He's Not Safe, But He's Good — The Holiness of God

What does it mean that God is holy? Rev. Chris Gordon and guest Rev. Dan Borvan open with C.S. Lewis's famous exchange from _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ — "He isn't safe, but he's good" — and use it as a lens to examine the transcendence of God that has been lost in much of modern Christianity. Drawing on thinkers like R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer, J. Gresham Machen, and Carl Trueman, they trace how humanism and the Enlightenment have elevated man and domesticated God, stripping worship of its reverent awe.

The conversation moves through three key biblical passages — the Ark of the Covenant and Uzzah (2 Samuel 6), the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10), and the judgment on Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) — to show that God's holiness is not an Old Testament relic. The hosts argue that the Regulative Principle of Worship is not mere tradition but a gracious protection: it guards God's people from unauthorized additions that trivialize the one sacrifice of Christ and bind consciences beyond what Scripture commands. Whether it's worship-as-entertainment or sincerity divorced from obedience, the episode calls the church back to a proper fear of God — not servile terror, but filial reverence before the King who dwells in unapproachable light.

Chapters:

0:00 - C.S. Lewis: He's Not Safe
1:29 - Introduction: Holiness of God
2:05 - R.C. Sproul and Isaiah 6
3:40 - Domesticating God Today
5:00 - Nadab, Abihu, and the OT Passages
7:37 - Humanism and the Creator-Creature Distinction
9:05 - Preaching Wrath and Judgment
11:24 - Sincerity vs. Obedience in Worship
13:49 - Servile Fear vs. Filial Fear
16:28 - 2 Samuel 6: The Ark and Uzzah
23:28 - Leviticus 10: Nadab and Abihu
27:00 - The Regulative Principle of Worship
33:45 - Entertainment-Driven Worship
41:42 - Romans 10 and the Foolishness of Preaching

Guest Information:
**Rev. Dr. Daniel Borvan** is pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church. Daniel earned his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California in 2011. At Westminster Seminary he also earned a Master of Arts degree in Historical Theology. His thesis paper was on Faustus Socinus.

- Dan on X: @danborvan
- Dan's Church: christreformed.orgMentions:

Mentions:
- C.S. Lewis — _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ (opening allegory of Aslan)
- R.C. Sproul — _The Holiness of God_
- J.I. Packer — _Knowing God_
- J. Gresham Machen — _Christianity and Liberalism_ (creator-creature distinction)
- Carl Trueman — referenced on the desecration of man through humanism
- John Calvin — _Institutes of the Christian Religion_ (man as "six-foot worm"; knowledge of God and self)
- Andy Stanley — cited for promoting a Marcionite view of the Old Testament God
- Charles Spurgeon — referenced on Hebrews and boldness before the throne of grace
- Faustus Socinus — mentioned in connection with Rev. Borvan's M.A. thesis
- Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10)
- Uzzah and the Ark (2 Samuel 6)
- Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)
- Isaiah 6 — the throne room vision and seraphim
- Ezekiel 1 — the glory of God
- Psalm 16 — setting the Lord before me
- Hebrews — "our God is a consuming fire"; boldness before the throne of grace
- Colossians 2 — will worship / self-imposed worship
- Romans 10 — preaching and the foolishness of the gospel
- Revelation 2–3 — letters to the seven churches, removing the lampstand
- Heidelberg Catechism — Christ bearing the wrath and curse in body and soul
- Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW)
- Normative Principle of Worship — contrasted with RPW
- Marcion / Marcionism — the false God-of-OT-vs-NT distinction
- Mariolatry — how overemphasis on transcendence produced Marian intercession
- The Enlightenment and Humanism
- Dante — medieval depictions of Christ as judge
- Creator-Creature Distinction

Rev. Dr. Daniel Borvan is pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church. Daniel earned his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California in 2011. As a student at Westminster Seminary he learned that all study of Scripture, theology, and church history is put into practice in the worship and work of the church. The goal is to glorify Christ by serving His church. At Westminster Seminary he also earned a Master of Arts degree in Historical Theology. His thesis paper was on Faustus Socinus.

Daniel is chairman of the Heidelberg Reformation Association. Some of his published articles are on the Heidelblog website. Daniel was installed as pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church, September 29, 2023. Daniel is married to Marcy and they have two daughters and a son.

x: danborvan