Leviticus 11:45 For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

This is one of the most difficult of all scriptures in Christendom to believe. I know what I am and what I’ve done, and continue to do that is far from holy. From my perspective I am not holy.

What about God’s perspective? This one statement contains all the elements of the simple gospel if we but look at it from God’s viewpoint.

The land of Egypt here represents a life of sin, under a cruel task master. The Lord brought Israel out by the power of His might, with no effort on Israel’s part. His assertion that they shall be holy, is not a plea for effort upon their part for there is nothing in man that is found righteous much less holy.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Be holy is not a plea for man’s effort but rather a declaration, you are holy, in God’s eyes. Why, because no sin can come before Him and to have a love relationship our sin has to be dealt with. We will deal with that issue in a Just God.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

God declares us holy for His own sake, so that we might come before Him and love Him.

If He didn’t we wouldn’t get there.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

The demands for foundational truths are necessary in order to identify a proper understanding of content and context of scripture, whether historical or allegorical. If conclusions drawn by the text lead you to an understanding of God that is something other than these foundational truths about God, then your understand is imperfect and further prayerful study is required. While I list these foundational truths about God they are not set in order of importance.  They are all equally true, no one characteristic is more important than another.

1. God is Holy. Sin does not exist in God nor can it exist in His presence.
2. God is love. Agape love, God’s love is pure, without any selfish intent.
3. God is just. Since God is Holy sin must be dealt with, justice is demanded.
4. God is merciful. We are saved by grace and that is a gift from God, unmerited, unearned.
5. God is true. God neither lies, nor tempts. All God’s promises are real, He will keep His word.

Quoted from Bible 101

My sense of justice often outweighs my sense of mercy. I am human, I cannot be equally both. God is God and He does not lessen one of His attributes while applying another. We have trouble seeing that because we have a hard time doing that.

What I would like to do over the next few days is to clarify in more detail some scriptures about these five attributes and try to place them into a proper perspective of who God is so that we might see Him more clearly.

I will be praying on this. I hope you will join me.