The Wondrous Crossনমুনা

No matter what background we come from, one thing we all must grapple with and come to terms with is that “God is Holy”. 1 John 1:5 reminds us that God is light and in him no darkness at all! We can search all we want, it’s like walking into a lit room and looking for spots of darkness. There is no darkness in the light. Similarly, God cannot tolerate sin. He hates wickedness. Sinners can’t be in His presence. God’s standard for holiness is unmatched, it will consume the sin. God punishes sin and deals harshly with rebellion. It’s not something he takes lightly. We recall the incident with Lucifer, the archangel. He had a prideful thought and just like that a chute opened from heaven and he fell from the presence of God. Even if we think we have good intentions, God cannot tolerate sin. Uzzah who was trying to hold the ark of the covenant from falling down was struck down. There is no leeway. There’s no margin for sin or darkness.

However, as God is Holy, He is also righteous and just. He doesn’t condemn us for missing the mark or not reaching his standard. The Word tells us that we all have fallen short of the glory of God. But even before the foundations of the world, it was His intention to make us holy and blameless (Ephesians 1). Before we were even born, before we could even think of rebelling, God had already decided that he will make us holy and blameless. Christianity is all God. It is a God gifted righteousness given to us. How is that possible? Ephesians 2:4 God is rich in mercy and loved us with a great love so that we are made alive in Christ. So, to those that believe in the death and resurrection of Christ, we will be part of his raising and glory. If you are part of his salvation plan, you are also part of his glory plan.

God is holy and he is also just. He doesn’t judge or condemn us for falling short of his standard, but rather he clothes us with his righteousness. That is how grace works. Grace is the unmerited favour and the Father today is telling you I have always wanted you back with me. Isn’t that just amazing how God’s holiness and grace work together? Ponder on these thoughts as we explore this in the next 2 days.