Are we inventing a fake God? Why reverence is dying

Before his death in 2017, theologian R.C. Sproul remarked, “the greatest spiritual need in people’s lives today is to discover the true identity of God.” Those words remain as convicting today as ever. While many people would not reject God outright, they are often content to reinvent Him.

Modern versions of Christianity tend to shrink God to a size that is more manageable to our senses. We prefer a tame deity who stays in the background, one who shows up when we need Him because He sees us as the center of the universe. This version of God is anxious to take marching orders and remains quiet when we disagree.

Isaiah 6 offers a starkly different picture. In a vision of the Lord enthroned—untamed, glorious, and burning with holiness (Isaiah 6:1-4)—Scripture confronts us with the unrivaled identity of the one true God. This prophetic image shatters our sentimental preferences, revealing a living God who far exceeds the watered-down mascot cheering our every misguided ambition.

The backdrop for Isaiah’s vision was a time of national uncertainty in Judah. King Uzziah had died after a reign of more than 50 years, creating a vacuum of instability and anxiety (2 Chronicles 26:3). Yet when God’s prophet looked to heaven, he saw the Lord not panicked or pacing, but reigning from His throne without interruption (Daniel 4:34-35). History does not rattle Him, evil does not overcome Him, and the future does not intimidate Him (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Around the throne flew seraphim, angelic servants who sang to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). By contrast, we often speak casually about the God we serve, reducing Him to “the man upstairs,” a life coach, or a co-pilot. Isaiah’s description, however, leaves no room for such frivolity.

The seraphim did not chant, “Love, love, love,” though God is love (1 John 4:8). Nor did they cry, “Merciful, merciful, merciful,” though the Lord delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). Instead, they chose the one attribute that most fully captures God’s essence. Holiness is not just one of God’s many traits; it defines Him, along with all the glory and majesty that accompany Him (Leviticus 11:44–45; 1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 99:3, 5, 9).

The repetition is significant. This threefold declaration emphasizes that God is in a category of His own, without rival or equal. The scene recalls Mount Sinai, where the mountain quaked and smoke billowed like a furnace because of Yahweh’s awesome presence (Exodus 19:18). The glorious holiness of God is weighty, and no one can swagger into His presence.

Isaiah certainly did not.

Cutting through any illusion of his own righteousness, he lamented, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). He offered no excuse for his sin and no dismissal of it. Holiness means God is entirely separate from wickedness; evil cannot corrupt Him. The darkness of our transgressions has no fellowship with the light of His purity. We cannot simultaneously celebrate our sins and embrace God.

Tragically, contemporary efforts to rush toward God’s love without mentioning His holiness cause us to forfeit the very grace we desperately need. The greatest testimony to God’s compassion for sinners is not His affirmation of our waywardness, but His transformation of our lives. Though we were dead in our trespasses and followed the ways of the world, God has made us alive with Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-5). Christ did not die to save us from nothing; He died to rescue us from our vile disobedience.

In his humility, Isaiah experienced what countless followers of Christ would later discover. When one of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar and touched the prophet’s lips, his iniquity was taken away (Isaiah 6:6-7). This moment provides a picture of the Gospel that Christians preach today.

God took the initiative. The coal came from the altar, a place of sacrifice where God’s consuming fire cleanses our shame (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). The Lord does not negotiate with sin; He destroys it. In this act, God transferred Isaiah’s guilt to the offering, satisfying His holy wrath while simultaneously covering His servant with grace and forgiveness.

This same mercy is available to us through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities as God laid our guilt upon Him (Isaiah 53:5-6). Through His wounds we find healing, and His punishment brought us peace (Isaiah 53:5). Christ became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). This was not because the Lord was eager to embrace our rebellion. God loves us enough to send His only Son, not to wink at our sin, but to deal with it decisively (John 3:16).

How holy is our God? Holy enough to put His Son to death to save sinners like you and me. Our world does not lack opinions about God, but it does lack reverence (Romans 3:18). Many people laugh at the idea of holiness, while others rewrite reality entirely (Isaiah 5:20). Too many demand affirmation and punish dissent. Thankfully, God does not take His cues from this fallen age. He reigns from His throne in strength and power, and He will have the last word (Psalm 2:1–4).