The psalmist says, “God dwells in light inaccessible.” We can use any word. I remember talking to R.C. about this and he said, “You know, the word I used was ‘holiness,’ but there are a lot of words we can use—‘glory,’ ‘transcendence,’ ‘majesty.’”
What we’re talking about here is the God-ness of God. It’s an awkward expression. This is the most perfect Being, God. There’s a sense in which He has revealed Himself and we know who He is. We know who He is in the full complex of His attributes, in His works, and in His decrees, but there’s a sense in which God is a mystery. The Bible uses a host of ways to get at it. Sometimes we even say “God is awesome.” In the old days, they would say, “God is terrible.” It’s not how we use that word today, but “the majesty of God” is one of the ways we express the God-ness of who God is.
This transcript is from a live Ask Ligonier event with Stephen Nichols and has been lightly edited for readability. To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, email ask@ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.
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Stephen Nichols
Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College and chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries. He is author of more than twenty books, including Beyond the 95 Theses, A Time for Confidence, and R.C. Sproul: A Life.
