Category: God’s holiness

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #15

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Turn now to Romans chapter 3: “[19] Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. [20] Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” With sinful man powerless to do enough to have a right standing before God, the Gospel (Good News) of God’s Grace comes in!

“[21] But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: [23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [fully-satisfying payment or sacrifice for sin] through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. [27] Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. [28] Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

Reminiscent of the animal sacrifices God offered for Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:21, that same God went to Calvary’s cruel cross to shed His sinless blood for us. Fig leaves (human works of the Law) are insufficient to deal with our sin problem. Instead of ignoring our sin or trying to fix it ourselves, we ought to be humble and come to Father God by simple faith in Christ while there is still time….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #14

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Psalm 104:1,2 teaches: “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:….” Like “clothing,” God’s righteousness and holiness radiate out from Him in the form of light.

After God created Adam and Eve, the Bible says in Genesis 2:25: “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Adam and Eve enjoyed unbroken fellowship with each other and with God. Evidently, they also had clothing of light—God’s righteousness and holiness—until they sinned and lost it. After disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Genesis 3:7). Noticing the light had vanished from their physical bodies, they fashioned their own clothes to cover this nakedness (Operation: Fig Leaf!).

The fig-leaf clothes failing to conceal their physical nakedness, they hid: “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Genesis 3:8-11).

Once Adam and Eve unsuccessfully dealt with their sin problem via works-religion, Scripture says: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). Here is grace, God working on behalf of sinners. There was both a physical covering of skins and a spiritual covering of animals’ blood shed….

He Was One of The World’s Richest! #9

Thursday, September 14, 2023

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20 KJV).

He was “one of the world’s richest,” but now he is among its poorest!

Whether a costly bronze casket or a cheap cardboard coffin, whether a Mercedes-Benz hearse or a horse-drawn buggy, whether wearing a three-piece suit or tattered rags, billionaire and beggar alike carry nothing away after death. Both corpses go into the same earth, for neither is spared decomposition. The beggar lost what little he had, and the billionaire lost everything he had!

Hence, in the grand scheme of things, it is definitely more prudent to concentrate on acquiring a sizable spiritual bank account than a massive physical bank account. For example, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30,31). Once we trust Christ as our personal Saviour—that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3,4)—we get “in Christ.” We share His identity! Father God has made Jesus Christ our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption.

The ability to properly apply knowledge to life—we have it in Christ because He is our wisdom. A right standing before God—we have it in Christ because He is our righteousness. Holiness or being set apart for God’s purposes—we have it in Christ because He is our sanctification. Our being bought out of sin’s slave market—we have it in Christ because He is our redemption. If there is to be any pleasure, if there is to be any boasting, let it be that we are pleased in the Lord and see the worth only in Him. Instead of, “Look at what I did or look at what I have!” (works-religion!), true Christianity is, “Look at what Jesus Christ has been made for me and look at what He is to me!”

Here is wealth far, far beyond every scrap of precious metal and every specimen of precious stone….

He Was One of The World’s Richest! #6

Sunday, September 10, 2023

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20 KJV).

He was “one of the world’s richest,” but now he is among its poorest!

Returning to the account of the rich man and Lazarus (read Luke 16:19-31), we can pick out some interesting tidbits. Firstly, contrary to popular belief, this is not a parable; it was a literal and historical event, as the proper name “Lazarus” indicates. Secondly, it sits in the context of verses 13-15, which set the tone: “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [wealth deified, idolized, worshipped]. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

The rich man of Luke chapter 16 had an earthly life described as follows: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:…” (verse 19). He lived in luxury, with “purple” being the color of affluence because of the dye’s rarity. Moreover, in verse 21, he loved “fine dining,” his crumbs contrasted with the hungry, poor beggar named Lazarus. It seemed like God was blessing the rich man. Yet, it was not until after physical death that reality set in: the rich man was in full communion with this present evil world! That rich man was just a sample of his nation (lost Israel, including the Pharisees). By the way, the rich man is never given a name. He was a “somebody” on Earth, but, in Hell, he was just another nameless and penniless character; his identity was lost! Death robbed him of his earthly fortune, and sin kept decaying his soul as he suffered the wrath of the offended righteousness of a holy God….

