The Holiness of God
“And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”
There is no greater need in your life today than to know God. Dr. Michael Reeves once said, "Christianity is not primarily about lifestyle change, it's about knowing God." If there was one attribute that would help you know God all the more, it's His holiness.
A.A. Hodge wrote, "The holiness of God is not to be conceived as one attribute among others. It is rather a general term representing the conception of His consummate perfection and total glory." In other words, the holiness of God is like a door that leads us to a greater understanding of all His other attributes including His love, mercy, justice, goodness, and grace. All of these attributes are expressed with perfect holiness. This is why Thomas Watson, the great Puritan, called God's holiness “the most sparkling jewel of His crown.”
Isaiah 6:1-7 is one of the most important Bible passages for understanding the holiness of God. As Isaiah was captivated by a greater understanding of God's holiness, it led him to a greater awareness of his own depravity. The holiness of God humbles us. We become acutely aware that we are great sinners in need of a greater Savior. A deep awareness of the holiness of God leads us into a deeper worship of God.
As you reflect on the holiness of God, I want to leave you with this timeless, sobering, and God-glorifying quote from the late R.C. Sproul about the holiness of God:
"There is only one attribute of God that is ever raised to the third degree of repetition in Scripture. There is only one characteristic of almighty God that is communicated in the superlative degree from the mouths of angels, where the Bible doesn't simply say that God is holy, or even that He's holy, holy, but that He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible doesn't say that God is mercy, mercy, mercy or love, love or justice, justice, justice or wrath, wrath, wrath. But that He is holy, holy, holy. This is a dimension of God that consumes His very essence. And when it is manifest to Isaiah we read that at the sound of the voices of the seraphim, the doorposts, the thresholds of the temple itself shook and began to tremble. Inanimate, lifeless, unintelligible parts of creation, in the presence of the manifestation of the holiness of God, had the good sense to be moved. How can we, made in His image, be indifferent or apathetic to His majesty?"
