Holiness of God – Total Depravity of Man

God is Holy

What does holiness mean?

I have a problem this morning. I am going to teach you about the holiness of God. I can’t teach you about the holiness of God if you don’t understand what holiness itself means. But I can’t teach you what holiness means if you don’t understand the nature of God.

When the Bible affirms that God is holy, what does it mean?

The Bible declares that God is

It is a declaration that God is separate. He the uncreated c

It means that He is purely God. He is only God in His nature and essence, and He is completely God in His nature and essence.

Ivory Soap is not pure

I remember seeing Ivory Soap ads on television when I was a boy, and they said that Ivory Soap was “99-44/100% pure. That motto goes all the back to 1891. Ivory Soap is so pure, they said, that it floats; that motto goes back to 1898.

There is another word that describes something that is 99-44/100% pure – impure.

Something that is pure is not mixed with anything else. It is free from contamination. Ivory Soap is 99-44/100% soap, and 66/100% something else. It isn’t pure. It isn’t only soap. It is contaminated by other things.

Our bodies are not pure, either

Our bodies are not pure

We are not just one thing.

The human body is made up of many elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, sulfur, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, silicon, tin, vanadium, and zinc.

We are also inhabited by more than 10,000 species of microorganisms, numbering in the trillions. We depend on those microorganisms for health and for life itself.

Our bodies are not pure, are they? They are not just one thing, just one substance, just one essence. We are a mixture, an alloy.

The other trace elements (less than 0.01%) are: boron (B), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), fluorine (F), iodine (I), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn).

But God is pure

There is nothing in God but God. He is not a mixture or a blend or an alloy. He is pure, uncontaminated, perfectly complete in Himself.

Of all things that exist, there is God, and there is everything else, and the everything does not cross over or

That didn’t change when He created all things. God is completely distinct and separate from everything that He has made. There is nothing in God but God. He is utterly independent from creation. He is completely self-existent. He cannot be anything but Himself, and He must be Himself.

God is completely distinct and separate from everything that He has made. There is nothing in God but God. He is utterly independent from creation. He is completely self-existent. He cannot be anything but Himself, and He must be Himself.

Holiness means separation from other things. It means a purity of essence and existence.

It means that God, by His nature, is pure (uncontaminated), complete, and uncontaminated.

We can’t really talk about the holiness of God if we don’t understand what holiness itself means.

At the same time, we can’t talk about holiness without beginning with God.

I know that sounds like an endless circle, but it really isn’t.

Example: God is Love

You see, holiness is not an abstract idea, but the

Holiness does not mean moral goodness, although moral goodness is one of the outcomes of holiness.

Holiness means separation from other things. It means a purity of essence and existence.

The holiness of God means that He is completely distinct and separate from everything that He has made. Holiness means that God is utterly and completely perfect; there is nothing in God that is not God, and all that is God is in God. Holiness means that God is purely Himself, and completely Himself.

Because God is holy, because He is completely and utterly Himself, He can’t be anything other than Himself. Is there something that God can’t do? Yes. He can’t be anything but Himself.

The holiness of God is not simply His moral goodness, but His complete separation from all created things. We understand that there is only God and creation, right? There is God, and there is everything that He has made. The holiness of God means that God is separate from everything in creation. He stands apart from it. He is untouched and unchanged and uncontaminated by creation. He is not mixed with creation in the slightest sense.

The holiness of God is not simply His moral goodness, but His complete separation from all created things. We understand that there is only God and creation, right? There is God, and there is everything that He has made. The holiness of God means that God is separate from everything in creation. He stands apart from it. He is untouched and unchanged and uncontaminated by creation. He is not mixed with creation in the slightest sense.

So when the Bible says that God is love, it doesn’t mean that God created love, or defined it, or made it an abstract law for us to obey, but that God, by His very nature and essence, is Himself Love. It is not merely what God does, but who God is.

But God is holy. He is distinct from all creation. He is separate from it. He is utterly independent from creation. He doesn’t need creation, either in part or the whole. God is completely self-existent. There is God, and there is everything that He has made. The holiness of God means that God is separate from everything in creation. He stands apart from it. He is untouched and unchanged and uncontaminated by creation. He is not mixed with creation in the slightest sense. He is holy.

