God is holy because it is true and right for God to receive all glory and to protect the glory of his name.
by Pastor Brian Larson, delivered to the congregation of Lake Shore Church in Chicago on June 20, 2021
Absolutely Pure
Because God is absolutely pure, he is perfectly good, and we can trust him.
We live in a world where impurity can ruin anything.
Last year, for example, after one of the most respected Christian apologists in the world died, he received waves of public admiration and eulogy. A few months later, however, investigators revealed he had maintained for many years a double life of sexual sin and abuse toward many. YouTube channels reverberated for months with disillusioned people trying to make sense of it. By destroying people’s ability to trust leaders in general and by bringing discredit to the gospel, this man’s sins outweighed the good he had done for a lifetime.
Ruined by impurity
Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.”
In computer apps, one wrong character or command, one corrupted line of code, can render the entire program useless.
And in hospitals, one disease-causing microbe on the glove of a surgeon can lead to an infection that ends in death.
In restaurants, one cockroach in your food is enough to spoil the entire meal and prevent you from ever going to that restaurant again.
Who wants food with a long list of artificial ingredients? Who wants corrupt politicians? Or who wants polluted air and water?
Pure is good.
Absolutely pure
To say that God is holy is to say he is absolutely pure, meaning he is uncontaminated by any trace of evil, but in fact hates evil and loves only good.
False gods and worldviews are impure. The pantheon of gods in Roman and Greek mythology were powerful, but flawed. The idolatrous gods of the nations around Israel required cultic prostitution, child sacrifice, and self-mutilation, and their rituals involved worshipers with demons. Pantheistic religions and worldviews maintain that everything is God and part of God, including all the corruptions inherent in our world. In the worldview of yinyang, everything contains both light and dark.
But 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 3:3 says, “He is pure.”
Like sunlight
The definition of pure is: not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material. Unalloyed. Free of contamination. Spotless. Stainless. Unmitigated. Free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes. Containing nothing that does not properly belong. Free from moral fault or guilt.
God is pure love, pure goodness, pure truth, and pure light.
He is as pure as sunlight, as clean as fire. God is not 99.9999 percent pure, but rather 100 percent pure, perfectly free from contamination and corruption, perfectly delighting in what is morally clean and abhorring what is defiled. He cannot be tempted by evil.
Psalm 5:4–6 says, “You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”
The benefits of having a God who is absolutely pure
Because God is pure, he is perfect.
Because God is pure, he alone is good, perfectly good in himself, and perfectly good to his children. In all things—not some things or merely most things—he works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
Because God is pure, he will not lie to us.
Because God is pure, we can trust him.
And because God is pure, he is unchanging.
Because God is pure, he is infinitely superior to us.
Because God is pure in relation to us, he cannot act in malevolence toward us or betray us.
And because God is pure, he is love, pure love. We do not have to fear some pocket of darkness in God, but rather can trust him entirely.
Because God is pure, he is eternal life. Revelation 22:1 says, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
This is what God is like
God is like organic, all-natural food perfectly free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, pollution, and disease-causing microbes and chemicals.
God is like a grocery store absolutely free from food, employees, or customers with coronavirus, colds, flus, or any other disease. You could walk in their without a mask and breathe freely and observe no social distancing and not have any chance whatever of getting sick.
God is like a surgery room with no germs, viruses, or bacteria on anything or anyone. It would be literally impossible to get an infection during surgery because there is not a single disease-causing microbe in the room.
God is like perfect computer code.
God is like a governmental leader who cannot lie, take a bribe, associate with corrupt business or political leaders, believe false information, or make a bad decision.
And God is like pure water that does not merely meet minimum standards for purity, but rather is perfectly free of toxins. In the real world, such perfection is impossible, but if it were, that is what God is like, with not even a trace of toxins.
We, too, can be pure
And because God is pure, and purity is good, he calls us to be pure.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
First John 3:3 says, “Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
Second Corinthians 6:14–7:1 says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
How God Is Both Separate from Us but Also Near
God is separate from us because he is most sacred of all that is. How do we understand the fact that he is also near?
One of the most difficult things to sort out in my mind about God has been his sacred separation, which is at the heart of the idea of holiness.
On the one hand, sacredness is simple. It means separate, set apart.
Nothing symbolizes God’s sacred separation better than the design of the holy tabernacle of Israel, comprising three sections separated by curtains. Each time you passed through a curtain you entered a more holy place.
