If there’s one thing we all hear in church it’s that God is “holy”…but what does holy even mean anyway?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines holy as: worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.
So when we say God is holy, we’re saying that He is perfectly righteous and worthy of our complete devotion. This begs the question, why would a perfect God choose to be in relation to an imperfect human like myself?
Just this past week, I’ve found myself sinning and failing on countless occasions. I’ve looked to everything but to the Holy One for answers, and in doing so I’ve proven once again that I’m definitely not perfect in goodness or righteousness and am not worthy of anyone’s devotion or commitment.
I’m prideful. I’m self-seeking. And quite frankly, I’m not good enough for a holy God.
It just doesn’t add up. Why would God choose to use such a weak and selfish being to bear his name as a CHRISTian? I’m not worthy to be called such a name!
This is yet another great mystery of the God of the Bible…why does a holy God insist on using such weak people to fulfill His purposes?
God used Abraham, a liar, to father His people. God used Moses, a violent man with a speech impediment, to lead His people out of slavery. God used David, a murdering adulterer, to be “a man after His own heart.” God chose a bunch of poor fishermen and “sinful” tax collectors to be His disciples and carry out His name to the ends of the earth. God chose a group of poor women (who were looked down upon in the 1st century) to be the first witnesses to the risen Christ. And God chose Paul, who was quite possibly the biggest persecutor of Christians in the first century, to become the greatest missionary in human history.
So the answer is no. We’re not worthy of a holy God.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”–Romans 3: 23
But thankfully, God chooses us anyway. For He tells us,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”–2 Corinthians 12:9
God knows we’re weak. He knows we’re sinners. And He knows we’re not worthy of Him. Thankfully, God is a God of love and doesn’t abandon us to succumb to our weakness. So instead of demanding that we somehow “climb our way” to Him through our “good deeds,” He decided to humble Himself and come down to this earth so that we might share in His glory!
“For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but to save it.”–John 3:17
I love this scene from John 8 where the so called “righteous” people were condemning an adulterous woman to death…
Jesus said that anyone who hadn’t sinned should be the one to throw the first stone. Knowing that no man could make such a claim, everyone put their stone down. Ironically, Jesus–the one who had never sinned–WAS worthy to throw the stone, but He didn’t. Instead, He lifted the woman up, and challenged her to leave her life of sin.
This is the God of the Bible. This is the One who came down from Heaven to save you. This is Jesus, Friend of Sinners…
-BH
Brady Hammond 