How Is God’s Holiness Not Our Way?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9)

Today’s big question: how is God’s holiness not our way?

There are many things we go through that remind us of the sin-cursed world in which we live. A few years ago, I would get bad headaches while working on my computer in the office. After a while, I realized that my headaches were a result of the bright florescent lights. My eyes have a light sensitivity, which is why I now wear sunglasses most of the time. This sensitivity I have reminds me of a passage in John:

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

The ironic thing is that my eyes were made to receive light, yet the amount of light that is normal for most people is painful for my eyes. Apparently, my eyes also love darkness rather than light!

In comparison, since we were created in the image of God, we were originally intended to be holy—to love light rather than darkness. However, since sin entered the world through Adam, humanity loves darkness (that is, unrighteousness). Jesus said, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).

Jesus is “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9), and He has delivered believers from the bondage of sin, as we are now under grace instead of law (Romans 6:14).

As we focus on the latter part of Isaiah 55:8, we will find that there are many aspects of God’s ways not being our ways. One of the first things that comes to mind with regard to God’s ways is His holiness.

The Israelites were commanded to walk in God’s ways and to be a holy people. Moses said, “‘the LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways’” (Deuteronomy 28:9, emphasis added).

As believers, we also should walk in God’s ways and be holy, and we should be holy because of our love for the One who brought us out of the darkness—not because of the law. Moreover, as a believer you have “been set free from sin,” and since you have “become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:22).

Today’s big idea: believers now walk in the light under grace because of the Light.

What to pray: thank God for sending us the Light.