The Holiness of God

1B. God’s holiness defined

Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy…

He is independently, infinitely, immutably holy.

Ø In Scripture He is frequently called “The Holy One”: He is so because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. He is absolute Purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin.

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Holiness is the very essence of the Divine nature: the great God is “glorious in holiness” (Exodus 15:11).

Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor…

Holiness is the distinguishing characteristic of God.

Isaiah 6:3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

His holiness transcends all of His other attributes.

Ø His justice is a holy justice, His wisdom a holy wisdom, His arm of power a “holy arm” (Psalm 98:1), His truth or promise a “holy promise” (Psalm 105:42). His name, which signifies all His attributes in conjunction, “is holy,” (Psalm 103:1)

2B. God’s holiness manifested

In His works

Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.

Ø Nothing but that which is excellent can proceed from Him. Holiness is the rule of all His actions.

Ø At the beginning He pronounced all that He made “very good” (Genesis 1:31), which He could not have done had there been anything imperfect or unholy in them.

In His law

Romans 7:12 So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Psalm 19:8-9 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

At the Cross

Ø How hateful must sin be to God for Him to punish it to its utmost deserts when it was imputed to His Son!

Ø .Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the time our Savior’s countenance was most marred in the midst of His dying groans.

3B. God’s holiness experienced

Because God is holy He hates all sin.

Proverbs 15:26 Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, But pleasant words are pure.

Ø It follows, therefore, that He must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding His punishment than without requiring His hatred of it.

Ø God has often forgiven sinners, but He never forgives sin; and the sinner is only forgiven on the ground of Another having borne his punishment; for “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

Nahum 1:2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; The LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

The unregenerate do not really believe in the holiness of God.

Ø They hope that His mercy will override everything else.

Ø They believe God is like them. (Psalm 50:21)

Ø Nothing will show the terrible depravity of man’s heart and his enmity against the living God more than to set before him One who is infinitely and immutably holy.

Ø His own idea of sin is practically limited to what the world calls “crime.” Anything short of that, man palliates as “defects,” “mistakes,” “infirmities,” etc. And even where sin is owned at all, excuses and extenuations are made for it.

The average Christian has an unbiblical understanding of God.

Ø The “god” which the vast majority of professing Christians “love,” is looked upon very much like an indulgent old man, who himself has no relish for folly, but leniently winks at the “indiscretions” of youth. But the Word says:

Psalm 5:5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.

Psalm 7:11 God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.

Ø Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of creature doings is utterly impossible. A fallen creature could sooner create a world than produce that which would meet the approval of infinite Purity.

Ø .But blessed be His name, that which His holiness demanded His grace has provided in Christ Jesus our Lord. Every poor sinner who has fled to Him for refuge stands “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Hallelujah! Because God is holy the utmost reverence becomes our approaches unto Him.

The proper response to God’s holiness is worship.

Psalm 89:7 A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?

Psalm 99:5 Exalt the LORD our God And worship at His footstool; Holy is He.

Psalm 2:11 Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.

Ø The more our hearts are awed by His holiness, the more acceptable will be our worship unto Him.

Ø Because God is holy we should desire to be conformed to Him. His command is, “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Ø We are not bidden to be omnipotent or omniscient as God is, but we are to be holy, and that “in all manner of deportment” (1 Peter 1:15).

Ø This is the prime way of honoring God. We do not so glorify God by elevated admiration, or eloquent expressions, or pompous services of Him, as when we aspire to a conversing with Him with unstained spirits, and live to Him in living like Him (S. Charnock).

Let us earnestly seek holiness from Him; let our daily prayer be that He may: …sanctify us entirely; and may our spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23)