Fruits of a Tylenol soaked brain...

Here's something I posted on someone's blog tonight...Just some reflections on God's holiness. I am high on Tylenol so I thought it was worth posting here too...sorry if this is total nonsense! LOL

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...But, here it is in philosophical/theological language. God is 'holy', which means "set apart", or "seperate". When 'holy' is used adjectivally in reference to God, it means he's "categorically seperate"...i.e. he's in a league of his own. Kinda like Micheal Jordan playing basketball against a can of soup...simply in a totally different class.

God's is 'holy' in all his attributes. He's 'holy' in his love, meaning his love is perfect and infinite; his love is pure; it's categorically set apart from all other, lesser, loves.

God is 'holy' in his wisdom. He's categorically set apart in his understanding of all things...he's smarter than all people of all time added and multiplied together...kinda like Kasperov playing chess with a stump. He's in a completely different category.

Among all his attributes, God is morally 'holy'; set apart and in a league of his own in his own moral perfection.

Now God is God and God is 'holy'. Because God is so amazing in all his attributes, he must tell the truth about himself. (He doesn't do it out of vanity though...a kid once said to me "it ain't braggin if it's the truth!".) Part of God's telling the truth about himself is the radiating forth of his holiness; he wants to share himself with others because he's SOOO awesome! (kinda like how when you eat something REALLY amazing, you cannot help but tell people "That was SO amazing!"...but infinitely more so)

Thing is, God cannot help but tell the truth about himself.

And that's where sin throws a monkey wrench into the equation.

Sin is, at it's very core, setting up anything OTHER than God AS God.

For example:

God created and provides for mankind. Deuteronomy 8:18 says that God gives us the ability to produce wealth. Psalm 24:1 says that God owns everything and in Exodus 20:15 says that God forbids theft.

SO, if we speak or act in such a way to reveal that we challenge God in any of these areas, we essentially declare that he's a liar.

If we're not thankful for wealth, we act as though we are the owns who produce our own wealth (which, according to Deuteronomy 8:18, isn't true.)

If we act as though something is OUR possession and horde it or refuse to share with people who may need it, we reveal that we don't really believe Psalm 24:1.

And if we steal, we reveal that we think our own moral law is higher than God's (which again isn't true).

AND...

Because God is infinite in his 'holiness', any infraction of that holiness is also infinite.

AND...

Seeing that God must tell the truth about himself, he must respond to our challenges in like fashion. He must give a resounding "I'm afraid you're wrong!" regarding our challenges of his Godliness.

SO...

God responds to challenges by 'backin it up'. If God were to respond to challenges to his holiness with anything but infinite, aggressive action, it would reveal that he would set something else above himself.

You see, being holy, God cannot have anything to do with anything or anyone who is also not holy. It's not that such things would 'corrupt' God, but to allow any sinful people to share have fellowship with him would be to compromise his own holiness and say "hey, I know you're sinful, but it's no big deal!" (regarding sin).

Sin is an infinitely big deal. For God to allow such to occur would be for him to elevate his love for someone ABOVE his love for himself...i.e. to deify someone other than himself. He can't do that!

So sin (a challenge of an infinitely perfect God) requires a punishment of death AND eternal, everlasting suffering in Hell (and infinite response to an infinite challenge).

For God to do anything less would be to declare his glory as "not a big deal". It's an infinitely big deal.

So, I'm sure I rambled on WAY to much, but I'm kinda high on Tylenol right now...(recently diagnosed with menopause...but don't worry; I sought a second opinion)

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Just a post for the sake of posting, but it's always good to write about the Lord and 'holiness' is a topic that is super neglected these days! Until Next Time,

The Armchair Theologian