The Mark of a True Church

This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 66:2b

What is the mark of a true church? In Reformed theology there are three: the preaching of the word, the proper administration of sacraments, and proper church discipline. But when you examine these three marks, you find they all flow from one: the true church trembles at God’s word.

Reformed theology exalts God and humbles man. It is the theology of sovereign grace shown to miserable sinners like us. It is what caused Paul to confess, “I am chief of sinners,” and causes us to cry out, “Have mercy upon me, a sinner!”

The mark of a true church, or of a true Christian, is clearly stated in Isaiah 66:2: “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

False Churches: Rejection of the Bible

There are false churches in every city and nation throughout the world. They are false because they reject the word of God and the personal Word, who is Jesus Christ. But even the truest churches are a mixture. There is no perfect church on earth.

Every church consists of two groups of people, who can be represented by concentric circles. The outer circle consists of those who do not tremble at God’s word. They may weep copiously, but they will never repent and turn to God. In truth, they hate God’s word. They also hate those in the inner circle, who are the true servants of God. Isaiah 66:5 speaks about these two groups of people: “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: ‘Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of my name. . . .'” Notice it is “brothers,” people in the church, who hate the true people of God and mock them.

The people of the outer circle attend church, yet their worship lacks heart and true faith. They are interested in ceremonialism; whatever they do is done to be seen by others. But because they are not born of God, they are incapable of worshiping him in spirit and in truth. They reject the authority of the Scriptures, judging them with their own fallen human reason. Refusing to be regulated by the word, they are like whitewashed sepulchers.

Nevertheless, these people take great pride in their worship. In Isaiah 66:3 we read about a man who brings a bull to sacrifice: “But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man . . . .” The person described here seems to be a prominent man because he has brought the most costly sacrifice. But because he has no love for God and no saving faith, God looks upon that bull sacrifice and compares it to killing a man-a heinous sin to commit in God’s very presence! God abhors such heartless worship, such mere ceremonialism and empty symbolism, which are not backed by love for him.

The description of false believers continues: “They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations” (66:3). These are not word-centered people. Refusing to tremble at the word of God, they reject it and choose their own ways, which are called here “abominations.” Not only that, they refuse to respond when Almighty God speaks to them through his ministers: “For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened” (66:4). God speaks to us: do we respond?

The book of Isaiah vividly describes God’s plan for those who refuse to respond to him: “I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter” (65:12); “So I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread” (66:4); “The hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes” (66:14); “Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve” (66:6). Notice that these people are within the church, yet they are called here “his enemies” and “his foes.” They will experience the fury of God. God will deal with anyone who refuses to tremble at his word!

Isaiah 66:15-16 continues: “See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.” God has complete control of all people-those who tremble at his word, as well as those who refuse to do so.

What characterizes people who refuse to tremble at the word of God? The last verse of Isaiah 66 states that the people of God will go out and look upon “the dead bodies of those who rebelled against [God].” That’s the problem-rebellion. The Bible says rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. When the word of God is preached, the word of salvation that requires us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, they rebel.

The True Church: A High View of God

What characterizes the true church, those in the inner circle? They tremble at the word of God, respond to God in repentance and faith, and desire to walk in the way of the Lord. Such people have a very high view of God. They do not suffer from the plague of reductionism, of trying to cut God down to size so he can be manipulated. It will never work! God cannot be reduced or manipulated.

In Isaiah 6 we are given the high view of God: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (v. 1). The seraphs were calling out continuously, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (v. 3).

In Isaiah 66:1 we read, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.'” This entire planet is seen as merely the footstool of this great, transcendent God. The creation cannot contain him; he is not part of it. The eternal God is above space and time. The Jews were proud of the beautiful temple they had built, calling it a “sanctuary,” as though God needs a place in which to dwell! But God was not impressed. He asks, “Has not my hand made all these things?” (v.2)

In Isaiah 57:15 we read, “For this is what the high and lofty One says-he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'” And we are told in the New Testament, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

These scriptures speak of two seemingly paradoxical aspects of God’s character. First, he is utterly transcendent, not part of this world. He is infinite, not limited by time and space. God stands over and above his creation, both to judge and to save. He alone is free. But, second, God is also immanent. He graciously condescends to dwell with those who are humble and brokenhearted, who tremble at his word.

