Christopher Brenyo on the Problem of Holiness

God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. And his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Holiness has been described in some places as the sum of all of those perfections.

So fundamentally, when we think about God, we need to think about a God who is holy. And when we think about that, that is uncompromising holiness. You know how when we're sinners, we say it's not really a big deal, it's just a little sin.

We understand the perfection of God, there is no compromise, it's absolute. The standards are clear, there's no wiggle room, there's no gray areas, there's no room for interpretation. God says, this is what I expect, this is my holiness.

And you and I don't have any of that. We have zero of that. And so when we think about our own condition, we don't have the capacity to say, God, I can ascend Mount Zion in my holiness. I can't say that.

The Problem of Sin and the Need for Justice

So we've got a tremendous problem. It's a desperate problem. We have a holy God whose character demands justice be poured out on sin. And we have sinful men who don't want that justice poured out. And this is God's plan.

God says, the only way that my holiness and my justice can be satisfied, my wrath can be satisfied, is there has to be a perfect sacrifice. And there's only one who can be a perfect sacrifice and that's my own dear son.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Plan of Redemption

So God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, they craft an eternity past the plan that would send Jesus to the cross. What wondrous love has the Father for us. He pays all of the price, Christ.

He bears all the weight. He's the one who's been offended in his divinity. Christ's divinity has been offended by the sinfulness of men. And he's the one who says, Father, I'm ready, send me. I'll go do and perform the perfect work.

I will go and accomplish the redemption. The Father's love comes at a sacrificial cost. And it's the burden and the suffering of Christ that's the cost. The wrath being poured out on Jesus is the cost.