First the courtyard of the temple where the washing basin and altar of sacrifice stood.
Then the Holy Place where the table of bread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand stood.
And finally the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant remained and the manifest presence of God occurred and where the high priest could enter just once a year on the Day of Atonement and only if he brought the blood of a perfect animal with him and only after burning incense to fill the room with smoke.
In the tabernacle the priests and Levites were on holy ground, and therefore in love and concern for them God warned numerous times to be sure not to break the ground rules of this holy place, lest they die, like a human being in a rocket getting too close to the sun.
Separate atop Mount Sinai
All this is in keeping with what God revealed about himself to Israel when months after he had graciously redeemed them from bitter slavery in Egypt he came down on Mount Sinai. God called Moses to the top of the mountain for meetings, but he warned everyone else to keep their distance: “You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’” (Exodus 19:12–13)
It agrees also with what God told Moses, after Israel rebelled with the golden calf, when he said, “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:3)
But the God who is separate also draws near
All the above is consistent. What is mysterious about God’s sacred separation, what makes it complicated, for me at least, is the many other situations in which he does not seem to have the same boundaries.
In the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord—who in numerous situations apparently is the manifest presence of God himself—meets with fallen, unconsecrated people and speaks with them, yet they do not die. Think of Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord, Gideon receiving his instructions, Samson’s parents, Joshua meeting the captain of the Lord’s armies, Abraham negotiating with God regarding Sodom.
Moreover, in the New Testament, Immanuel, the Son of God himself, comes to dwell with us. He lives within a human womb for nine months, then for 30 years as part of a human family in close quarters, then for three years he travels the promised land interacting daily with sinners of all sorts. The religious leaders, deeply engrained in the concept of holy separation as revealed in the Old Covenant and described above, were appalled that Jesus would not only associate with sinners, but eat with them.
The one who is separate is everywhere
Adding to the conundrum, there is the matter of God’s omnipresence, which means he is everywhere. He manifests his presence in special ways, such as the Holy of Holies, but there actually is no place where he is not present. He is “over all, and through all, and in all” (Ephesians 4:6).
As David wrote, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7–8)
So God cannot completely separate himself from anyone, no matter how evil they are. He in fact is the one who sustains the existence of evil persons, even Satan himself, for as long as they continue to live on earth. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In the story of Job, Satan himself even comes into God’s presence to accuse Job.
So God’s boundaries apparently are not airtight, and the meaning of God’s separation is not always simple and clear.
The Trinity
In what sense, therefore, is God separate from us in holiness?
I have thought a lot about this. While there is mystery that remains, several explanations have occurred to me.
First, it seems God has chosen to have somewhat different boundaries for each member of the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equally holy, but God seems to have chosen on occasion to manifest and communicate that holiness differently for each member of the Trinity. For instance, Jesus said, “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Luke 12:10, ESV)
In relation to mankind and the universe, the members of the Trinity express holiness in somewhat different ways.
In relation to mankind and the universe, God the Father most notably expresses holiness through separation.
And in relation to mankind and the universe, the Son expresses holiness most notably through mediating as High Priest between God the Father and mankind, and so he becomes a man and draws near to humans and atones for their sins. He is Immanuel, God with us, though still the Holy One.
In relation to mankind and the universe, the Holy Spirit expresses holiness through sanctifying sinners. “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
The tabernacle
These roles are pictured in the tabernacle. We see the holiness of separation (as the Father prominently expresses) in God’s presence in the Holy of Holies above the ark of the covenant. We see the holiness of mediation and atonement (as the Son prominently expresses) in the ministry of the High Priest as well as the sacrifices on the altar. And we see the holiness of sanctifying and cleansing sinners (as the Holy Spirit prominently expresses) pictured in the basin of washing and the consuming fire of the altar. These three expressions of holiness are all set apart within the holy grounds of the tabernacle, separated by the curtains surrounding the tabernacle grounds, and consecrated by the anointing oil.
Nevertheless, the heart of God is to dwell among his people who reverence and obey him. The Father and Son and Holy Spirit want to be near. That is the fundamental promise of the Old and New Covenants. God promised Israel that if they would keep his covenant by obeying his commands, “I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Leviticus 26:11–12)
The important common element in God’s holy response to sin and evil is that he does not make peace with it in his presence. He separates from it, or casts it out, or atones for it with his own blood, or judges it, or sanctifies with cleansing water, or consumes with holy fire. And once he has dealt with evil appropriately, he draws near to his holy children.
