God's Attributes Reflected in Usنموونە

God’s holiness means we can’t approach Him

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…” (Psalm 24:3-4)

God is entirely free from sin and evil. But we humans are not! Every single one of us is contaminated by sin. This creates separation between the Lord and us. Our sinfulness makes it impossible for us to approach God face-to-face.

In Old Testament times, this was visible in the Tabernacle (later the temple). This building was God’s dwelling place among the people. However, they could not simply walk in! The place where God was present, was called ‘the most holy place’. It was closed off by a curtain, then by a holy tent, which in turn was surrounded by a court. If people wanted to enter the court, they had to be ritually clean. The tent could only be entered by priests performing their duties. And the high priest alone was allowed to enter the most holy place, once a year, on the day of atonement, after bringing sacrifices to atone for the sins of himself and the people.

When God created humans, He interacted with them personally. Because of sin, this has become impossible. Do you experience your sins as an obstacle to drawing near to God? Do you think that is a problem? Why or why not?