Theology Thursday: Our Greatest Need

J.I. Packer says in his classic work Knowing God: ““Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.” When we come together for worship on Sunday, our main business is to know God, and especially to experience his holiness. 

“Holiness” describes how unique, special, or set apart something is. On the church calendar, Christmas is a “holy day,” because it is set apart from other, ordinary days. We describe marriage as “holy matrimony” because it is special, set apart from other relationships. We treat holy things differently than we do ordinary things. God is ultimately holy; like him there is no other. Since recognizing God’s holiness is what we aim to do on Sundays, our worship service is intentionally less casual and structured to keep the focus on God and his holy word.

On Tuesday nights, our next book study will be R.C. Sproul’s The Holiness of God. I can’t think of another topic more needed for today because our religion is self-focused. We think of God as what C.S. Lewis called the “impersonal life force,” a nice spiritual source of inspiration that doesn’t make a lot of demands. Our greatest need is a sense of the majestic holiness of God. This awareness will cause us to fear him and to love him more for his mercy. Get this book and join us as we read through this important work together.