An unfolding story
Second, perhaps the differences result from what chapter or season it is in the progressive revelation of God’s story of salvation. In other words, God does not change, his holiness does not change, but the way he chooses to work with people and display his holiness at different points in history definitely does. The God of Moses and of the Books of Exodus through Deuteronomy seems quite different from Jesus and his Father.
As John wrote concerning Jesus, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:16–18)
And as Hebrews says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:1–3).
The coming of the kingdom
Third, certainly at the heart of the solution to this conundrum is the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, his redemption, and his atoning work on the Cross. Jesus brings the kingdom of God, and that is an advancing invasion of holiness that vanquishes evil. “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20)
One story brings this into focus.
A pharisee asks Jesus over for a meal. At the meal a woman who has led a sinful life, no doubt meaning she had sinned sexually in ways known to all in town, somehow gains access to the dining area. She brought with her a jar of ointment. Luke 7:38 says, “Standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”
Recall that the Pharisees had strict rules about contact with people whom they regarded as sinners. Holiness was all about separation. “Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” (v. 39)
The Mediator
Jesus knows the pharisee’s thoughts and proceeds to tell a parable, even as the woman continues her hands-on adoration of the feet of Jesus. The point of the parable is that people who are forgiven much love much. Then he turns to the woman and says, “Your sins are forgiven….Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48, 50
Jesus, in his role as the only mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5), and through his blood redemption on the cross, can deal mercifully, closely, and patiently with sinners. Christ’s redemption made God’s grace available not only after it occurred, but also retroactively to Adam himself. The God who is holy and therefore separate from sin, whose holy wrath against evil can reach its limit and break out at any moment, can come near in love to sinners through the mediator Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
God can do whatever he pleases. He makes the ground rules; he sets his boundaries; and he determines how he will separate himself and enforce his sacredness.
We need to take initiative to learn and honor the boundaries God has revealed. In the Scriptures and in particular in his commands, God takes pains to define his sacred boundaries, and we need to take pains to know what those are and take them seriously. We are responsible to learn what God expects of us, and if we fail to do that, we have no one to blame but ourselves when we suffer the consequences.
When we honor God’s boundaries, when we reverence him, when we come to him through faith in Jesus, who is the only mediator, he welcomes us to draw near. God’s ultimate desire is not that we be separate from him, but that we be near.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Proper reverence makes intimacy with God possible.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
The Reverence God Requires
The reverence God requires of you is ultimate, for everything about him is sacred and inviolable.
When God first spoke to Moses at the burning bush, he uttered the familiar words, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). What does this tell us about God’s holiness?
Several years ago my wife and I took our granddaughter to the Art Museum. It is surprising how close you can get to valuable art. We got so close to one painting that our granddaughter reached out and touched it with her finger. We immediately had the full attention of the museum staff. Paintings in art museums deserve respect. Some get nothing short of reverence as entire rooms can be hallowed spaces for one, inviolable painting.
When God told Moses to keep his distance and remove his sandals, he was requiring reverence.
Ultimate reverence
When Scripture says God is holy, it means we must treat him with ultimate reverence. Everything about him is sacred and inviolable. He has exalted above all things his name and his word (Psalm 138:2); therefore in our thoughts and actions, we must set God apart from what is profane. He is most important of all that exists, and we must treat him accordingly.
Therefore Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name.” To hallow means to treat as sacred, as greatly revered and honored. So when we pray, “Hallowed be your name,” we are asking God to cause his name, his identity, himself, to be revered in our lives and world.
Similarly, the 3rd commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) God forbids people from using his name—that is, his identity, the idea of God, the word God and other names for him such as Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit—in an empty, meaningless, profane way. To do so is to bring God down, to treat him as less than sacred. (See also Mark 3:29)
The cost of the reverence God requires
We also reverence God by treating him as most important. One way we do that is to give him what is most important to us: our time, energy, money, possessions. When we sacrifice what we value to God, we declare that we value him more than what we give him and in doing so we give him glory by showing he has ultimate value. Consequently, God commanded Israel, “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God” (Exodus 23:19).
It is good and kind for God to require this, for it is right, and of course everything comes from him in the first place. Furthermore, since he alone is good, and he is the ultimate good, he is upholding what is good and life-giving at the center of our lives. If God is diminished in our lives, we are diminished.
