The Doctrine of God the Father
The opportunity to gaze into Isaiah’s encounter with the living God offers us a profound privilege. We love thinking about God’s nearness and the intimate relationship we enjoy with Him. He is Immanuel – the God who came near to us. He remains actively present in our everyday lives. When we pray in Jesus’ name, God listens and acts on our behalf. As God’s beloved children, He inclines His heart and ear to us with lavish compassion and grace.
We do not think as often about God’s transcendence – that He is utterly set apart from us in inexpressible ways. When Isaiah witnessed a vision of God in His glory, he did not seize the chance to voice his list of questions or complaints. Instead, in an instant and almost instinctive response, Isaiah bowed low – painfully aware of the gulf that separated him from God. His glimpse of God’s exalted holiness brought the realization that he was a man with tainted lips who lived among similarly flawed people. Seeing our heavenly Father as infinitely exalted above us provides a necessary foundation to fully appreciate what God has done on our behalf. God bridged the chasm that separated us by sending His Son in the flesh to die a painful death to overcome death’s stranglehold on us.
We are not God’s equal in any way. To see God as a friend or force we can take or leave as a matter of convenience or choice misrepresents undeniable truth. If we fail to recognize God’s supremely exalted place over us, our view of ourselves remains corrupted. Without understanding God’s transcendence, we remain clueless about the inexpressible wonder of His nearness.
Many things about God should leave us speechless and undone, like Isaiah. The more deeply we understand who God truly is, the more wonderful and shocking His tender love becomes. The God who stands infinitely beyond us in every way longs to draw us close. Can you believe that? He loves us too much to ignore the gap between us. The Father demonstrated His barrier-breaking love in the amazing sacrifice of His Son. God came near to us so that we could draw near to Him. The holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty loves us with an everlasting love. Will you rejoice that God made a way to cleanse you? He sends His people out to tell the world who He truly is. May a fresh sense of wonder and worship fill us as we ponder the majesty and mercy of our exalted God!
Resource: Bible Study Fellowship, People of Promise: Kingdom Divided, Lesson 17
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