. Now the city is systematically digging up old water pipes and replacing them with new ones.

Meanwhile, don’t drink the water unless it is filtered.

Everything tainted?

All that is unsettling. What do you do? At my home we drink tap water run through a Brita filter. Is it pure? I don’t know. Is it tainted? Certainly. My son works for the EPA, and he says there is no such thing as food or water that is absolutely pure; the best you can hope for is toxin levels below what has proven harmful. Acceptable contamination. Relative purity. Minimal pollution.

Nontoxic God

The point of all this is not water, but God. The Bible says he is what our water cannot be: absolutely, 100 percent pure, without a trace of toxins.

1 John 1:5 says, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Revelation 22:1 describes the New Creation: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

The water of life that God supplies is as bright as crystal, sparkling with purity like a crystal vase under a lamp in a jewelry store.

The Bible highlights God’s absolute purity not only by comparing him to bright light and sparkling, clean water but also to pure gold. Again and again God’s directions for the construction of the tabernacle specified that Moses was to use pure gold on various articles such as the Ark of the Covenant. “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold” (Exodus 25:17). The pure gold symbolized God’s absolute purity.

God’s Purity and Your Health

Therefore he loves what is morally clean. Through Moses he gave Israel detailed laws to follow for what is clean and unclean. God knows clean and pure.

Therefore he knows what is perfectly healthful for us in every aspect of life. He is not like a negligent government official who fails to tell people what can poison them. Rather, God has been faithful to warn us about impurity of every kind.

He knows what is pure and healthful for you sexually and in your thought life. He knows what is pure and healthful in your attitude toward possessions and money, and toward other people. And he knows about pure emotions and desires, and pure speech. He knows about pure books, movies, and music. He knows about pure doctrine.

What is pure is clean, and what is clean is healthy. God is absolutely pure, absolutely clean, and therefore he brings health to your spirit, soul, and body.

Footnote:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis. Accessed 5-18-21.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

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The Holy One Is Righteous and Just

To say God is holy is to say he is the sovereign king who always does what is right and just. In fact, his character and will are the yardstick of righteousness and justice, and he will not compromise that standard for anyone.

by Pastor Brian Larson, delivered to the congregation of Lake Shore Church in Chicago on June 13, 2021

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Absolutely Pure

Because God is absolutely pure, he is perfectly good, and we can trust him.

absolutely pure

We live in a world where impurity can ruin anything.

Last year, for example, after one of the most respected Christian apologists in the world died, he received waves of public admiration and eulogy. A few months later, however, investigators revealed he had maintained for many years a double life of sexual sin and abuse toward many. YouTube channels reverberated for months with disillusioned people trying to make sense of it. By destroying people’s ability to trust leaders in general and by bringing discredit to the gospel, this man’s sins outweighed the good he had done for a lifetime.

Ruined by impurity

Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.”

In computer apps, one wrong character or command, one corrupted line of code, can render the entire program useless.

And in hospitals, one disease-causing microbe on the glove of a surgeon can lead to an infection that ends in death.

In restaurants, one cockroach in your food is enough to spoil the entire meal and prevent you from ever going to that restaurant again.

Who wants food with a long list of artificial ingredients? Who wants corrupt politicians? Or who wants polluted air and water?

Pure is good.

Absolutely pure

To say that God is holy is to say he is absolutely pure, meaning he is uncontaminated by any trace of evil, but in fact hates evil and loves only good.

False gods and worldviews are impure. The pantheon of gods in Roman and Greek mythology were powerful, but flawed. The idolatrous gods of the nations around Israel required cultic prostitution, child sacrifice, and self-mutilation, and their rituals involved worshipers with demons. Pantheistic religions and worldviews maintain that everything is God and part of God, including all the corruptions inherent in our world. In the worldview of yinyang, everything contains both light and dark.

But 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 3:3 says, “He is pure.”

Like sunlight

The definition of pure is: not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material. Unalloyed. Free of contamination. Spotless. Stainless. Unmitigated. Free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes. Containing nothing that does not properly belong. Free from moral fault or guilt.

God is pure love, pure goodness, pure truth, and pure light.

He is as pure as sunlight, as clean as fire. God is not 99.9999 percent pure, but rather 100 percent pure, perfectly free from contamination and corruption, perfectly delighting in what is morally clean and abhorring what is defiled. He cannot be tempted by evil.

Psalm 5:4–6 says, “You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

The benefits of having a God who is absolutely pure

Because God is pure, he is perfect.

Because God is pure, he alone is good, perfectly good in himself, and perfectly good to his children. In all things—not some things or merely most things—he works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

Because God is pure, he will not lie to us.

