“These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.” (Psalm 50:21,22)
We have lost much of the awe toward God that we should have. In not liking to think of God in Old Testament terms, God has become our Buddy. If we do look at Him as a male figure, He is a smiling, kindly grandfather, who understands our weaknesses and foibles and just wants us to be happy. As Jesus, He is the Friend of sinners who is chill with us as we party and dance and drink and tell bawdy jokes. He’s “one of the boys.”
God is love, but He is also Holy. Jesus did not teach us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, loving is Your Name.” From the very first approach to God we are to recognize His holiness. “Hallowed by thy name.” He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we want fellowship with Him we cannot walk in darkness of any kind.
We have entered into a day of deception. We kid ourselves when we think God is okay with sin. God has not changed one iota when it comes to evil. He is the same Old Testament God who burned with judgment against sin. The difference is that in the New Covenant He has done something to deliver us from our sin. Jesus came so we could be translated out of the darkness and into God’s marvelous light. He came to make us holy, even as He is holy. He came to save us from our sins; not give us a pass to continue in them.
Many will one day meet a God who they only thought they knew. It will be a rude awakening indeed.