Note: So as to bring you a special study tomorrow, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

God’s Profaned Name #5

Saturday, August 12, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

The word “name” denotes all that the person, place, or thing is. For example, read Exodus 34:5-7: “And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

When the LORD proclaimed the name of the LORD, it was not God repeating over and over, “The LORD! The LORD! The LORD!” No, rather, it was an enumeration or listing of everything the LORD was and is—He is full of mercy, grace, longsuffering, goodness, truth, and so on. These are His attributes, characteristics, or traits. All that He stands for, all that He does, all that He believes is wrapped up in His great name.

Once Israel officially became the LORD’S nation coming out of Egypt and the Red Sea, whatever they did would either exalt the LORD’S name (righteous living) or tarnish it (sinful living). Unfortunately, like all sinners, they were not perfect, so the (Mosaic) Covenant of Law was doomed right from the start. God knew it, but they refused to accept it. When their evil deeds finally resulted in eviction from the Promised Land (a poor reflection of JEHOVAH God’s name), they continued their sinful acts in the Gentiles’ lands (another poor reflection of JEHOVAH God’s name). In the eyes of the non-Jews, the God of Israel (the one true God) was no different from their idols. Israel so miserably (!) failed (!) to be God’s light to the world, but God in His faithfulness will accomplish His will in the Earth through Israel regardless….

God’s Profaned Name #4

Friday, August 11, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

After Israel’s departure from Egypt, her people chose to enter a covenant relationship with the LORD God: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel…. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD” (Exodus 19:5,6,8). Obedience would bring blessings, but disobedience would merit curses, as elaborated on later in Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28.

True to His promise to remove the Jewish people from the Promised Land because of their habitual violation of the Law of Moses, the LORD God meted out the fifth and final course of chastisement or judgment (see Leviticus 26:27-39; Deuteronomy 28:62-65; cf. Leviticus 18:24-28; Leviticus 20:22-24). Now, as this curse took effect, the land of Palestine would be vacant, with the Israelites exiled or scattered to Assyria (north) and Babylonia (east).

Nevertheless, the LORD God states in today’s Scripture how the Jewish people continued their evil ways outside of Palestine. As they lived amongst the heathen or Gentiles, the Israelites were not reflections of the Creator’s will. When the nations observed this nonsense, they could not help but snicker and mock. Instead of, “What a wise and understanding people” (Deuteronomy 4:6), it was “What a foolish and clueless people!” Israel did not walk in her identity the LORD gave her coming out of Egypt (separation from sin, Satan, and the world). She wanted to be like everyone else—and she indeed thought and acted like everyone else.

Israel “profaned” the name of the LORD in this manner….

God’s Profaned Name #3

Thursday, August 10, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

When He brought them out of Egyptian bondage, the LORD had indeed taken the nation Israel unto Himself, making them His special people in the Earth: He had “sanctified” them, “hallowed” them, or set them apart positionally. Consequently, they were to be “holy” practically—in their daily living. As He was isolated from the gods and goddesses of the Gentiles (idols), so the Jews were to be separated from the Gentiles (nations). “…I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people” (Leviticus 20:24). “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine” (Leviticus 20:26). This is why He gave Israel “unusual” laws to obey and “strange” rules to observe.

By watching the Israelites conduct themselves according to the Creator’s will, the Gentiles (without that one true God) were to be impressed and interested. See Moses’ advice to Israel in Deuteronomy 4:5-8: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?”

Nevertheless, because of sin, there was an adverse reaction to what the LORD had spoken to Israel….

Reverend

Thursday, July 15, 2021

“He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name” (Psalm 111:9 KJV).

Long ago, when I was denominational and silly, I referred to pastors as “reverend.” It was ignorance, plain and simple, a church tradition that I—like billions of others—had never investigated. Then, a Christian brother showed me today’s Scripture. How enlightening! In all the King James Bible, “reverend” appeared once—an adjective for the LORD and not a man (or woman)!

Frankly, when we apply the title “reverend” to someone other than God, we are quite close to blasphemy—if not actually guilty of it. To say it in reference to a person means he or she inspires reverence: the individual awes us, and we have a godly fear toward him or her. This is certainly strange and nonsensical—but, not surprisingly, religion abounds with oddities and absurdities. How egos are stroked, how pride is gendered, when we cry out that flattering title, “Reverend!” (The inflated positions of “right reverend,” “very right reverend,” and “most reverend” are even more ridiculous.)

