Tag Archives: the holiness of God

When God Becomes The Enemy

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Lamenations 1-2

A popular view of God makes Him out to be milk toast, a wet noodle, a doting Grandpa, a weak parent who can’t say “No” to His self-centered children. That is NOT the God of the Bible.

Yes, God is love. But not without His holiness. I’m not sure we really get that.

The truth about God is that He loves people. In fact He loves people so much He went to the cross to provide the only way sinful people can be in the presence of Holy God. We can try to figure out our own way to Him, look for a back door or loophole. But if we want to be accepted by God and enjoy the love He has for us, we gotta play by His rules.

He’s not asking us to approve of His plan. He’s demanding we accept it. And honestly, it’s not that hard. Quite the contrary. It’s an amazing plan!

Warning: if you don’t accept His plan, if you reject the Gospel of Jesus, hear Him say He is NOT your friend. He is your enemy. And I’m not sure you are ready for that reality, no matter what you’re telling yourself at the moment.

When God becomes the enemy, we are in serious trouble.

Where Does It Lead?

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Jeremiah 2

We who have submitted to God and accepted His grace at the foot of the cross are no longer slaves to sin. God broke the yoke that oppressed us. (vs 20a). We are forgiven and free to serve and worship the God we love, because of the blood of Jesus.

Yet we see throughout the Bible examples of God’s people who try to worship God and worship idols at the same time. We see them making compromises, like not tearing down the Asherah poles and deciding to use those to worship God. Seems harmless enough. But it wasn’t harmless. No compromise is.

And compromises (God calls sin) are judged.

I think God might have something to say to His 21st Century people today. Are we compromising ourselves into judgment?

“We can bring Bethel or Hillsong praise music into our sanctuaries, and not agree with their theology.”

“We can embrace homosexuals, and welcome them into our fellowships without necessarily condoning homosexuality.”

“We can rewrite the Bible to eliminate the gender specific wording of the original, and still call it God’s Word.”

We can keep the Asherah poles, and hold our worship services there. We can align with the enemy, and still call on God to help us.

In order to make a compromise, you must turn (even slightly) away from that which is right and true. In the spiritual sense, a compromise is an ever so tiny step away from the holiness of our God.

Where does that lead?

What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt, and your covenants with Assyria? What good to you are the streams of the Nile or the waters of the Euphrates River? Your wickedness will bring its own punishment. Your turning from me will shame you. You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him. I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken! (verses 18-19)