Far less than the reverence God requires
At one point in the history of Israel, God had become grievously diminished in the hearts of his people, even his priests, and the rebuke God gave them for their irreverence reveals how serious is the reverence God requires and how seriously we must take it.
In Malachi 1:6–14 the Lord says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name.”
Note that God begins by directly addressing the priests, who of course were to be the holiest men in Israel and understand best what it meant to treat the Lord with reverence. Nevertheless, they were the worst offenders—so bad that he says their actions proved they actually despised him. The Lord continues:
“But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’
“[7] By offering polluted food upon my altar.”
Note that God focuses on the sacrifices the priests were offering. To understand this section, we need to call to mind one of the requirements God gave to Moses about the quality of the animals used in sacrifice. Leviticus 22:21–22 says, “When anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the LORD or give them to the LORD as a food offering on the altar.”
Giving one’s worst
So Malachi continues with God’s rebuke of the priests: “But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’
“By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised.”
The priests were telling the people it was okay for them to offer defective animals—their least valuable animals. Apparently the priests were even saying through some upside-down reasoning that people could despise the Lord’s table.
Slap in the face
God continues, and uses strong language: “[8] When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.”
To treat God irreverently is “evil.” The worst sins anyone can commit are to mistreat the holiest, most exalted being.
God says even a human governor will not accept a disrespectful gift. Imagine being invited to dinner at the home of the most important person in your community and bringing as a gift a four-year-old can of beans you found earlier that day in the back of your pantry, which you intended to throw away because the can was so old but decided to give instead to your host to save money. What a slap in the face.
Shut the doors
Verse 10 continues: “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. [11] For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.”
Notice that the issue in these animal sacrifices is respect. When we say God is holy, that means we must revere him. We must treat him with the greatness he deserves.
The great king
The Lord concludes his rebuke of the priests: “[12] But you profane [my great name] when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. [13] But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. [14] Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.”
Fear and reverence are closely linked ideas. Everything about God is sacred and inviolable. The Lord is most important of all that exists, and we must treat him as most important. He is to be honored always and above all. He is holy.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
Perfectly Good
God is holy because he is perfectly good.
When the topic of God’s holiness comes to mind, we typically associate it with his posture toward human sin. Because we are born sinners, that naturally makes us squirm, but it is only part of the picture of God’s holiness. The larger picture of God’s holiness, which few understand, should cause us to delight. The big picture is what we see in the earthly ministry of Jesus, who Scripture says is “the Holy One” (Revelation 3:7).
What Jesus displayed in ways even born sinners can appreciate is the goodness of God’s holiness. He said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). So he healed the sick, cleansed lepers, opened the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf, enabled the lame and paralyzed to walk, drove demons from tormented souls, even raised the dead. He taught people how to live in ways that bring happiness and peace. This was the holiness of God in action.
Jesus touched the unclean
The religious leaders of his time based their understanding of God’s holiness solely on the Old Covenant’s stress on separation, a stress that was good and true, but only a partial understanding of holiness and intended by God to be a temporary emphasis. What was holy should not come in contact with what was unclean. Even the high priest, who was supposed to be the holiest man in Israel, would become unclean by touching a corpse or a person with skin disease or chronic hemorrhage.
But Jesus came and mixed with people suffering every form of “uncleanness.” When healing a leper, he made a point of touching him though he could have healed him simply with a command as he often did. When a woman with a chronic flow of blood touched him, Jesus did not become unclean; rather, the woman was healed! When Jesus touched the funeral bier of a dead man and the hand of a dead girl, these corpses did not make Jesus unclean; rather, the dead sat up restored to life. When Jesus ate with sinners, he did not become a sinner.
God’s kindness to everyone
When the pharisees found fault with Jesus for mixing closely and regularly with sinful, “unclean” people, he explained, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Jesus regarded himself as both a spiritual and physical physician, healing body and soul. He came bringing good to people in need.
And he did good to everyone, not just those who had turned from their sins. He healed and delivered them before they repented, not just after, and then called them to walk in the his ways.
Holiness and blessing
The point in this focus on the good that Jesus did for hurting, needy, sinful people is that he did this because of God’s holiness, not in spite of it.
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
Notice how the following psalm links, through the parallel structure of verses 1–2, God’s holy name—that is, his holy identity—with his giving boundless good to people.
