The Holiness Of God

The Holiness of God

In this month’s article, I am writing on the holiness of God. Maybe it has been a while since you have heard this topic discussed, or perhaps you have never read anything on it other than the Bible itself. In this article, I will define holiness, use the Bible to show God’s holiness, compare humans to God’s holiness, and explain what God did to address our unholiness.

The best way to think about this attribute of God is through a simple kitchen illustration that helped me many years ago. Since it helped me, I want to begin our time together with it.

Imagine you and I are in a kitchen. You are in charge of cutting vegetables while I cook the protein. You place the carrots on the cutting board and slice them into pieces. As you cut, each piece of carrot becomes separate from the others.

This is the best way to describe and define holiness: God is separate from all other things He has created. There will never be anything or anyone like God. Let me pose a question: Which is more like God—an angel or a single-celled piece of pond scum under a microscope?

Do you have your answer? There will never be anything in creation that comes close to everything that God is. I am not saying we are not made in His image. However, comparing anything to God is a futile attempt at best. God is in a category by Himself because there is only one God.

Let’s look at a few examples of God’s holiness in Scripture.

“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)

In this text, two things stand out. First, He alone is holy. Second, no one is a rock like our God. As I said earlier, God is the only One who is completely holy. He is separate from all things, and perfection belongs to Him alone. No one else possesses His perfection, His beauty, or His wisdom.

This naturally leads to the second thought in the text: there is no foundation like our God. He does not change. He possesses all wisdom and is perfect; therefore, He is the ultimate foundation for anyone to anchor their life to. When everything else seems out of control, our great God remains like a pillar—steady through both the good and the bad, the highs and the lows—seeing us through every season of life. This is possible because of His perfection—His holiness.

“And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” (Isaiah 6:3)

This is a worship phrase exchanged between angels: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Two things stand out. First, He is holy in comparison to all the host of heaven. Second, the earth is full of God’s glory (more on this shortly).

Why do the angels cry out “Holy” three times? No one knows for certain, but it likely emphasizes the reality of what is being said. The Bible often repeats something for emphasis. In this passage, we also see that out of all He has created on earth and in heaven—all the host of heaven that do His bidding—He is Lord. This simply means He rules over it all.

The next part of the verse tells us the earth overflows with His glory. God’s glory refers to His weightiness; it is a single word that captures everything God is. It is a catch-all term for God. All of His attributes are stamped across creation. His wisdom is what makes the birds fly south in the winter. His laws provide the foundation for justice systems. His sovereignty ensures that even the young ravens are fed. Every part of creation bears the stamp of God’s glory. (I will discuss how humans diminish this glory in the next section.)

Humans are unholy. We are stained with the very thing God could never be corrupted by—sin. God has never fallen into sin because it is impossible for Him. We are imperfect and fall short of God’s glory. This means we fall short of His wisdom, insight, and knowledge. Although these were given to us to obey, we failed miserably.

Nevertheless, that is not our biggest problem. Our greatest issue is this: it is impossible for us to be holy on our own. This is where cults and false beliefs deceive millions of longing souls. People desperately want to believe they can be good enough to reach God’s presence by themselves.

However, this is what makes Christianity so radical. Even though it is impossible for us to be holy, God came down in the flesh, lived a life we could not live, and died a death we could not die. Let Scripture explain it:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

His life was sufficient to grant us a righteousness we did not possess on our own. God took our unholiness upon Himself and gave us His own righteousness. He solved our problem by allowing His righteousness to take the penalty of our unrighteousness on the cross. We now have a way to enter this King’s holy presence. He destroyed our unholiness through His sacrifice.

We must share this truth with all who will listen. Remember, God is separate from us, and we could never be like Him because He is holy. He is our rock, and the earth is full of His attributes because they are stamped on His creation. Everyone is without excuse. We know we are not holy enough to enter His presence. Christians must appeal to this reality by patiently explaining and communicating the gospel to all.

Application questions

1.      How does recognizing God's absolute holiness change the way you approach worship, prayer, and your daily walk with Him?

2.      In what ways are you tempted to rely on your own goodness instead of trusting completely in Christ's righteousness to make you acceptable before God?

3.      If the only way for sinful people to enter God's holy presence is through Jesus Christ, who is one person in your life that you can intentionally share this gospel truth with this week?

Until next month, go out and share the gospel. The truth worth proclaiming is the truth that transforms.