I am not purely myself, am I? Just speaking about my physical life, I am a mixture of all sorts of minerals and chemicals, and the home to all sorts of bacteria. I must breathe and eat and drink, because my body is dependent upon foreign substances for survival. I require the heat of the sun to remain alive. I am dependent upon the earth for my physical existence: for the atmosphere that I breathe, for the food that I eat, for the water that I drink, for the gravity that keeps me not only here but functioning. I am not self-existent; neither are you. Some people are called “self-made men,” but that isn’t even remotely true. They didn’t create themselves.

I am not purely myself, am I? Just speaking about my physical life, I am a mixture of all sorts of minerals and chemicals, and the home to all sorts of bacteria. I must breathe and eat and drink, because my body is dependent upon foreign substances for survival. I require the heat of the sun to remain alive. I am dependent upon the earth for my physical existence: for the atmosphere that I breathe, for the food that I eat, for the water that I drink, for the gravity that keeps me not only here but functioning. I am not self-existent; neither are you. Some people are called “self-made men,” but that isn’t even remotely true. They didn’t create themselves.

When the Bible calls us to be holy as God is holy,

I am not holy, am I? I am not solely self0

But God is holy. He is distinct from all creation. He is separate from it. He is utterly independent from creation. He doesn’t need creation, either in part or the whole. God is completely self-existent. There is God, and there is everything that He has made. The holiness of God means that God is separate from everything in creation. He stands apart from it. He is untouched and unchanged and uncontaminated by creation. He is not mixed with creation in the slightest sense. He is holy.

Because God is holy, because He is completely and utterly Himself, He can’t be anything other than Himself. Is there something that God can’t do? Yes. He can’t be anything but Himself.

This is why says,

First John 4:8

God didn’t create love; He IS love.

He didn’t decide that there would be such a thing as love, and then define it.

This is why says,

So when says that the one who does not love does not know God,

1 John 4:8 NASB95

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:7–8 NASB95

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:7 NASB95

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Failing to love is not simply violating a rule God created for us, but a denial of God Himself.

The same thing is true of every other attribute of God: justice, righteousness, mercy, grace, kindness, truth, and so on. These are not created things that He has defined, but descriptions of His own nature and essence.

The application of this is very clear, and actually very helpful.

God is righteous. When we sin, we are not merely violating a law that God arbitrarily defined, but rejecting God’s own sinless nature.

God is just. When we are unjust, we are not merely violating the command to love our neighbors as ourselves, but rejecting God’s own nature.

God is truth. When we lie, we are not merely violating a law against tell falsehoods, but rejecting God Himself.

God is mercy. When we behave unmercifully, we are not just breaking His command to be kind, but reject His own nature and essence.

God is Holy

The Bible tells us, and emphasizes, that God is holy. This is not a description of how God acts, but who God is.

The one who does not love does not know God. Why? Because God IS love. The person who claims to be a Christian, but does not love, is not simply disobeying God, but denying Him.

He didn’t say this because God had decided that there would be a thing called love, and defined it, and gave it shape and form and definition. He said this because God IS love:

Jesus commands us to love one another:

John 15:17 NASB95

“This I command you, that you love one another.

jn

He didn’t say this because God had decided that there would be a thing called love, and defined it, and gave it shape and form and definition. He said this because God IS love:

1 John 4:7–8 NASB95

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:8 NASB95

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

The one who does not love does not know God. Why? Because God IS love. The person who claims to be a Christian, but does not love, is not simply disobeying God, but denying Him.

Other attributes, like justice, righteousness, mercy, kindness, wisdom, and so on, are not merely described and defined by God, but originate in the very nature and essence of God.

Goodness is not a standard to which God holds, but a standard which God Himself defines as being in complete agreement with His nature. Other attributes like love, justice, mercy, righteousness, and so on, are what they are because of who God is.

Let’s look at together.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:1 NASB95

1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Isaiah 6:1 NASB95

1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

God is Spirit (); He has no body, whether a physical body, as we have, or heavenly bodies, as angels have ( describes).

