How should Isaiah 63:3 influence our response to sin and God's holiness? Isaiah 63:3 at a glance “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me; I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath; their blood spattered My garments, and I stained all My robes.” what the imagery reveals about God • Unshared holiness – “alone… no one was with Me” underscores that only the Lord is qualified to judge sin. • Active, righteous wrath – “I trampled them in My anger” shows God’s wrath is deliberate, not impulsive. • Visible consequences – “their blood spattered My garments” reminds us that sin always leaves a stain, and judgment is not hidden. • Prophetic picture of Christ’s final victory – compare Revelation 19:13, 15 where the returning Messiah wears garments “dipped in blood.” responding to sin in light of the winepress • Hate what He hates. Proverbs 8:13: “To fear the LORD is to hate evil.” • Reject casual attitudes toward sin. Romans 6:1-2: “Shall we go on sinning…? By no means!” • Confess quickly and completely. 1 John 1:9 assures cleansing, but only when sin is brought into the light. • Guard the heart. 2 Corinthians 7:1 calls us to “perfect holiness out of reverence for God.” embracing the holiness of God • God’s holiness is unapproachable without a mediator (Habakkuk 1:13), yet graciously provided in Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22). • Holiness is not optional. Hebrews 12:14: “Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” • Our calling mirrors His character. 1 Peter 1:15-16: “Be holy, because I am holy.” living it out daily 1. Examine motives in Scripture’s light each morning (Psalm 139:23-24). 2. Repent immediately when conviction strikes; don’t let stains set. 3. Celebrate Christ’s atoning blood that cleans what our efforts cannot (Hebrews 9:14). 4. Choose companions who pursue purity, since “bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). 5. Speak of God’s holiness in daily conversation—worship redirects the heart from sin to Him. Isaiah 63:3 presses us to take sin as seriously as God does and to cherish the costly holiness that, in Christ, makes us clean and keeps us close. |
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