[This post is in a weekly devotional series called Everything New. Sign up here if you’re interested.]
Having looked at attributes of God’s greatness in recent weeks (see archive), we now turn to attributes of God’s goodness. First, his holiness.
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory.” Those were the words the prophet Isaiah heard during his vision of God high and exalted, seated on a throne, the train of his robe filling the temple (Isaiah 6:1-4). “Holy” means separate, different, unique, and this is one of the best assurances we have that God is only interested in the good. He is separate from all the evil and malice in the world-not ignorant of it-but neither is he defiled or influenced by it.
God made a bold and clear statement about his holy character long ago in the Old Testament. All those laws, for instance, were God’s way of setting aside one tribe in the human race for something different, a sure signal that any of us can be elevated to and experience a different life. The children of Abraham learned over centuries about the holiness of God through the object lessons of the holy temple, holy basins, holy garments, holy days, and holy Sabbath. But they also were learning about love. Why else would God want any of us to learn of his holiness if not because, out of his deep love, he longs for us to know that life can be different.
Relationships can be right. Decisions can be just. All the laws about what the Israelites could eat and wear, and how they should sacrifice, and the holy time they should reserve for God’s special purposes-they all pointed toward a single truth: God is unique.
Sometimes we run to God because he is holy and we know that the only hope that we have in this world is a God who is so different from the world that he is our lifeline out of the chaos. But our instincts often cause us to shrink back from the holy God. For some it means a lifetime of avoiding him. Whether we realize how desperately we need him or not, we often consider it too risky to approach a God who is that different. So we may shrink from the holiness of God, but we should also long to live in his holy presence because we all know that we need something and someone truly different from the vulgarities of this world. What other hope do we have that things can be different from what they are?
Starting December 1, “Christmas Joy.” Check it out.
IF WE DO NOT HAVE FAITH, LOVE, HOPE WE HAVE NOTHING, OUR GOD IS A MIGHTY GOD, HE IS THERE WHEN WE NEED HIM, WHICH IS EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY WE HAVE TO CARRY HIS GRACE AND PURITY IN OUR HEARTS IF WE DO NOT WE HAVE NOTHING, BUT SADNESS IN OUR LIVES, AND HURTS, AND WORRIES OUR HEARTS HAVE TO BE PURE WITH HIS LOVE ALWAYS.
The closer I get to God, the more I realize that I need him. Relationship with the Lord allows me to see just how wretched I really am and that I need to constantly seek him to sanctify my soul and spirit. God’s holiness shines the light on every dark place in my heart, when he reveals that darkness to me, I ask the Lord to take it out of me. I am not what I want to be but I continue to strive for the holiness that Jesus wants for my life just as the apostle Paul writes:
Philippians 3:13-15
13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Verse 15 allow us to see that even though we are saved there are things in us that may be contrary to God. However, the mercy and grace of God does not cast us away for this, the Lord reveals these things to us so that we may pray he take them out of our hearts, thus, molding us into the holy people he wants us to become.
This definition is probably too simplistic of a definition but I have defined holiness as a set of rules that God governs His creation by. But it doesn’t stop there for Scriptures insist that God is holy. This to me means that not only does He govern His creation by these rules but He governs Himself by these rules as well. I guess I think of all of His other attributes being governed by His holiness. Because He is holy He will never change because He has said that He will never change. Because He is holy I will never have to worry about Him using His power to be unjust. We can also depend on His love because He has said that He loves us and because He is holy we can take that to the bank .
6.
I just want to thank you for teaching God’s word and sharing your insights – this is a blessing.
The more i learn the more I need to learn..My hunger is only getting stronger for His Word..We were created to worship HimWe need to worship only Him and when we dont i think, we search and serch and are never satisfied with any thing else we find..We were made His way… he is Holy and its good to be His kind of different…
This is a now-word for me. I take it personally. I was hoping more was said about the other attributes of God. God bless.
God is so holy that He couldn’t even look at His own son hanging on the Cross while He was bearing our sins. That was the only time in history that there was separation between the Father and the Son, which must have been torment for both of them and shows us how serious holiness is to God. It is part of His character. We are to be holy as He is holy, not compromising truth or integrity, walking in faith by the Spirit of God. What an awesome responsibility we have but what great blessings come from being obedient to the one who knows us and loves us – peace that passes all understanding; joy unspeakable and full of glory……… and so much more.