THE GOD WHO IS HOLY

I have never attempted to write exclusively on the holiness of God or even preach an entire sermon on that subject.  I believe it but feel it is beyond me to do that adequately.

Therefore, I quote R. C. Sproul for support.  He said, “Holiness is not just an attribute, it is God’s very essence.”  I stand in awe not only of Him, but even to attempt to describe Him in His absolute holiness may be beyond me.  We try to see Him, “… the high and holy One … he who lives forever, whose name is holy” (Isaiah 57:15), and yet, He desires to be known by us and in love has revealed Himself.

I was once in the home of a very devout Jewish couple, much older than I.  They opened their home for hospitality, and while with them, he took me to the synagogue in Amsterdam and showed me the library of old scrolls.  It was unforgettable, but most notable to me was this: in conversation about God they were reserved even to call Him “Jehovah.”  His name was too holy even to pass on their lips, and so they said, “Him who has the name and is holy.”  That’s the way they spoke of God, in such utter reverence.

God is “glorious in holiness” (Exodus 15:11), and we are thankful for how it is explained to us by the prophet, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity …” (Habakkuk 1:13)

I cannot think on this subject without the thought of the solemn celebration before the great and high throne of heaven with the seraphim angels crying out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3).  But I also think of how He appointed the singers of Israel and gave them the task that was so sacred, “that [they] should praise the beauty of holiness” (II Chronicles 20:21).And then these words follow in Psalm 30:4, “Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”  And yet, there is a thought I cannot fully grasp or comprehend.  Psalm 110:3 speaks of “the beauties of holiness” and also of “the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4)—that is beyond me to even imagine it.  I will just have to wait!

God tells us that He has spoken by His holiness, which means, I believe, that His voice sounded out is the fullest expression of Himself, even more than any other attribute.  All this challenges me, and I am over my head in deep water—I admit it.  I run out of words and even mental capacity to grasp it all.

If His words are holy, so are His works, for “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Psalm 145:17), and as a result His greatness is beyond discovery; so, “I will praise the Lord and call on all men everywhere to bless his holy name forever and forever.” (Psalm 145:21, Living Bible)

This holiness that is centered in God, His character, and His nature is undeniable and it makes me want to fall prostrate at His feet.  I personally feel that the more we are in awe of Him, the more will be our coming before Him.  And I even feel that God has said to me at times what He said to Moses, “Do not come any closer … the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5, NIV), and in that moment “Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” (verse 6)  The point being, “God is greatly to be feared … in reverence of all …” (Psalm 89:7)  He is so holy that He deserves and, I believe, demands an awe-filled reverence that we often do not have.

The word in the NIV is vivid, “Let them praise your great and awesome name—he is holy … Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.” (Psalm 99:3, 5, NIV)  In verse 9, “Exalt the Lord our God … for the Lord our God is holy.”  So, the Lord our God is due our absolute reverence.

The word “footstool”—says Arthur Pink—is the place of “the lowest posture.”  It is to be prostrated before Him with total awe, contrite and humble in spirit.  A footstool position is one of awe because of the demands of His holiness.  Understood Biblically, this is essential.  In this, we conclude, we put away this desire to make expression of human eloquence rather than silent awe, away from acts of man-made pomp and any idea of impressing Him with our religious activity.  Not from my lips can I adequately elevate Him; that is beyond me.  A verse seems timely, “Let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all that can defile flesh and spirit, and in the fear of God complete our consecration” (II Corinthians 7:1, NEB).  All of us need to finish our pursuit of God and our ability to reverence Him high and lifted up!

And I do fear for all of us a “mindset defection” as if God somehow tolerates and winks at our little inconsistencies, that somehow He is in some way indulgent of our continual rough edges in our character.  But how can a holy God overlook the “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) of our flawed life?  A person of unclean thoughts and impure acts cannot swagger into the presence of a holy God.  It is not as if he “understands our little indiscretions.”  I heard it shamefully explained on an airplane by a prosperous man who said to me, as he described his relationship with God, “God and I have a working relationship.  I love to commit sins, and He loves to forgive them, so we get along!”  That is utterly foreign to what is said in the Psalms, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” (Psalm 19:9)

There is a “… holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), and we must desire that for our life.  The words which come to mind are “pursue holiness,” and Peter said, “The one who called you is holy; like him, be holy in all your behavior, because Scripture says, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (I Peter 1:15-16, NEB)

We must ask, does the average, typical church member “Christian” really passionately pursue holiness as the Scriptures teach?  I am afraid we, that may include me, no, we don’t!  The Bishop of a hundred years ago was not afraid to say, “A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment.” (J. C. Ryle)  And yet, even a major denomination said shoplifting of things under one hundred dollars should not be thought of as sin!

