One of the most striking features of this chapter is that the people really do not seem to be aware of their guilt. They cannot see why they should face judgment. "Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us?" they ask. "What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?" (16:10). One of the most terrible indices of how far a people have strayed from righteousness is the degree to which they can no longer perceive their own guilt. Men and women who truly love righteousness and integrity are invariably aware when they breach it. The most holy people are blissfully aware of their corruptions and idolatries. So we must ask ourselves: where on this sort of spectrum are our churches found? Or our culture? Are we characterized by profound contrition, or by a frank inability to think that we have really done anything all that wrong? What does that say of us? What does that say about the Lord's stance toward us?
What say ye?
Posts
1 comment:
Did you mistype or am I misreading this line:
"The most holy people are blissfully unaware of their corruptions and idolatries."
btw, I do agree with Carson's evaluation. Our sense of our own guilt is directly proportional to our awareness of God's holiness. Think of Isaiah's response to the holiness of God in Isaiah 6.
Post a Comment