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Originally Posted by Legion
Proverbs 9:10 also includes "the knowledge of the holy" as a parallel to "the fear of the Lord". If we understand the true nature of holiness, and understand our nature as depraved humans, we would understand that unholiness cannot exist in the presence of holiness, but is consumed by it's burning righteous light and fire. God in His mercy has NOT dealt so with us, but it is something to be taken into consideration. Ultimately, it is because the all-consuming holiness of the Lord that a mediator and sacrifice was necessary. Actually, we still need that mediator (I know you this, I just didn't want to leave it out - don't feel like I'm insulting your intelligence).
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I completely and absolutely reject the notion that we are "depraved humans" in God's eyes. Jesus told story after story trying to get people to see what God really thought about them. The story of the prodigal son is not the story of a father viewing his son as depraved or unworthy, but it is the story of a father whose love remains unconditional, strong and unshaken-- in spite of the unkind words & actions of his son. The father waited every day for his son to return home... and he rejoiced when it finally happened.
And the miracle of what happened wasn't seeing the depth of the father's forgiveness for what his son had done. The miracle was that the son had just enough hope to believe his father might have just a little mercy on him... in spite of the guilt he felt... in spite of being condemned by other people, like his brother... in spite of
the fear, he knew deep down in his soul that surely his father would have some love left for him.
That miraculous first step home led him into the arms of his father... who had no anger, no punishment, no long list of things the son would have to in order to be forgiven... just love and rejoicing!
You said holiness can not exist in the presence of unholiness. Let me ask you... where is exactly is God
not? If God is omnipresent, is there anywhere God would not be? Even if you believe in hell, does it make sense to say that God is omnipresent and not in hell? No, it doesn't.
The bible says that nothing can separate us from God. We couldn't be separate from God if we wanted to. God is in us and with us, moment by moment and day by day.
You can choose to believe we are "depraved humans." I choose to believe that most often we deprive ourselves or others of feeling God's love. We let guilt, condemnation, and judgement creep into our hearts until we have difficulty believing that God does truly love us... that God delights in us... that we are the "apple of God's eye."
My prayer is that we would be courageous enough to hope for that love... and that we would take that miraculous first step back into the loving presence of our Creator.