God refuses to dwell with the arrogant person who wants to be equal with him. That is why pride is the highest sin, because the proud man wants to be equal with God. But it will never happen. No one can be equal with God! We read about such people in Isaiah 14. Satan wants to be equal with God, as do all who follow him. When such people hear the word of God, they refuse to repent, forsake sin, and trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. But because of their arrogance, they are without God and without hope in the world.

What is the purpose of God’s immanence? “[T]o revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” God dwells with his people to forgive their sins, to save them, to bless them, to help them, to comfort them, to make them strong, to raise them from the dead. Praise be to God! This transcendent God is also Immanuel, “God with us,” who said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the ages”!

Many of the psalms speak of both God’s transcendence and immanence. “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap” (113:5-7). We were all once in the ash heap, but God came down in Jesus Christ, lifted us up and seated us with him in heavenly places. “Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly” (138:6). To “look upon” here means to help, to save, to comfort, to strengthen, to guide, to bless, to forgive. “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death” (102:19-20).

Yes, God is immanent. He is interested in his creation, he is Immanuel, the God-with-us who cares for those who tremble at his word. But we must resist the temptation to reduce him, for he is also transcendent-the holy, eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God who is independent of creation.

God Esteems the Contrite

When God, who is immense, looks upon his creation, he is not impressed by man-made temples or beautiful church buildings, for it is he who created the heavens and the earth and all things therein. He is not even impressed by the stars and galaxies he has made. Heaven is his throne, the earth a mere footstool.

What, then, is God impressed with? What is the object upon which he has fixed his eyes? “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

That phrase, “the one I esteem,” in the Hebrew means “the one I look at,” or “the one I regard.” Much is signified by this phrase. God is saying, “This is the one I approve. This is the one I delight in. This is the one I comfort, bless, strengthen and heal. This is the one I deliver, defend and guide. This is the one to whom I show mercy. This is the one I forgive and justify. This is the one whose prayer I hear and answer, the one for whom I provide daily bread. This is the one I commune with as a friend and with whom I dwell. This is the one I will glorify until he or she sparkles in the brilliance of purity.”

Who are the ones God esteems? He is not speaking of the angels in heaven. He is not speaking of those who are wise, influential, or of noble birth in this world. He is not speaking of the rich who are clothed with purple and pearls, living in mansions. PGM He is not distinguishing between white or black, Jew or Gentile. He is not speaking of the powerful, proud people of the world who reek with self-esteem.

The transcendent God is fascinated by and wants to dwell with those who are poor and humble. He wants to commune forever with those who are destitute of any human merit, who understand the words of the hymn, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.” God looks with favor upon publicans and sinners, those who have nothing of their own to trust in, those who see themselves as “chief of sinners” and are contrite in spirit.

The word contrite is an interesting word in Hebrew; it actually means crippled. In 2 Samuel 9:3 we read about Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet and could not walk. He was entirely dependent on others. David showed him great mercy and invited him to eat at his table for the rest of his life.

In the same way, God looks with favor upon those who are “crippled in spirit”-those who recognize their utter bankruptcy of righteousness before God, who are aware of their sin and guilt, and acknowledge they have broken God’s law; those who confess they were born sinners and sin daily; those who say with David, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me,” but who hate and forsake their sin. God shows mercy to those who confess that they have no health in their spirit and cannot in any way please God; those who agree that they are under the just wrath of God; those who rely only on God’s mercy and trust one hundred percent in the God-sent Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah 6 we find a perfect illustration of this brokenness of spirit, humility, and trembling at the word of God. After Isaiah had his great vision of the holy God, where seraphs sang of God’s holiness, Isaiah looked at himself, saw his wretched condition, and cried out, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Isaiah exemplifies the one God looks at-the one who is aware of his own guilt, who justifies God for his just condemnation, and agrees with the word of God. God looks for those who are crippled in spirit, who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who come to God and say, “I am undone; I am ruined!” Nothing impresses God but a heart that is responsive to him.

