Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Spiritual Warfare Part 8 Lies Against God’s Holiness We are to be strong in the Lord and not fear Satan, for God loves us perfectly and is greater than him People are not our enemies, the spiritual forces of wickedness behind them are our enemies. Without truth we will stumble and fall becoming easy targets for Satan

God Is Intrinsically Holy We tend to believe Satan’s lies & slander because we project upon God our own characteristics God is not like us God declares Himself to be holy - Lev. 19:2; 20:26; 1 Peter 1:16; Ezek. 36:20f; 39:25, Isa. 6; Rev. 4

God Is Intrinsically Holy Holy means to "be set apart" or "to be separated unto." God’s non-communicable attributes belong to Him alone - He alone is God - Isaiah. 45:5; 46:9-11

God’s Attributes are Holy All of God’s communicable or moral attributes are also distinguished as being holy God’s perfection in righteousness sets Him apart from all sin and sinners God’s righteousness is neither earned nor imputed

God’s Attributes are Holy God’s perfection in truth sets Him apart from all that is not true God’s perfection in wisdom sets Him apart from all lack of understanding and any imperfect application God’s perfection in goodness sets Him apart from all that falls short of the perfect standard of goodness.

God’s Attributes are Holy God’s perfection in justice sets Him apart from anything unjust. God is impartial. He cannot be bribed or threatened God’s perfection in jealousy sets Him apart from any improper jealousy It is without suspicion, fear or envy

God’s Attributes are Holy God’s perfection in anger sets Him apart from any improper anger It is always in perfect harmony with His other attributes God’s perfection in love sets Him apart from all that fails in any aspect of love God is the definition and standard of love - 1 John 4:7-8

God’s Attributes are Holy God’s perfection in mercy sets Him apart from every wrong use & application of mercy It tempers anger, redirects wrath, & never violates righteousness or justice God’s perfection in grace sets Him apart from all actions falsely called grace

God’s Attributes are Holy God’s perfections of patience & longsuffering set Him apart from apathy, passivity, impatience or being arbitrary God’s perfection in faithfulness is related to being immutable & it sets Him apart from the changeable nature of man and all other creatures

All That is Set Apart to God is Holy Things become holy when they are set apart for the service of God regardless of any intrinsic value An object is not holy in & of itself, but holiness is attributed to it because of its relationship to God

Lies & Slander Against God’s Holiness The devil’s effort is to reduce God into a being who is similar to and on the same continuum as us. The primary lie of false religions, cults & philosophers is creating gods of their own design that reflect themselves No false god is intrinsically holy, if they are holy it is either something derived or attained

Lies & Slander Against God’s Holiness No false god has all of infinite attributes ascribed to the God of the Bible Muslims claim Allah has many of these attributes, but even they admit Allah is not immutable. There is not even a claim of any false god to matching God’s moral attributes

Lies & Slander Against God’s Holiness Only a holy God could harmonize all of His attributes in His redemption of man through Christ Satan’s slander of God’s holiness results in Christians treating God with less reverence than is due Him Nadab & Abihu - Leviticus 10 Uzzah - 2 Samuel 6:6-7

Lies & Slander Against God’s Holiness Language is usually the first area of decline in respect Christians and non-Christians alike profane God’s name through cursing and taking it in vain We can call God, “Abba” (daddy) and Jesus is our closest friend, but we must give Him the respect due His holiness

Lies & Slander Against God’s Holiness God cares about how He is worshiped - as demonstrated in the detail of Exodus & Leviticus While we can come before God’s throne due to Christ’s sacrifice, we are not to do so in a casual manner Worship should fill you with awe of who God is, what He is like & what He has done

Lies & Slander Against God’s Holiness Prayer is bringing supplications to the majestic creator of the universe, not a wish list to a sore clerk. Satan slanders God’s holiness to keep us from proper worship of Him and walking in holiness ourselves.

Conclusions All sin lists made up by man do not match the Scriptures in specifics, punishment or means of forgiveness Both “mortal” and “venal” sins can be forgiven – 1 Cor. 11:11 All sin and the wages of any sin is death – Romans 3:23; 6:23; James 2:10

Conclusions God is holy and no man will see the Lord without holiness (Hebrews 12:14). Salvation is only in Christ Every Christian is commanded to be holy for God Himself is holy (1 Peter 1:18)

Conclusions Do you treat the Lord with the reverence that His holiness demands?

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