Coexist?

With the amount of time I spend on the road, it's inevitable that I see some interesting political, moral, and religious statements sticking to the cars I see on the road. At least once a day, I see the one above. It has never set well with me. In my study of Isaiah this fall, I've had some interesting thoughts about this.

Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter. (Is. 5:20)

The commentary notes I read on this section (from Bible Study Fellowship, International) put it this way: "In our day of moral relativism, tolerance becomes the absolute good, and under this standard, the prohibition of immorality becomes intolerance and therefore evil." There used to be a day where right was right and wrong was wrong. We live in a world with so many shades of gray now, that if you speak up for black or white, you are labeled a bigot, or intolerant.

The concept of there being one God who provides one way to heaven (through Jesus...see John 14:6 and Acts 4:12...these are God's words, not mine) is not popular these days. Then again...just because something is popular doesn't mean it's right.

Along those lines, the concept of a holy God is one that we can't seem to fathom today. We want a loving god, a kind god, a tolerant god...a god of our choosing. Any god created by man is an impotent god. But the one true holy God is exactly that: holy. He cannot be in the presence of sin. That's why He provided forgiveness and atonement through His Son. As my teaching leader put it on Monday night, God's glory and sin cannot coexist.

Isaiah came face to face with the Holy God in Isaiah 6. He immediately recognized his sinfulness and confessed, "woe to me, for I am man of unclean lips." He realized that his sinfulness could not coexist with God's holiness.

So, as happy, cheerful, sunshine and rainbows as that bumper sticker sounds, there's simply no truth to it. It's filled with empty promises.

Now, this is not to say that as Christians we should not live at peace with those around us; we are to love our neighbors, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile...But we are not to compromise when it comes to worshiping God (He does make it clear throughout Scripture that He is a jealous God, and we are to have no other gods but Him) or accepting sin.

In the words of the late Rich Mullins (who, as a side note, is the second person I want to meet in heaven...right after Jesus):

I believe what I believe
Is what makes me who I am
I did not make it,
No it is making me
It is the very truth of God
And not the invention of any man.

Let me say it again: God and sin cannot coexist.