Isaiah 6:1-4

So Isaiah is having a vision, given to him by the Spirit of God, emphasizing the nature of God.

The train of God’s robe fills the temple. God is Spirit, and invisible, but for Isaiah’s sake His glory is depicted as fabric, the train of a King’s robe, which fills the temple. God’s glory is substantial and weighty. In fact, the Hebrew word translated glory, chabod, has the sense of weight and mass and substance.

What Isaiah describes here is a vision, given to him by the Spirit of God, emphasizing the nature of God.

God is Lord, or Adonai. He has all power, all authority, and He exercises that authority, portrayed by His throne.

Within this vision, Isaiah sees the Lord – adonai - sitting on a throne.

God is Spirit (); He has no body, whether physical or spiritual. What Isaiah describes here is a vision, given to him by the Spirit of God, emphasizing the nature of God.

God is Lord, or Adonai. He has all power, all authority, and He exercises that authority, portrayed by His throne.

We would look at an empty room and say, “There’s nothing in it,” but that isn’t true. Air is in it, and that air has substance and weight. In fact, air weighs about 1.2 ounces per cubic foot. This room has more than (Creighton: 1,000 pounds of air | Norfolk: 500 pounds of air) in it.

So the Spirit of God shows Isaiah the glory of God in a

God is

God is the center and focus of heaven

God is lofty and exalted. I like the King James Version here: “high and lifted up!” This is a picture of God’s dwelling place. He doesn’t have a bedroom, because He never sleeps. He doesn’t have a living room, because He never relaxes. and 5 describe heaven as utterly dominated by a stunningly beautiful and majestic throne, which is overshadowed only by the One who sits on it.

gives us a very similar picture to the heavenly throne. God is seated there as Lord and King. He is unmistakeable, and commands the attention of everyone present.

The train of His robe fills the temple. This is a picture of the glory of God filling everything to the uttermost. The glory of God is God’s own manifest presence in a place. God is omnipresent, everywhere at once, and yet is not perceived in most places.

I truly hope that none of you has ever wasted money on a “I died and went to heaven and came back to tell you all about it for $14.95” book. Those tales are nothing but lies designed to separate people from their money. They focus on green grass and beautiful flowers and music and lights and meeting friends and family who have died. One author even said in the first edition of his book that there was no sign of God in heaven! One writer even said, in the first edition of his book, that there was no sign of God in heaven. No sign of God!

In a sense the glory of God is like air. We can’t see the air in this room, but it has physical substance to it. Right now air fills this room, about 78% nitrogen, about 21% oxygen, and then other gases like water vapor, argon, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, hydrogen, and so on.

The first printing of one book actually said that there was no sign of God in heaven; the writer made sure to edit that mistake for the second printing.

Within the vision, Isaiah sees God’s glory like a magnificent fabric, filling the entire room.

I truly hope that none of you has ever wasted money on a “I died and went to heaven and came back to tell you all about it for $14.95” book. Those tales are nothing but lies designed to separate people from their money. They focus on green grass and beautiful flowers and music and lights. The first printing of one book actually said that there was no sign of God in heaven; the writer made sure to edit that mistake for the second printing.

When John the apostle had his heavenly vision in , God is absolutely the center of everything. John doesn’t say, “I was caught up in the Spirit, and I saw James my brother, and Peter, and Paul, and we had a great time getting caught up!” No, he is utterly overwhelmed by the majesty of the living God.

Revelation 4:1–3 NASB95

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.

rev 4

Anyone who says that they have been to heaven, and what REALLY impressed them was seeing old friends, or the food, or the music, or the colors, is a liar. Their own words condemn them. Every single description given in Scripture makes it clear that God is the focus and dominant Person in heaven.

Anyone who says that they have been to heaven, and what REALLY impressed them was seeing old friends, or the food, or the music, or the colors, is a liar. Their own words condemn them. Every single description given in Scripture makes it clear that God is the focus and dominant Person in heaven.

The Seraphim

Isaiah goes on to describe angelic beings in the throne room.

isa 6 2

Isaiah 6:2 NASB95

2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

What are seraphim? This is the only place in the Bible where they are mentioned by name, but it’s obvious that seraphim are angelic beings that serve God in a unique way. They are also mentioned in , in exactly the same context, as angelic creatures that declare the holiness of God non-stop.

