15 C.M. Isaac Watts & J. Needham
The Holiness of God. Ps. 111:9; 145:17
1 How shall I praise the eternal God,
That infinite Unknown?
Who can ascend his high abode,
Or venture near his throne?
2 Heaven’s brightest lamps, with him compared,
How mean they look, and dim!
The holy angels have no spots,
Yet can’t compare with him.
3 Holy is he in all his works,
And truth is his delight;
But sinners, and their wicked ways,
Shall perish from his sight.
4 None but his favourites may draw near,
Who stand in Christ complete;
Those holy ones shall all appear
And worship at his feet.
5 In Jesus’ image shining bright
With rapture they adore
The holy, holy, holy Lord,
In glory evermore.
If any human would desire to get to know God and who He is, they will quickly run into a rather big problem. You see, God dwells in "unapproachable light" (1 Tim. 6:16), a kind of light that doesn't have "opaque" in its dictionary. This light penetrates the dark hearts of men and luminates their murky contents. So if we would try to approach God - and there is no way to sneak up on Him - we will have all our sin exposed for God to see. Our problem is God's response to our sin. It is not a favorable response. God always recoils against sin with wrath. He can do nothing else. "But sinners, and their wicked ways, shall perish from his sight."
Now I am not ignorant of God's grace, but consider this - has there been or will there ever be a situation where God will not respond to sin by unleashing His righteous wrath? Our conundrum boils down to this: either we will face God's wrath for our sin, head on, or someone else will for us. Or perhaps I should say it as the hymnwriters say, we need God to shine His light on someone else's image. An Image who is "shining bright" by Himself. You could call it the ultimate mirror-image. But it, He, is more than a mirror, He is also a prism.
The Holiness of God. Ps. 111:9; 145:17
1 How shall I praise the eternal God,
That infinite Unknown?
Who can ascend his high abode,
Or venture near his throne?
2 Heaven’s brightest lamps, with him compared,
How mean they look, and dim!
The holy angels have no spots,
Yet can’t compare with him.
3 Holy is he in all his works,
And truth is his delight;
But sinners, and their wicked ways,
Shall perish from his sight.
4 None but his favourites may draw near,
Who stand in Christ complete;
Those holy ones shall all appear
And worship at his feet.
5 In Jesus’ image shining bright
With rapture they adore
The holy, holy, holy Lord,
In glory evermore.
If any human would desire to get to know God and who He is, they will quickly run into a rather big problem. You see, God dwells in "unapproachable light" (1 Tim. 6:16), a kind of light that doesn't have "opaque" in its dictionary. This light penetrates the dark hearts of men and luminates their murky contents. So if we would try to approach God - and there is no way to sneak up on Him - we will have all our sin exposed for God to see. Our problem is God's response to our sin. It is not a favorable response. God always recoils against sin with wrath. He can do nothing else. "But sinners, and their wicked ways, shall perish from his sight."
Now I am not ignorant of God's grace, but consider this - has there been or will there ever be a situation where God will not respond to sin by unleashing His righteous wrath? Our conundrum boils down to this: either we will face God's wrath for our sin, head on, or someone else will for us. Or perhaps I should say it as the hymnwriters say, we need God to shine His light on someone else's image. An Image who is "shining bright" by Himself. You could call it the ultimate mirror-image. But it, He, is more than a mirror, He is also a prism.
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