in purity, in knowledge

Yesterday in an an ABF studying the Gospel of John, we looked at the temple cleansing in John2 and talked about Christ's reaction to what He saw. Good discussion followed on God's response to our encroachment on God's holiness.

Nearing the burning bush with dusty shoes encroached on His holiness to the point God had to ask Moses to take off his sandals. Disrespecting His holiness at Meribah cost Moses entry into the promised land. In my reading today of 1Sam6, 50,070 men of Beth-shemesh perish because "they had looked into the ark of the Lord." (v19) In v20, "the men of Beth-shemesh said, 'Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?'" The whole need for Calvary is because eternity isn't possible when our sin nears His holiness.

It is fundamental to our understanding of who God is that we clearly get that next to love, His most fundamental characteristic is that He is holiness perfected. And even our smallest sin is too much for Him to bear. I don't let my children get near me if they are sticky and I adore them. Multiply that by a zillion to see that despite His great love for us, our sin and His being cannot co-exist.