“See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” (Zech 3:4b)
According to the Scriptures, all human beings have an upcoming courtroom date with God (Heb 9:27). As a young monk searching for salvation, Martin Luther was overwhelmed by the fear of standing before a righteous God as his judge. In his youth, Charles Wesley dreaded coming into the presence of a holy God. Only after they understood the doctrine of justification by faith through the righteousness of Christ alone were they permanently freed from that fear. Then they could declare with boldness, "No condemnation now I dread."
According to the Scriptures, all human beings have an upcoming courtroom date with God (Heb 9:27). As a young monk searching for salvation, Martin Luther was overwhelmed by the fear of standing before a righteous God as his judge. In his youth, Charles Wesley dreaded coming into the presence of a holy God. Only after they understood the doctrine of justification by faith through the righteousness of Christ alone were they permanently freed from that fear. Then they could declare with boldness, "No condemnation now I dread."
Unlike Luther and Wesley not many today fear God's condemnation. People's God today is far too much of a gentleman to condemn anyone to hell. They think, "Do your best. God will do the rest. What is there to fear?"
This was not the attitude of Zechariah's hearers. They knew they served a high and holy God, a God who is of purer eyes than to look upon sin/evil (Hab 1:13). They were clear about the nonnegotiable holiness of God. In 586 BC, the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem was burned, and their king was captured and taken to Babylon (2 Ki 25:1-21). Everything that was sacred was desecrated because of the sins of God's people. Now 70 years later, a small remnant returned to the Promised Land. Having experienced God's judgment for sin, would they ever hear the declaration of "no condemnation"? They knew that when you come before a holy God, the correct slogan is not "no fear," but "be afraid, be very afraid." How will they fare?
