1. Holiness Defined
“The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that he is
merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The
Bible never says that God is love, love, love, or mercy,
mercy, mercy, or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice, justice,
justice. It does say that he is holy, holy, holy, the whole
earth is full of his glory.”– R. C. Sproul
The word “holy” is more than
the first word of an exclamation
or name of a book. This word
has a special association with
God’s identity. Holy means “sep-
arate.” When applied to God it
means that the one who is holy
is uniquely holy, with no rivals or
competition. David described it
like this:
Among the gods there is none like
you, Lord; no deeds can compare
with yours. All the nations you
havemade willcomeandworship
before you, Lord; they will bring
glory to your name. For you are
great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. (Psalms 86:8-10)
The word holy is a synonym for God’s deity. It clarifies all that God is.
His love is holy love, his justice is holy justice, his mercy is holy mercy,
his knowledge is holy knowledge, etc.
What is the impact of God’s holiness on us? The Old Testament gives
us a graphic image of the effect coming in contact with God’s holiness
has on humans. Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of God in Isaiah chapter
6 caused him to lament his sinfulness and confess his own unholiness
and that of his people.
The unholiness that exists because of the presence of sin is a barrier
to the communion God wants to have with us. That is why he sent his
son, Jesus, to earth. When the angel told Mary of the child she would
give birth to as a virgin, he identified Jesus as holy. “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of
God.” (Luke 1:35). When Jesus performed miracles and signs during
his earthly ministry, they all pointed to his holiness, as did the events
surrounding his death. While Jesus’ death served as the payment for
our sin, the resurrection verified his holiness.
What impact does God’s holiness have on us?
God’s holiness and our relationship with him as believers in Jesus
Christ places extra emphasis on our own holiness. The holiness of
God should guide and govern our lives. God does not accept what is
not holy. In reality, all God accepts from us is that which he produces
in and through us. As we experience God’s holiness at work in our
lives, we see the effects through many wonderful fruits, as we revere
God as the Holy One.
As you ponder your relationship
to a holy God, take to heart the
instruction Peter gives us:
As obedient children, do not
conform to the evil desires you
had when you lived in ignorance.
But just as he who called you is
holy, so be holy in all you do; for
it is written: “Be holy, because I
am holy.”
Because God is holy, we who
are his people must be holy too.
Holiness is our calling. Since you
call on a Father who judges each
person’s work impartially, live
out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that
it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were
redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blem-
ish or defect. (1 Peter 1:14-19)