Each one has six wings.

With two he covers his face, because even holy angels do not dare to boldly gaze at God. His majesty and glory, and their perfect humility and creatureliness, causes them to hide their faces.

With two he covers his feet, because even sinless heavenly beings are impure in the presence of God.

With two he flies, flying around the throne room of God. They don’t fly to get anywhere, since they never leave. Perhaps they fly in order to proclaim the glories of God from every single place in heaven.

Isaiah 6:3 NASB95

3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Isaiah 6:1–4 NASB95

1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

God is holy, holy, holy. The repetition strongly emphasizes the holiness of God. God is love, as we see in , but the Bible never says that God is “love, love, love,” or “righteous, righteous, righteous,” or “truth, truth, truth.”

The majesty and presence of God is such that it is not just heaven that is filled with His glory; the whole earth is full of His glory.

The majesty and presence of God is such that it is not just heaven that is filled with His glory; the whole earth is full of His glory.

Take a moment and look around. Look at me, that’s fine. Look at the screen, the pulpit, the ceiling, the floor. Look at the walls and the furniture in this room. Do you see any evidence of the glory of God in this room? No, you don’t; neither do I.

But the whole earth is full of His glory. We know this is true because the Bible says that it is true. We can’t see the gases that make up the air, but we are far more utterly blind to the glory of God filling the whole earth.

In we see that God’s glory fills the heavenly temple. says that His glory fills the whole earth.

Of course heaven is full of the glory of God; how could it be otherwise?

I think it’s because there would have been no point in saying, for Isaiah’s benefit, that heaven is full of the glory of God.

It could be that the glory and presence of God is even more profound on earth than it is in heaven, and that the angels themselves are speechless at the wonder of infinite God, Yahweh, Creator of all things, manifesting Himself on the earth.

Of course heaven is full of the glory of God; how could it be otherwise?

But this EARTH, this tired, corrupted, sinful place? The glory of God is here, too? And not just here in a minor sense, but hugely here, enormously here, powerfully here? God is holy; He cannot be anything or anyone other than Himself. If God is present at all, He is perfectly and fully present.

That’s what the seraphim say to one another, constantly without ceasing: the whole earth is full of His glory.

This is not just a declaration of God’s presence, but of His power, His rule, and His authority.

Heaven can’t ignore the glory of God

The declaration of this message shakes heaven itself:

The declaration of this message shakes heaven itself:

Isaiah 6:4 NASB95

4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

The declaration of God’s preeminence and majesty cause the foundations of heaven to shake constantly. Heaven is not a quiet, peaceful place. There is constant sound and movement and activity. The seraphim never stop calling out that God is holy. The whole temple in heaven constantly shakes and shudders with the pronouncement of the glory of God.

The glory of God is now described as a smoke that fills the temple.

As we see in the book of Revelation, heaven is not a quiet, peaceful place. The seraphim never stop calling out that God is holy. The whole temple in heaven shakes and shudders with the pronouncement of the holiness of God.

There will be silence in heaven one day, though, when the judgment of God reaches it’s peak (). At the final sound of the judgment of God, all heaven will hold its breath. The angels in heaven have never heard silence before, but when the wrath of God is announced against the wicked, every creature in heaven will be silenced, and all activity will cease, as even the holiest of created beings react to the wrath of God being poured out.

In fact, one of the most startling scenes the Scriptures record about heaven is found in :

Revelation 8:1 NASB95

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

At the final sound of the judgment of God, all heaven will hold its breath. The angels in heaven have never heard silence, but it will be silent when the wrath of God is announced against the wicked.

The glory of God is now described as a smoke that fills the temple. As with the train of the robe of the Lord, smoke is a physical substance, visible to the eyes, carrying an aroma.

What about Isaiah?

You haven’t forgotten about Isaiah, have you? I hope not. We’ve been seeing this heavenly scene through his senses, after all.

He saw the Lord God Almighty, lofty and exalted.

He could have touched the train of the robe of the Lord, His glory made manifest.