Psalm 103:1–5: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
This psalm says God gives all these benefits because he is holy.
Goodness and holiness
Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18 ESV).
His holiness and goodness are one. Goodness is what holiness is. Scripture says God is love (1 John 4:8), and Scripture says God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). This is not a contradiction or dichotomy. His goodness is his holiness. His holiness defines his goodness and vice versa. Everything he does is good, and everything he does is holy.
Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Thus in God’s holy goodness he is infinitely gracious, loving, righteous, just, benevolent, generous, and kind. In his holy goodness, he is the giver of every good thing. In his holy goodness, he sends life-giving rain and sunshine on both the evil and the good. And in his holy goodness, he is light, and in him is no darkness. In his holy goodness, he gives life to everything that lives. In his holy goodness, he gives food and water to every being that eats and drinks. The presence of God and his holy goodness brings blessing, while the absence and loss of God’s presence brings death.
Savior and judge
Jesus said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47).
Judgment and salvation are both expressions of God’s holiness (Isaiah 33:22, James 4:12). However, during his three years of earthly ministry, Jesus said his purpose was to save, not to judge. This was why the holy Father sent him to earth: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
Perfectly good as Savior in the Old Testament
Contrary to what many think, the holy Father had revealed himself as a loving savior in the Old Testament as well. He graciously saved Israel out of Egypt, even though later events revealed that nearly every person in Israel did not believe in or obey him. Nevertheless he provided a way for them to find forgiveness through the religious rites of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, and the mediating ministry of the priests.
What often catches greater attention about God’s actions in the Old Testament era, however, are his judgments. Though he showed mercy and kindness again and again, we remember his terrible judgments on the persistently wicked, and in these judgments he definitely showed his holiness.
Reading the story of God’s dealings with rebellious Israel after he delivered them out of Egypt and through their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness contrasts greatly with reading the story of Jesus in the four Gospels. Why such a difference? God does not change, nor does his holiness change, but what he chooses to reveal about himself changes. In the Old Covenant with Israel he chose to reveal his judgments far more than he did during the earthly ministry of Jesus, which Scripture calls “a favorable time” and “a day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), and which Jesus identified as “the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:19). It was and continues—until Jesus returns again in the clouds—to be a special season.
Perfectly good as judge in the New Testament
What we overlook in the New Testament is that while Jesus came primarily to reveal God’s merciful salvation during his three years of earthly ministry, he does at other times also act as judge (see for example Revelation 2–3, and 19:11–21).
In fact, at the Final Judgment the judge on the throne will be Jesus himself. The apostle Paul proclaimed, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30–31) That man whom God has appointed judge, whom he raised from the dead, is of course Jesus.
Therefore in his holiness God both saves and judges, both in the Old Testament and in the New. In holiness, he is perfectly good, under both covenants.
Perfectly good
God is holy because he is alone is perfectly good. He is not malevolent. However he certainly is a just judge, and that is because he is a good judge. He gives life and every blessing because he is the Holy One. His holiness resembles the sun and rain that give all life and blessing to the earth, or the loving father and mother who bring life to their children. That is what God’s holiness is. When God sent his Son as the savior of the world, that was his benevolent holiness in action—in fact, his ultimate demonstration of holiness.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
A Personal Reflection on God’s Holy Majesty
The beatific vision is consummate bliss.
A few years ago a new 45-story tower went up two blocks west of us. It is sheathed in black, curved glass, curved because if you look directly down on the tower from a jet you would see it is oblong.
Shortly after construction finished, I awoke one foggy morning and beheld the sunlight reflecting off the tower’s hundreds of windows and through the mists in dazzling ways. I quickly put my camera on a tripod and photographed a light show for 30 minutes as the reflection of the sun slowly moved from tower top to bottom. The tower was like a diamond in a jeweler’s display case, with a spotlight moving on a track slowly above and a tiny fog machine pumping whiffs of mist, only the diamond was 45-stories high, with hundreds of facets, and as big as a city block.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I appreciate beauty as a gift from God, and with photography as a hobby I have learned to recognize the important role of light in beauty.
God’s resplendent glory
What I saw that morning illustrates the holiness of God, for one aspect of that holiness is resplendent glory.