If we want to address someone in a church setting as “brother,” “sister,” “pastor,” “teacher,” “evangelist,” or “elder,” these are suitable titles. However, we should avoid using “father” in a religious sense, for this is wholly unacceptable (calling a priest “father” is a remnant of Baal/idol worship—Judges 17:10; Judges 18:19; Matthew 23:9). Apostles and prophets were necessary to form the foundation of the Body of Christ, but the completed revelation of the Scriptures has now taken their places (cf. Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 3:16,17). To use “apostle” or “prophet” to refer to someone alive today is to challenge the Bible’s authority.

Today’s Scripture delineates God’s goodness in fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant via the New Covenant. Israel, now redeemed, is enjoying Millennial Kingdom living. In accordance with His “holy” (set apart, sanctified) and “reverend” name (inspiring awe or fear), verse 10 closes the Psalm: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” In closing, remember Psalm 99:3: “Let them praise thy great and terrible [same Hebrew as “reverend” in today’s Scripture] name; for it is holy.”

Perverse to Be Reversed

Thursday, January 25, 2018

“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Psalm 45:6,7 KJV).

Man has free reign on Earth today—doing pretty much what he desires—but that is only temporary.

Some erroneously believe that mankind is capable of reforming itself. No matter how debauched society gets, we can supposedly rehabilitate it. We just have to keep praying, passing legislation, fining and imprisoning evildoers, having our “peace” discussions, devising solutions, and so on. Some have actually gone so far as to say that if we all get finally along here, having minimized or eliminated society’s dilemmas, Jesus Christ will not be able to resist coming back!! It is assumed that we can reform ourselves and thereby entice Him to return and reign over us. While it sounds quite nice, it is wishful thinking. (Has it ever worked?!)

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns—and yes, despite what most may say, He is coming back (!)—it will not be because everything has been set right. No, dear friends, He is returning to set things right. Hebrews 1:8-9 says that today’s Scripture is actually a prophecy of Jesus Christ’s Millennial Reign. That means that Psalm 45 is really a Kingdom Psalm, what will happen on Earth at the Second Coming onward. Jesus Christ has an inheritance: He will come and do on Earth what man should have done back in the Garden of Eden but failed (Genesis chapter 3). Adam and Eve were to be God’s king and queen on Earth, ruling and reigning for His glory (Genesis 1:26-28); alas, they sided with Satan, the opposition. Jesus Christ will return to reclaim that crown as His own!

In that day, all of man’s wayward institutions will be abolished: his perverted standards will be replaced with the original (righteous) standards God implemented at creation. Father God Himself will inaugurate His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as King over all creation. The universe has never seen anything like it… since man is far too weak to accomplish it by himself. Hasten the day, Lord, hasten the day when the perverse is reversed! 🙂

Shine as Lights #8

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain” (Philippians 2:14-16 KJV).

Shine as lights, brethren, shine as lights!

While Paul ministered for 35 years throughout the Roman Empire, he risked his life daily. As he preached the Gospel of the Grace of God, an “illegal religion,” he suffered greatly at the hands of unbelieving, sinful men—imprisonments, beatings, lashings, muggings, deaths!, and so on (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Sometimes, he lacked food, clothing, and shelter (Philippians 4:11-13). How many modern “feel-good” preachers would endure this for Christ’s sake?

Today’s Scripture concludes: “…that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Despite all the Apostle’s suffering, something thrilled his heart beyond words. A mighty of harvest of souls had resulted! His time and energy were not wasted! One day, he would see those former idol-worshipping pagans stand in Heaven, there only because of Christ’s finished crosswork! But, there was more. They had not only believed that Gospel of Grace for justification unto eternal life—they had believed it to enjoy eternal life daily. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ would accept their work, their Christian service, at the Judgment Seat of Christ. They had shined as lights in the world; they had held forth the word of life!

These dear souls, once Hell-bound, now in Heaven, will be Paul’s reason for praising God! First Thessalonians 2:19,20: “[19] For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? [20] For ye are our glory and joy.” Philippians 4:1: “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” Paul did not “run in vain” when he initially preached the Gospel to them. Neither had he “laboured in vain” when he spent time teaching them daily grace living….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How do we not live after the flesh if we live in bodies of flesh?”