3Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
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4 comments:
Only Jesus fits this description. Noone else could fit this description - absolutely without sin. I sometimes forget my reverance for God. I almost take Him for granted - taking my personal relationship with Him too casually. I forget how Awesome and Terrifying He is. Before Jesus, people would die if they came into direct contact with holiness (like the Arc). I imagined it being too much of a shock to the system - the chasm between our sinfulness and His holiness being too great. It's like if we were in a boiling hot place and then suddenly put in a sub-zero freezer - we'd shatter. Jesus provides the buffer. He is the great mediator.
At first glance, I interpreted the "who" in verse 3 as refering to God by suggesting that God stands along in his holiness and purity, that only God is good enough to be where He is. But from reading verse 4, I realize that the "who" in verse 3 is directed towards us and what we need to strive to be like in order to associate with God. Verse 4 is very short and simple but it establishes extraordinarly high standards for us. There's alot written about what it means to be a Christian, to be a good child of God. But pursuing just these three metrics alone (good actions, good motivations, good faith) on a daily basis over a lifetime is hard enough!
I'm not sure this is a worthwhile or meaningful issue to ponder, but I've frequently wondered whether those clean-hands-and-pure-hearts people I know who are religious but non-Christian (Jewish, Muslim, etc.) are any different in God's eyes that those clean-hands-and-pure-hearts people I know who are not religious at all (agnostic or atheist). The "not sworn deceitfully" idea ("not swear by what is false" according to NIV translation) makes clear that there is a line between Christians and all non-Christians but I think I notice an ever-so-slight distinction being made here between people who knowingly ("deceitfully") versus unknowingly anchor their faith on the wrong truth ("what is false"). Is this distinction confirmed or brushed away in other parts of the Bible?
Rocky,
I just read your post and I think your second paragraph brings up an issue that is absolutely worthwile and meaningful. "Not swear by what is false." I'm so glad you found that other translation, because it does bring up a subtle distinction.
I know some Christians have told me that at Judgement day, even those who have not heard the gospel will be condemned. Other pastors have told me that God has a plan for those who have not yet heard the gospel. I would like to think that God would see the distinction between someone "knowingly versus unknowingly anchoring their faith on the wrong truth." It was exactly this issue that began my questioning of the Christian faith.
I think SJ's buffer analogy with the boiling water and sub-zero freezer is strinkingly reflective of how I feel as my faith matures -- with each step towards Him, I realize there are more steps separating us than I had realized up to that point.
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