God’s Love Isn’t the Greatest Attribute in Scripture
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When you think of God, what attribute or characteristics comes first to your mind?
I suppose for most people it might be “God is love.”
Others might say, “His grace.”
To be sure, God is love. His first and greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NKJV).
You grew up in Sunday school learning “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).
- It is God’s love that extends to fallen mankind His mercy.
- It is His mercy that opens the doorway to His throne of grace.
Lost humanity would have nothing if were not for God’s amazing grace.
- It is His grace that causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
- His grace affords sinners the privilege of repentance, forgiveness and new birth.
- God’s grace makes us strong when we are weak.
- His grace provides the way of escape in every temptation and trial.
When sin and filth floods around us, God releases His grace in super abundance enabling the child of God to walk victorious, even in this.
Who could imagine trying to live a single day without God’s love, mercy and grace? Yet, god’s love, mercy and grace are not with the greatest emphasis in Scripture.
God’s Love Isn’t the Greatest Attribute in Scripture
Isaiah saw it in the temple.
The Apostle John was allowed to place his elbows on heaven’s windowsill and watch it happening around the very throne of God.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’” (Isaiah 6:1-3 NKJV)
“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:1-8 NKJV).
It is wonderful that John in the New Testament saw the same angelic creatures worshiping the Living God that Isaiah saw in the Old Testament.
Twenty-four/seven these creatures are crying aloud, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God almighty.”
The worship of these angelic being is not just repeating the same word. They are using a nuance of Hebrew literature.
A word is repeated to give it emphasis.
Genesis 14:10 speaks about the armies of Sodom and Gomorrah falling into “tar pits.” The Hebrew translation reads “pit pits”, emphasizing they were the most horrible of pits.
John 14:13 records Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (KJV).
Jesus was declaring, “This is the truth. It is the absolute truth.”
The angels of Heaven are declaring, “God is holy to the third power.”
- His holiness is so pure and pristine angels cover their face.
- Moses could only look upon the fading of His glory.
- “No man has seen God at any time.”
The holiness of God is of such intensity it is radiant light without even a nano of darkness.
Nowhere in Scripture does it speak of God being love to the third power; God is mercy to the third power, or God is grace to the third power.
It only declares, God is holy to the third power.
Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit are holy, holy, holy!
The church teaches and sings over and over the unfailing measure of God’s love. We declare and sing of His “amazing grace.”
Should we not speak, sing and declare in even greater measure, “Our God is Holy!”
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