NewDayNews Open House
God, love & holiness
Posted By: Chris
Date: Saturday, 5 August 2006, at 8:03 p.m.
Quote from 'Explore the Book' by J.Sidlow Baxter:
[One of the reasons the Law was given was] …to reveal the Divine holiness. It was absolutely indispensable that the unique privileges conferred upon the elect nation, for the fulfilling of its high vocation, should be safeguarded by a reverential recognition of the inviolate holiness of God, lest privilege should lead to presumption. It is not without significance that the Biblical revelation, considered as a whole, presents first the Power of God (as seen specially in the Creation, the Flood, the Babel dispersion, the overthrow of Sodom, the Exodus) ; then the holiness of God (as seen specially in the Mosaic Law and the subsequent Divine dealings with Israel); and then the love of God (as seen specially in the Gospel of Christ); the truth being at once suggested that the revelation of the love of God must be safeguarded by a due recognition of His awful power and holiness.
The characteristic word for God, on the lips of Jesus, is "Father"; but let it be remembered that not until Christ came, as the crowning revelation of God, was the Divine fatherhood given prominence. The truth of the Divine fatherhood is not safe for man without earlier revelation of the Divine power and holiness. One of the faults of certain modern theology is the mental divorcing of the Divine love from the Divine power and holiness. (end of quote)
The significance is in Berg's exaltation of 'God is Love' without respect for the power or holiness of God, as though the love of God nullified His holiness and transformed His power into something little more than a genie enslaved to our lusts or cravings.
I had an FMer visit sometime ago who was talking about love, how it's all about love, the greatest is love, God is love etc. I said, 'yes, the Bible says God is love, but it doesn't say love is God'. That was the time it struck me the awful idolatry of TF, idolising 'love' as a god.
So here's my question: how do you see the relationship between God's holiness & His love? I read holiness as an indication of His absolute perfection & total intolerance to sin, and love as the motive whereby He sent Jesus, but that seems to me to be only the starting point.