What does God do for such a person? He looks on him with favor and applies the redemption which Christ accomplished on the altar. So Isaiah says, “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for'” (v. 7).

In Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes a passage from Isaiah in reference to himself: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus came to save sinners, to heal the sick, and to enrich the bankrupt ones by the gift of his own perfect, unimpeachable righteousness. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Who Are the Tremblers?

Who are the people who tremble at God’s word? Let’s look first at who they are not. They are not profane people who mock God’s word and twist the Scriptures. They are not indifferent people who pretend to honor the Bible but don’t read it or do what it says. They are not “higher-criticism” people who deny the word’s infallibility, who stand above Scriptures and see their fallen reason as the final court of appeal, and who reject miracles and deity of Christ. They are not presumptuous people who have false confidence in themselves, who think they have God in their pockets. One day they will come and say, “Lord, Lord, let me in!” But God will say, “Depart from me, you workers of iniquity! I will not have you come in to my heaven. It is for poor and humble people who tremble at my word, not for workers of iniquity or those who are try to be equal with me.” Remember the foolish virgins? They were overconfident and thought they could get in. But they could not.

Who, then, are the people who tremble at God’s word? They are people who say, “Speak, Lord; your servant heareth.” They understand that they are God’s servants; thus they hear and do what the Master says. They accept the Scriptures as the very word of God. They know God’s word is spirit and life, “living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the human heart” (Hebrews 4:12). They know the gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).

Who are those who tremble at the word of God? They are those who are well-acquainted with the word of God. How can we tremble unless we read the word of God, hear it with our spiritual ears, and know what it requires of us?

The Bible says demons believe in God and tremble, so if we do not tremble, we are, in fact, worse than demons. But demons do not trust God or do his will; they hate God and his word. So that is not the idea of trembling here. Trembling also does not mean thinking that we are going to be lost.

What, then, does it mean to tremble at God’s word? It is to be gripped with the knowledge of the great majesty, transcendence, and perfection of our thrice-holy God. It is to know that his threatenings are true and tremble when we speak about hell and wrath and judgment, because God cannot lie. It is to love God and tremble lest we break his law and displease the One who sent a Savior into our ash heap to save us. It means to not put Christ back upon the cross, trample the Son of God underfoot, treat the blood of the covenant as though it is of no consequence, and insult the Spirit of grace, by our sin. It means to know that our God is a consuming fire.

Trembling means to be fearful of missing the blessing God promises to his people. Those who tremble are eager to do the word of God. The psalmist says, “My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of the law of God” (Psalm 119:120). The tremblers of the word are those who trust and delight in the word. They are not merely hearers of the word of God; they will not rest until they do it, because they are eager to please the God, who in mercy saved them. They express their thanksgiving to God not only in words of praise, but especially with deeds of obedience.

In Isaiah 64:5 Isaiah says of God, “You come to the help of those who gladly do right.” He is not speaking of the obedience of a person who does not want to obey. He is speaking of the willing, joyful obedience that God is pleased with.

God does not need our worship; he has no deficiency in him. His immanence is for our good, and the blessing we receive is the effect of our worship of God. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. The whole revelation is for our blessing, not his. Do you want happiness? Do you want enjoyment? Do you want eternal life? Do you want hope? Do you want peace? Be humble and tremble at God’s holy word.

Tremblers at God’s word have only one purpose-the glory of God. So those who honor God will do his will because where there is respect and reverence, there will be response.

Hebrews 11 celebrates people who trembled at the word of God and obeyed it. Remember the story of Noah? God said to Noah that he was going to destroy the whole world by a huge flood. Then God told Noah to make an ark in which to save himself and his family. What did Noah do with this word of God to him? In Hebrews 11:7 we read, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Yes, people laughed at him, mocked him, scorned him, and despised him. But Noah trembled, obeyed and was saved-he and his entire family. May God help us to emulate Noah, tremble at his word, and be saved. Amen.