The Holiness Of God Series

If you want to know or learn more about God, one of the most important things you need to learn about Him is that He is Holy. His holiness is probably one of the most prominent attribute that is talked about in scripture. The word “holy” is mentioned over 600 times in the Bible. He is called holy in the Bible a general sense. The word is used as at times as a synonym for his deity and His glory. That is, the word holy calls attention to all that God is. Some say that holiness is THE attribute of God.

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place.”

God's name is Holy. I believe the idea is that everything about Him is Holy. This means His justice is holy. His love is holy. His mercy and grace is holy. His hatred and wrath is holy. Everything about Him is holy.

Also, the Holiness of God is the only attribute of God that is raised to the third degree in scripture. “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.” This is done in two place in scripture, in Isaiah 6 and in Revelation 4:8.

Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME."

The beings that are closest to the very presence of God cannot stop proclaiming the absolute holiness of God.

So this all begs the question: What is Holy?

First, it means that God is distinct; separate.

The primary meaning of the Hebrew word for holy is ‘separate.’ It comes from an ancient word that meant, ‘to cut,’ or ‘to separate.’ Perhaps even more accurate would be the phrase ‘a cut above something.’ When we find a garment or another piece of merchandise that is outstanding, that has a superior excellence, we use the expression that it is ‘a cut above the rest.’ That is what God is, but more so. As R. C. Sproul put it, "He is an infinite cut above everything else" (The Holiness of God, 55). This is what is meant when people refer to God as being transcendent. He is beyond ordinary limits; He surpasses and exceeds everything we know and are accustomed to. He has no rivals or competition. He is not ordinary. He is not normal or casual. If someone came up to you and asked you, what is God like, there is nothing you can point to on this earth to say, "He is like this, or like that." He is so far above and beyond us that He seems almost totally foreign to us. Saying that He is so far beyond what we could even imagine would still be underestimating His holiness. It is pretty much impossible for mortal men like us to adequately describe it.

1 Samuel 2:2 - “There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides Thee, Nor is there any rock like our God"

Unfortunately, men like to bring God down to our level. When people say that God is their buddy or homeboy, or the man upstairs, they are talking about God as though He is one of us; like He is common or ordinary. Whenever we think of God's attributes, it may be easy for us to think God's anger and love is like ours. But it is not. All of His attributes are a cut above ours. He is not like us. If we make Him like us we are making an idol.

Secondly, To be holy is to be morally pure.

The term that a lot of people use to define what it means to be Holy is "purity." The words 'holy' and 'pure' are not synonyms, but the idea of moral purity is included in the definition of being holy. The idea of purity is used in referring to metal that has no other material in it. This is also the case when we refer to morality. God is morally pure in that there is not any hint of the unholy in Him. There is nothing common about Him. There is no sin in God. HE IS PERFECT!!!! Can you understand that? HE IS PERFECT!