Holiness: Mark of the true God
The function and purpose of the Old Testament Law, as revealed in such books as Leviticus or Deuteronomy is oftentimes puzzling to contemporary Christians. Why does God make such intricate and apparently overly restrictive demands of His chosen Israelite people? Why command a certain method of eating and dressing and appearance? Is God a legalist?
Often overlooked in such discussions is the fact that the Law as revealed in the Old Testament had a main (though not sole) focus, namely to discipline the Israelites into becoming holy -- that is, morally pure -- just as God is holy. As I've observed elsewhere on my blog (see my post quoting H.H. Farmer titled, "On Fighting the World"), the process of making humans holy is one that must be decisive and drastic. The gravity of human sins requires equally grave measures to defeat it.
Thus, in this sense, God's Law was severely restrictive, not because God hates pleasure and wants His children to suffer through a lackluster life full of bleakness. Rather, His law was drastic so as to reveal the Israelites' sinfulness in its light and thus their need to rely on God for guidance and redemption. It was a first, intrusive step towards turning their souls in the right direction.
But while this is all very significant in itself, another lesson embedded herein is equally so. That is, of all deities competing in the world's marketplace of religions, which one demonstrates (or purportedly demonstrates) such a dedication to holiness? It's not the god(s) of Eastern religions and Buddhism, who typically see no distinction between good and evil (both are illusions) and thus do not even pretend to be holy. It is not the Islamic god who does not have universal love, as does the biblical God and who demands unjust and unholy wars (jihad).
Go through all faiths and you'll find no plausible candidate but the God of the Pentateuch who displays such holiness or who is so set apart morally. Philosophers of religion are agreed that any being deserving of the title "God" must be a being "worthy of worship." In short, He must be a being with the great-making attributes of moral purity (holiness), omniscience, omnipotence, etc. He must be maximally excellent.
If we therefore limit our choices of potentially real gods to those worshipped in the religions around the globe, we find that merely one deserves the name of God with a big 'G.' He is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus.
Often overlooked in such discussions is the fact that the Law as revealed in the Old Testament had a main (though not sole) focus, namely to discipline the Israelites into becoming holy -- that is, morally pure -- just as God is holy. As I've observed elsewhere on my blog (see my post quoting H.H. Farmer titled, "On Fighting the World"), the process of making humans holy is one that must be decisive and drastic. The gravity of human sins requires equally grave measures to defeat it.
Thus, in this sense, God's Law was severely restrictive, not because God hates pleasure and wants His children to suffer through a lackluster life full of bleakness. Rather, His law was drastic so as to reveal the Israelites' sinfulness in its light and thus their need to rely on God for guidance and redemption. It was a first, intrusive step towards turning their souls in the right direction.
But while this is all very significant in itself, another lesson embedded herein is equally so. That is, of all deities competing in the world's marketplace of religions, which one demonstrates (or purportedly demonstrates) such a dedication to holiness? It's not the god(s) of Eastern religions and Buddhism, who typically see no distinction between good and evil (both are illusions) and thus do not even pretend to be holy. It is not the Islamic god who does not have universal love, as does the biblical God and who demands unjust and unholy wars (jihad).
Go through all faiths and you'll find no plausible candidate but the God of the Pentateuch who displays such holiness or who is so set apart morally. Philosophers of religion are agreed that any being deserving of the title "God" must be a being "worthy of worship." In short, He must be a being with the great-making attributes of moral purity (holiness), omniscience, omnipotence, etc. He must be maximally excellent.
If we therefore limit our choices of potentially real gods to those worshipped in the religions around the globe, we find that merely one deserves the name of God with a big 'G.' He is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus.
posted by Tom Wanchick at 11:15 PM
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