Because God is pure, we can trust him.

And because God is pure, he is unchanging.

Because God is pure, he is infinitely superior to us.

Because God is pure in relation to us, he cannot act in malevolence toward us or betray us.

And because God is pure, he is love, pure love. We do not have to fear some pocket of darkness in God, but rather can trust him entirely.

Because God is pure, he is eternal life. Revelation 22:1 says, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

This is what God is like

God is like organic, all-natural food perfectly free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, pollution, and disease-causing microbes and chemicals.

God is like a grocery store absolutely free from food, employees, or customers with coronavirus, colds, flus, or any other disease. You could walk in their without a mask and breathe freely and observe no social distancing and not have any chance whatever of getting sick.

God is like a surgery room with no germs, viruses, or bacteria on anything or anyone. It would be literally impossible to get an infection during surgery because there is not a single disease-causing microbe in the room.

God is like perfect computer code.

God is like a governmental leader who cannot lie, take a bribe, associate with corrupt business or political leaders, believe false information, or make a bad decision.

And God is like pure water that does not merely meet minimum standards for purity, but rather is perfectly free of toxins. In the real world, such perfection is impossible, but if it were, that is what God is like, with not even a trace of toxins.

We, too, can be pure

And because God is pure, and purity is good, he calls us to be pure.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

First John 3:3 says, “Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

Second Corinthians 6:14–7:1 says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

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Absolutely Pure

Who wants food with a long list of artificial ingredients? Who wants corrupt politicians? Who wants polluted air and water? Pure is good.

To say God is holy is to say he is absolutely pure, meaning he is uncontaminated by any trace of evil.

by Pastor Brian Larson, delivered to the congregation of Lake Shore Church in Chicago on June 6, 2021

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How God Is Both Separate from Us but Also Near

God is separate from us because he is most sacred of all that is. How do we understand the fact that he is also near?

separate

One of the most difficult things to sort out in my mind about God has been his sacred separation, which is at the heart of the idea of holiness.

On the one hand, sacredness is simple. It means separate, set apart.

Nothing symbolizes God’s sacred separation better than the design of the holy tabernacle of Israel, comprising three sections separated by curtains. Each time you passed through a curtain you entered a more holy place.

First the courtyard of the temple where the washing basin and altar of sacrifice stood.

Then the Holy Place where the table of bread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand stood.

And finally the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant remained and the manifest presence of God occurred and where the high priest could enter just once a year on the Day of Atonement and only if he brought the blood of a perfect animal with him and only after burning  incense to fill the room with smoke.

In the tabernacle the priests and Levites were on holy ground, and therefore in love and concern for them God warned numerous times to be sure not to break the ground rules of this holy place, lest they die, like a human being in a rocket getting too close to the sun.

Separate atop Mount Sinai

All this is in keeping with what God revealed about himself to Israel when months after he had graciously redeemed them from bitter slavery in Egypt he came down on Mount Sinai. God called Moses to the top of the mountain for meetings, but he warned everyone else to keep their distance: “You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’” (Exodus 19:12–13)

It agrees also with what God told Moses, after Israel rebelled with the golden calf, when he said, “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”  (Exodus 33:3)

But the God who is separate also draws near

All the above is consistent. What is mysterious about God’s sacred separation, what makes it complicated, for me at least, is the many other situations in which he does not seem to have the same boundaries.

In the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord—who in numerous situations apparently is the manifest presence of God himself—meets with fallen, unconsecrated people and speaks with them, yet they do not die. Think of Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord, Gideon receiving his instructions, Samson’s parents, Joshua meeting the captain of the Lord’s armies, Abraham negotiating with God regarding Sodom.

Moreover, in the New Testament, Immanuel, the Son of God himself, comes to dwell with us. He lives within a human womb for nine months, then for 30 years as part of a human family in close quarters, then for three years he travels the promised land interacting daily with sinners of all sorts. The religious leaders, deeply engrained in the concept of holy separation as revealed in the Old Covenant and described above, were appalled that Jesus would not only associate with sinners, but eat with them.

The one who is separate is everywhere

Adding to the conundrum, there is the matter of God’s omnipresence, which means he is everywhere. He manifests his presence in special ways, such as the Holy of Holies, but there actually is no place where he is not present. He is “over all, and through all, and in all” (Ephesians 4:6).

As David wrote, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7–8)

So God cannot completely separate himself from anyone, no matter how evil they are. He in fact is the one who sustains the existence of evil persons, even Satan himself, for as long as they continue to live on earth. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In the story of Job, Satan himself even comes into God’s presence to accuse Job.