It is undeniable, we live in a culture that downgrades sin as “simple mistakes,” “oversights,” “a slip of the tongue,” “a temporary flaw on a bad day,” and “I’m only human and nobody is perfect.”  Very often when sin is even admitted at all, there is rationalization with alibis, plus, really, justifications and a bland apology used to dismiss guilt.  The idea is, God is lenient, so there is almost no concept of a God who is holy and who has an absolute abhorrence of all sin.

Nothing reveals just how sinful we are than to defend and dismiss it as if God were an indulgent grandfather figure whose spirit turns a blind eye to small things that fall short.  The idea that “The Lord hates the thoughts of the wicked” (Proverbs 15:26, Living Bible) is shocking to some.  Add to it this, “For such men are an abomination to the Lord … The curse of God is on the wicked …” (Proverbs 3:32-33, Living Bible)  That kind of “god” is too severe, and people who are typical churchgoers refuse to believe that God’s standards are so intolerant.  Samuel Brengle is correct to say it leads to a terrible trifling with sin which makes true repentance almost beyond that person.  J. B. Phillips wrote a book entitled Your God Is Too Small and refers to the defective image we have of the Lord.

Having said all of that, we must all as one rush to Jesus because our only hope is in Christ himself, for holiness comes from Him and it is the end result of our bonding our hearts with Him.  But the benefit of Biblical holiness of God is that it produces soul searching, deep repentance, and it drives us into the arms of Jesus.  A. W. Pink told us that suddenly the truth and grace of God are at work in and through us, for “God alone is the source and the fount of holiness.”

We see the cross as holy judgment on sin, all taken for us by Christ who “commendeth his love toward us … while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).  It is as Dr. Ryle declared it, “Holiness comes from Christ.  It is the result of vital union with Him.”  In Christ we “put on the new man which is created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).  Only God can “establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father” (I Thessalonians 3:13).

It is required of us to understand that the reason Christ gave Himself for us is that we might be “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) and then pursue holiness because without it we will be banished from God forever!  This means, we become like Jesus, for through Him we have God dwelling in us. (read John 14:11 and 20)  As it says, “that we may be partakers of his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10)

The authentic Christian not only desires holiness but looks to Christ as the source of true godliness, or as Paul said, “righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (I Corinthians 1:30).  It is the embracing of His blood which cleanses from all sin.  John said it this way, “… we are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus his Son.” (I John 1:7, NEB)

Never do we forget, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16), and that becomes the passion of the authentic Christian.  It is most reasonable to think that because God is holy, we should not only desire it but “have a decided bent of the mind towards God, a healthy desire to do His will, a greater fear of displeasing Him …” (J. C. Ryle)  Arthur Pink said, “This is the prime way of honoring God.”

So, every Christian should wholeheartedly acknowledge our individual obligation to live lives of moral purity and personal holiness.  We are all to be “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (I Timothy 4:12)  Paul said, “For God … but unto holiness.” (I Thessalonians 4:7-8)  Therefore, let us all deeply commit to lead lives of moral purity and Biblical holiness with the realization not only those closest to us are watching but also those farthest from the Lord.

And we must arrive at a Biblical balance.  Christ lovingly promised to save us from our sin, but not in our sins.  A holy life is the end product of our true conversion.  Nothing is more dangerous than a person claiming he is saved by grace yet living without holiness in their life.  It must be realized that a true Christian seeks holiness because that is God’s purpose in saving us, it’s to make us Christ-like.  Jerry Bridges wrote, “Any Christian who is not earnestly pursing holiness in every aspect of his life is flying in the face of God’s purpose in saving him.”

And in the end, personal holiness leads to unspeakable joy, great peace, and absolute fulfillment—it is as a Puritan pastor said, “Sow holiness and reap happiness.”  All of us should join Jonathan Edwards, who said, “I went on with my eager pursuit after more holiness and conformity to Christ.”  The Scottish saint Robert Murray M’Cheyne indicated the same thing in another way, “I often pray, ‘Lord make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be.’”

Always, Christ alive within us gives us a desire to be holy.  Let us all admit—there is no way that we can be holy and let that thought drive us into the living presence of Christ, who alone is our holiness.