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?
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)