ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Tu’apulelulu Fepueli 12, 2026

NOMIPA 3-4; LOMA 15:1-7

We should always live in life-shaping awe of the dangerous holiness of God.

‘Oku mahu’inga ke tau mo’ui ofoofo mo e loto ‘apasia ‘i he’etau vakai ki he ma’oni’oni fakalilifu ‘o e ‘Otua.

If you and I were able to stand as we are in the presence of God, not only would we be overwhelmed with his incalculable holiness, but we would be filled with dread and grief at the extent of our unholiness. In fact, it is only in light of the perfectly perfect holiness of God that we can have a sense of the sinfulness of our sin. It is easy to have a casual attitude about things that are deeply offensive to our holy God. It is easy to rise to our own defense when accused of a wrong that, before God, should grieve us. It is easy to minimize the importance of God's holy standards for us in little moments of choice, little moments of behavior, and little moments of talk. God is so holy that he is unapproachably holy.

Hear the sobering warning of these words from Numbers 4:

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die." (Num. 4:17-20)

In the kindness of his mercy, the Lord warned the Kohathites, who were tasked with taking care of the holy things in the tabernacle, that they could not enter the Holy of Holies and look around, or they would die. This was a warning to these tabernacle servants, but it has been retained as a warning for us, too. God's perfectly holy holiness is not something to be messed with. Ignoring the holiness of God and doing what you want to do led to death then, and it does so now.

If God is unapproachably holy (he is), and if he is the Creator and ruler of all that is (he is), and if he is the ultimate moral standard (he is), then everything in life is both moral and serious. There is no area of life where it is okay to take life into your own hands and do what you want to do. There is no room for writing your own rules. There is no time when your passions, pleasures, and desires are more important than God's holy standard. It is dangerous to deny or ignore the holiness of God. God is serious about his holiness, and we should be too. This is why we today - and every day to come - should celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In our most holy moments, all of us would fall miserably short of the glory of God's holy standard. So humanity needs a substitute, one who lives a perfectly holy life in every way on our behalf. Because of Jesus's perfect substitutionary righteousness, we can enter into the presence of God without fear. Sinners in the presence of a holy God - what amazing grace!