He heard the voices of the seraphim declaring the incomparable holiness of God.

He could smell the smoke that filled the temple, again a picture of the glory of God.

And how does Isaiah respond?

It’s strange, but he isn’t like a single “I died and went to heaven and came back” author.

His Sinfulness is Exposed

Isaiah 6:5 NASB95

Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Isaiah 6:5 NASB95

Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

The English word “woe” is the Hebrew word oy. Our culture has made it humorous, but there was nothing funny about Isaiah’s woe. Oy is pure vowel, a sigh, an exhaling groan. The reality of his situation hits Isaiah hard and lays him low.

He says that he is ruined, or destroyed, or undone, or unraveled. He isn’t just feeling the weight of his sin, he is feeling completely and utterly exposed, as though all of his protective layers had shattered, and revealed his true self. Isaiah had the very same defense mechanisms that we do. He thought he was a good person. He thought that his religion answered the more difficult questions. Ultimately, he probably thought that, on the whole, he was ok, relatively speaking. But he couldn’t maintain those illusions when confronted with the manifest glory of Holy God.

But he couldn’t maintain those illusions when confronted with the manifest glory of Holy God.

That isn’t a good self, as he himself says: “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

isn’t a good self, as he himself says: “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

How ironic! Isaiah was a speaking and writing prophet. He spoke the words given to him by the Lord, words of judgment against the wicked and comfort to the righteous. And now he realizes just how unclean and defiled his mouth is!

What is it that forces Isaiah to look at himself as he really is? His vision of the glory of the King, the LORD of hosts, and the revelation of the holiness of God. Every pronouncement of the holiness of God shook the foundations of the heavenly temple; it utterly shattered Isaiah, and left him completely exposed in his sin and shame.

I wonder, do you think that your experience would be any different than Isaiah’s? Even as Christians, our sinful flesh remains. John says that when Jesus appeared to him in a glorified state, “I fell at His feet like a dead man.” ().

No human pride or ego could possibly withstand even a vision of the manifest glory of God, much less the actual fullness of God’s glory – one more reason that those who claim to have visited heaven and had a great time are lying.

If Jesus appeared to us at this moment in His glory, we would be as shattered as Isaiah, as helpless as John to defend ourselves.

But the story doesn’t end there.

The opposite of holiness is, of course, unholiness. But the word ‘unholiness’ is not all that helpful. It tells us what Isaiah is not, but it doesn’t tell us what Isaiah is. The word that best fits Isaiah is sinful.

Atonement • Justification • Forgiveness

Isaiah 6:6–7 NASB95

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

isa 6

This is one of the seraphim who never stop declaring the holiness of God. It could be that the coal was so hot that the angel couldn’t touch it, but I think that there’s another explanation. That coal is the Lord’s means of taking away Isaiah’s sin. In the touch of that coal was atonement and justification and forgiveness.

And now h

That coal is an emblem of Christ, a picture of what Jesus would one day do for all His people. I think the angel won’t touch the coal because it points to the atoning, justifying, forgiving death of Jesus Christ.

The impact on Isaiah is immediate.

Isaiah 6:8 NASB95

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

He is no longer cowering in terror, utterly helpless and hopeless. He is no longer anguished over his sin, ruined and destroyed by the unveiling of his guilt and shame.

He is filled with faith, confident in the promise of God, free of terror and hopelessness. Let’s not think that God restored Isaiah’s self-confidence or sense of worth. No, God restored Isaiah himself through the sure and certain application of the yet-to-be-made atonement of the cross.

The Lord’s Table

Let’s be clear. The atonement provided through Jesus Christ would not be made for 700 years, but the promise of God

We also have an emblem of the atonement made by the Lord Jesus Christ, of our justification and forgiveness. It is the bread and wine of communion.

It would have been a terrible sin for Isaiah to make light of his restoration by the Lord. Likewise, it’s a terrible sin for people today to make light of the Lord’s table. tells us that when we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We declare that we, like Isaiah, are shattered by our sin, and that we are only restored by the atonement provided for through the cross.

We are to examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s table, not to ask whether we are worthy of it – we aren’t, and no one could be – but to ask whether we recognize the enormity of what Jesus did for us.