Is God too holy to look at our sin?

I often get complaints that we’re ignoring God’s holiness by suggesting we are being punished BY our sin, rather than being punished by God FOR our sin. The premise is that we have a casual view of God’s holiness if we reject the idea of man’s depravity and our western concept of “original sin” that He must punish us for… eventually with eternal torment.

It’s the exact opposite, actually.

A casual view of God’s holiness involves beginning the story of scripture in Genesis 3 after “the Fall.”

I choose, instead, to begin the Story with Genesis 1 and see man as the ultimate delight of God’s very good creation, built for intimate relationship, designed by the Creator to extend His wise and loving rule over the creation, God-breathed with His own spirit to bring him to life – a living soul made in His very image and likeness.

God’s holiness is exemplified by the deep, abiding, otherworldly, set-apart, intimate and eternally beautiful relationship shared within the Divine Sanctuary, into which we are included. Holiness, BEFORE THE CREATION, was defined by this Flow of shared Life… NOT by any contrast to man’s sin, which didn’t yet exist.

It is a horrific insult to any artist to denigrate his/her art. Why is this insult needed??? The concept of man’s depravity, a slap in the Creator’s face, is absolutely required to prop up a story that BEGINS in Genesis 3.

I understand it. It’s exactly what many have been taught since grade school. We start as horrible, filthy wretches. Dirty rotten sinners. Worms. Maggots.

But, is this really our True Identity???

Nope.

We MUST start the story earlier.

In the beginning, God…
Before there was anything, God…
To be Lost, one must originally… BELONG!

In the beginning, we belong to God.

See Ephesians 1:4 and behold our true, original birthplace and identity. Enter the three stories in Luke 15, and see the display of God’s compassionate heart towards those who are lost. Look through Adam’s eyes in Genesis 2 as he opens them for the first time and sees His Creator kneeling over him in loving adoration of His masterpiece.

Please, don’t start the story of man in Genesis 3. Begin when we were FIRST included into God’s Story.

Start with Christ.
Spend some time
Seeing, savoring, soaking in Reality.
Step forward slowly from there.

Selah.

Image: Jesus Christ, Person of the Trinity