So God’s boundaries apparently are not airtight, and the meaning of God’s separation is not always simple and clear.

The Trinity

In what sense, therefore, is God separate from us in holiness?

I have thought a lot about this. While there is mystery that remains, several explanations have occurred to me.

First, it seems God has chosen to have somewhat different boundaries for each member of the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equally holy, but God seems to have chosen on occasion to manifest and communicate that holiness differently for each member of the Trinity. For instance, Jesus said, “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Luke 12:10, ESV)

In relation to mankind and the universe, the members of the Trinity express holiness in somewhat different ways.

In relation to mankind and the universe, God the Father most notably expresses holiness through separation.

And in relation to mankind and the universe, the Son expresses holiness most notably through mediating as High Priest between God the Father and mankind, and so he becomes a man and draws near to humans and atones for their sins. He is Immanuel, God with us, though still the Holy One.

In relation to mankind and the universe, the Holy Spirit expresses holiness through sanctifying sinners. “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

The tabernacle

These roles are pictured in the tabernacle. We see the holiness of separation (as the Father prominently expresses) in God’s presence in the Holy of Holies above the ark of the covenant. We see the holiness of mediation and atonement (as the Son prominently expresses) in the ministry of the High Priest as well as the sacrifices on the altar. And we see the holiness of sanctifying and cleansing sinners (as the Holy Spirit prominently expresses) pictured in the basin of washing and the consuming fire of the altar. These three expressions of holiness are all set apart within the holy grounds of the tabernacle, separated by the curtains surrounding the tabernacle grounds, and consecrated by the anointing oil.

Nevertheless, the heart of God is to dwell among his people who reverence and obey him. The Father and Son and Holy Spirit want to be near. That is the fundamental promise of the Old and New Covenants. God promised Israel that if they would keep his covenant by obeying his commands, “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Leviticus 26:11–12)

The important common element in God’s holy response to sin and evil is that he does not make peace with it in his presence. He separates from it, or casts it out, or atones for it with his own blood, or judges it, or sanctifies with cleansing water, or consumes with holy fire. And once he has dealt with evil appropriately, he draws near to his holy children.

An unfolding story

Second, perhaps the differences result from what chapter or season it is in the progressive revelation of God’s story of salvation. In other words, God does not change, his holiness does not change, but the way he chooses to work with people and display his holiness at different points in history definitely does. The God of Moses and of the Books of Exodus through Deuteronomy seems quite different from Jesus and his Father.

As John wrote concerning Jesus, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:16–18)

And as Hebrews says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:1–3).

The coming of the kingdom

Third, certainly at the heart of the solution to this conundrum is the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, his redemption, and his atoning work on the Cross. Jesus brings the kingdom of God, and that is an advancing invasion of holiness that vanquishes evil. “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20)

One story brings this into focus.

A pharisee asks Jesus over for a meal. At the meal a woman who has led a sinful life, no doubt meaning she had sinned sexually in ways known to all in town, somehow gains access to the dining area. She brought with her a jar of ointment. Luke 7:38 says, “Standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”

Recall that the Pharisees had strict rules about contact with people whom they regarded as sinners. Holiness was all about separation. “Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” (v. 39)

The Mediator

Jesus knows the pharisee’s thoughts and proceeds to tell a parable, even as the woman continues her hands-on adoration of the feet of Jesus. The point of the parable is that people who are forgiven much love much. Then he turns to the woman and says, “Your sins are forgiven….Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48, 50

Jesus, in his role as the only mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5), and through his blood redemption on the cross, can deal mercifully, closely, and patiently with sinners. Christ’s redemption made God’s grace available not only after it occurred, but also retroactively to Adam himself. The God who is holy and therefore separate from sin, whose holy wrath against evil can reach its limit and break out at any moment, can come near in love to sinners through the mediator Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

God can do whatever he pleases. He makes the ground rules; he sets his boundaries; and he determines how he will separate himself and enforce his sacredness.

We need to take initiative to learn and honor the boundaries God has revealed. In the Scriptures and in particular in his commands, God takes pains to define his sacred boundaries, and we need to take pains to know what those are and take them seriously. We are responsible to learn what God expects of us, and if we fail to do that, we have no one to blame but ourselves when we suffer the consequences.

When we honor God’s boundaries, when we reverence him, when we come to him through faith in Jesus, who is the only mediator, he welcomes us to draw near. God’s ultimate desire is not that we be separate from him, but that we be near.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Proper reverence makes intimacy with God possible.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

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by Pastor Brian Larson, delivered to the congregation of Lake Shore Church in Chicago on May 30, 2021