Nature and science can
provide us with a small glimpse into God’s power and magnitude. However, the size
and power of God tell us little about His character. It would be a terrible
thing if such power and size were in the hands of a cruel God. Thankfully, the
Scriptures inform us that this omnipresent and omnipotent God is also infinite
in His goodness. He is radically holy!
Holiness is perhaps God’s
most important attribute. In fact, the words “holy” or “holiness” occur more
than 900 times in the Bible. It
is this trait that mesmerizes all who encounter the Lord. The angels of heaven
are perfectly pure, yet even the angels cover their faces at God’s throne. In
fact, these glorious creatures are so awestruck by God’s holiness that they forever
sing to each other: “Holy, holy, holy is the God Almighty; the whole earth is
full of His glory” (Isa 6:3).
Holiness has been defined as
“purity” or being completely “set apart” from the world. However, holiness is
far more than simple purity. God is most certainly pure, but it would be wrong
to limit the beauty of God’s holiness to the simple absence of sin. God’s
holiness is far more than that. His holiness is a penetrating and powerful
force. It is infinite goodness. It is not merely the absence of sin; rather it
is an all-out, unrelenting, inexhaustible desire to destroy sin and darkness.
God’s holiness is like light.
Scripture even tells us that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all”
(1 John 1:5). It would be wrong to
define light as the mere absence of darkness. It is far more than that. Light
has a form. It moves. It illuminates. It creates beauty and color. It always
triumphs over darkness. Darkness, on the other hand, can be defined as the absence of light. It is empty, formless, lifeless,
dreadful, and stagnant. Darkness is idle; but light is radiant and active.
“From Zion
Jonathan Edwards, the famous
preacher of the Great Awakening, once said, “A true love to God must begin with
a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute; for
no other attribute is truly lovely without this.”
It is God’s holiness that
sets Him apart from the world. It makes Him different from everything else in a
way that makes Him superior to everything else. He is in a class by himself. He
has no threatening rivals. He is the one and only true God. He alone is holy (Rev 15:4).
A.W. Tozer, the popular
Christian author of the 20th century, explained:
We cannot grasp the true
meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure
and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God’s
holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing
like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable,
incomprehensible and unattainable… Holy is the way God is. To be holy, He does
not conform to a standard. He is that standard.
It is this incomprehensible
holiness that causes fear to consume the hearts of all who are confronted by the
Lord, who is “a consuming fire” (Deut
4:24). The Scripture tells us that “it is a dreadful thing to fall into the
hands of the Living God” (Heb 10:31).
God Requires Holiness from Men
If you have ever been caught
red-handed in the midst of a shameful act, then you know that your shame is only
magnified when the witness of your sin is a person of great holiness. Just imagine
being confronted by the One who exudes infinite holiness. Even the greatest
heroes of Scripture suffered dread when confronted by God’s veiled holiness. Consider
the following examples:
- After the Fall, Adam hid from God and admitted that he was “afraid” of His presence.
- Upon encountering the Lord, “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”
- The Israelites cried out to Moses, “Let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
- God told Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
- The Psalmist wrote, “My flesh trembles in fear of You...”
- Isaiah declared, “Woe is me, for I am undone…for my eyes have seen the King.”
- When Daniel’s men saw the Lord, “a great terror fell upon them…”
- Daniel said: “No strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me.”
- When the Lord appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds, “they were terribly frightened.”
- Peter begged Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
- When Saul was confronted by Christ, he fell to the ground “trembling and astonished."
- Peter, James, and John “fell on their faces and were greatly afraid."
- In John’s vision, he wrote, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”
If such men were unable to
withstand the veiled holiness of God without trembling in terror and shame,
then it would be foolish to assume that anyone stained by sin could find peace
in the presence of God’s unveiled and unrestrained holiness. Even if they were
permitted to enter the presence of God, heaven would quickly become like hell
for those who choose to remain in their sins. The holiness of God is simply too
intense. He cannot tolerate even the slightest of sins. God “cannot tolerate
wrong,” and His “eyes are too pure to look on evil” (Hab 1:12-13).
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the
judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches
over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Psalm 1:5-6).
Unfortunately, few people
consider righteousness or holiness to be an important quality in this life. In
his book Be Holy, famous biblical
commentator Warren Wiersbe wrote:
Happiness, not holiness, is the chief pursuit
of most people today, including many professed Christians. They want Jesus to
solve their problems and carry their burdens, but they don’t want Him to
control their lives and change their character. It doesn’t disturb them that
eight times in the Bible, God said to His people, “Be holy, for I am holy,”
and He means it.
Holiness is not an Old
Testament standard that can now be dismissed. Jesus commanded his followers in
his Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”
(Matt 5:48). All of Scripture
teaches that holiness is essential to the Christian life. In fact, the New
Testament tells us that “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). It is this attribute that makes the gospel both necessary and precious. You can never meet the requirements of God. But as we will see, Christ has clothed us in his perfect righteousness.
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