God is infinitely superior to us in every imaginable way.
In last week’s post we explored the first aspect of what makes God holy: he is uniquely divine, different from us and creation, special, not common, not everyday. Today we focus on the second aspect of God’s holiness, which is closely related: his infinite superiority. He is not just unique and special; he is superior.
Isaiah 6:1–4 says, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’”
God is superior to us.
He is infinitely superior to us.
God is infinitely superior to us in every imaginable way.
God is superior to us
Regarding architectural design and materials, the Willis Tower is superior to the Greyhound bus station.
Regarding food, a Michelin three-star restaurant is better than McDonald’s.
In communication, a smart phone is better than to two paper cups connected by a piece of string.
Regarding transportation, an F-16 fighter jet is superior to a pair of roller skates.
God is superior to us. He is superior in nature. That is, he is not just a better brand of roller skates than another brand, with higher-quality ball bearings, better-designed straps for attaching to the feet, higher-quality steel and durability. No, he is a superior kind of transportation altogether, a jet airplane.
He is divine, uncreated, immortal, eternal, sinless, perfect, transcendent, that is, outside of time and matter, able to do anything, knowing all things, Creator of all that exists. That’s for starters.
We are human, created, mortal, temporarily living in bodies made from the dust of the earth, sinful, imperfect, limited in every way, knowing little. That’s for starters.
Isaiah 57:15 says, “Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place’”
So, God is superior in kind, in nature. That means, for example, that he not only knows more than you do; he knows it in a divine way that you simply cannot.
God is infinitely superior to us
It’s one thing to be superior; it’s another to be infinitely superior.
If we compare the Willis Tower to the Greyhound Bus station, we can compare the differences in square footage, height, architectural sophistication, beauty, number of rooms, cost, materials, and prestige. All these factors are finite and generally measurable.
But the difference between God and humanity is beyond measure. God’s superiority to us is so great that we cannot grasp how great it is. God has no limits. So, the gulf between us and him is unlimited.
You know what it’s like to be impressed by someone who is superior to you in what you do best. If you play piano seriously, for example, you are not just impressed with the great virtuoso players, you are awed by their superiority. You have a teeny tiny grasp of what it takes to play as well as they do.
How much more should we be stunned by the infinite superiority of God. He is so superior we cannot even grasp how superior he is. In the ways that he has created us to be similar to himself, such as having the ability to know things, he is not only superior in degree, he is infinitely superior in degree. He does not merely know ten times more than you, or a hundred times more than you, or a million or a trillion times more than you know; he knows infinitely more than you know.
God is infinitely superior to us in every imaginable way
When we compare ourselves to other humans, they will surpass us in some ways, and we will surpass them in others. You may be able to run marathons in a way your friend cannot, but she may be able to sing as you cannot.
Compared to God, though, we never ever can find a way that he is not greater than us. In every possible way that we can be compared to God, he is infinitely superior. In goodness, power, creativity, wisdom, love, kindness, compassion, mercy, grace, knowledge, patience. And in math, physics, sociology, medicine, engineering, art, design, chemistry, psychology, leadership, entrepreneurship. In morality, ethics, righteousness, purity, truthfulness. In beauty, glory, and majesty.
There is one word that describes all this superiority: holy. God is high and lifted up. Holy, holy, holy is he. We fall down before his holy excellence.
For all these reasons and more, God is the most interesting person there is, the most awesome, the most exciting. He is thrilling always and forever. We will never for a moment experience boredom with him. God’s holiness is positive and wonderful. It is good that God is high and lifted up.
Our way versus God’s way
Our way: The way of fallen mankind is to regard ourselves and the rest of creation as the most excellent things worthy of our highest devotion and enthusiasm. People typically ignore God often or always. They are not impressed with him.
God’s ways: We are to regard the Lord as superior in all and act like it by worshiping him and giving thanks, and by loving him with all our being.