Popular author and Bible teacher Beth Moore often claims direct revelation from God. She posted on social media about one of her supposed “encounters” with God: “Jesus is like, “How ya doing this morning, Beth?” Me:”I’ll get to ya in a sec!” Him: “Oh don’t mind me. I’m doing fine. How are you?” Another pastor speaks of his encounters with God, claiming that Jesus shows up and hangs out with him while shaving in the bathroom in the morning. More and more Christians are making similar claims about encountering God today. What’s the problem with all of these claims to have had an encounter with the holy God of Scripture? It’s that they lack any resemblance to the experiences of characters in the Bible who encountered God’s holiness.
When sinners come in contact with Yahweh in Scripture, the most primary and instinctive response is one of fear and terror. In Matthew 17 we read of Jesus being transfigured on the mountain before Peter, James, and John, and “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (v.2), and the Father’s voice spoke from the bright cloud that overshadowed them (v.5). What was the response of the disciples? Did they say “Cool!” and then finish brushing their teeth? No, “When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces and were terrified” (v.6). When the Apostle John got a revelation of the resurrected and exalted Jesus, he “fell at his feet as though dead” (Rev 1:17). When the disciples witnessed the power of Christ over the sea and the wind, “they were filled with great fear” (Mark 4:41). They went from being afraid of drowning to being even more afraid of the presence of holy Deity. God’s presence is never to be trifled with.
Not only do we see a response of fear when sinners encounter God, but we also see a response of repentance. When Jesus revealed His holy Deity to Peter in Luke 5, having orchestrated the miraculous catch of fish after a whole night without a bite, Peter fell to his knees amidst the boat full of fish and said “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord” (Lk 5:8). Peter doesn’t shout for joy and give thanks for the catch of fish. His response is one of repentance, “Get away from me Jesus, I am too sinful to be in your presence!” When you encounter the holy God you are immediately confronted with your own un-holiness. And there is nothing more unraveling than the painful experience of seeing your own sinfulness next to God.
This was Job’s experience after being questioned by Yahweh from the whirlwind, he says “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5–6). He despises himself and repents. Why? “Because now my eye sees You.” It’s the same response of Isaiah when He sees the Lord and the seraphim singing “Holy, holy, holy.” He responds by saying “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). In that single moment all his self-esteem was shattered; he was exposed and laid bare and naked before the eyes of the absolute standard of perfection. Encountering God’s holiness brings an admission of our guilt and confession of our sin, resulting in heartfelt, life-altering repentance.
By faith, today we can draw near to God Himself, the same God as Isaiah, Job, Peter, and John. And as we do, let us not trivialize His holiness as so many do today. Let us approach His holiness with fear and repentance. And “let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 10:28-29).
In His service,
Pastor Bryan Carver