1 Timothy 6:16 says God “dwells in unapproachable light.”
When the apostle John saw Jesus in heaven, he said “his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” (Revelation 1:16)
Isaiah foretold of a day in the New Creation when “the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.” (Isaiah 24:23)
Hebrews 8:1 simply describes God as “the Majesty in heaven.”
Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God.”
Job 37:22 says, “Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty.”
And Psalm 104:1–2 says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment.”
And therefore we call God holy.
The beatific vision
I am looking forward to seeing God’s holy majesty. For many years I have heard the phrase “the beatific vision” used to describe what souls in heaven experience in God’s presence. You don’t hear the word beatific used in daily conversation, and I never checked the dictionary for its meaning, but I knew it was good. I finally looked it up, and it is related to the word beatitude, which means happy. Beatific things inspire holy bliss, consummate bliss. The beatific is so beautiful as to inspire ultimate happiness.
That is the holiness of God, and it is good. I will enjoy that holy, beatific vision for all eternity. Forever I will enjoy a sight more beautiful than anything I have known on earth.
The beatific vision on earth
However it will resemble something I have had countless experiences with on earth, namely, the sky, the heavens, the weather. Scripture says the sky displays God’s holy glory: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
Indeed the most dynamic part of our world is up—elevated above the land. The sun, the moon and stars, the clouds, the blue daytime sky and the blackness of night. The powerful thunderstorms and majestic sunsets. The sky is dynamic in color and light, temperature and motion. It is one of the most beautiful parts of our world, as well as the most powerful and amazing.
God designed it all to reveal his holy glory. Isaiah 6:3 says, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Because I enjoy countless things about the sky, I know I will enjoy beholding the Majesty in heaven. He is high above and transcendent over all creation. He is resplendent in unapproachable light. His beauty is beatific, inspiring unending bliss. Holy is he.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
Exalted in Awesome Majesty
God’s visual majesty makes him holy. Seeing God’s majesty inspires unending bliss and awe. Are you looking forward to the beatific vision?
Something about height is impressive. Stand on the sidewalk next to the Willis Tower in Chicago or at the base of Mount Rainier in Washington and look up, and you will feel something. Awe. Wonder. What you see is part of what people mean when they use the word majesty to describe things greatly elevated.
Something about light is also impressive. Experience a great light show at a concert or a top-notch, 4th-of-July fireworks finale or the best sunset of the year, and you will struggle to find words adequate to explain what you see and feel. Glory. Awe. Amazement.
Something about royalty is also impressive. Walk through the gate of the palace of a traditional king and queen for an audience. Behold the ubiquitous guards and their uniforms, the exquisite architecture, the trained formality of the large staff, the glistening gold and marble of the high-ceilinged hallways, the tall columns and artwork in the vast throne room, the gold thrones, the wide circle of attendants, the purple robes of the king and queen, the priceless crowns on their heads. Words like beauty, power, and glory come to mind.
Put all this elevation, light, and royalty together, and you have another aspect of the holiness of God. The single word majesty conveys all this, and awe sums up its effect on those who experience it. God is holy because his visual glory is awesome.
The king of majesty
We see all this in Isaiah’s vision of God. Isaiah 6:1–5 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. 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. And one called 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 shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’”
God is holy because he is the royal Majesty in heaven. Thus he is high above and transcendent over all creation, resplendent in unapproachable light. His beauty is beatific—a word which means inspiring bliss. His glory inspires the perpetual awe and wonder of perfected souls in heaven, overwhelms the physical, human senses of souls on earth, and terrifies sinners. But for those justified through faith in Jesus Christ, to see God’s holy face is the ultimate human experience.
Beatific majesty
King David understood the goodness of seeing God’s holiness. He wrote, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
Moses saw more of the holy glory of God than any man, yet it only made him want more, for God had not yet displayed all his majesty. So on top of Sinai, in God’s presence, months after the Exodus, Moses said, “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18).
God answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’” (Exodus 33:19) Notice that when we see the holy glory of God, we are seeing absolute goodness, infinite goodness, a goodness so good it is overwhelming.
Therefore God told Moses: You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live. Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:20–23)
Unending bliss
The goodness of seeing perfect holiness is symbolized also by the garment God designed for the holiest man in Israel, that is, the high priest Aaron and his sons. God said, “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty….For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.” (Exodus 28:2, 40)
The same was true of the temple itself. The holy place was beautiful, made of gold, silver, bronze, and embroidered fabrics. For example, for the Holy of Holies, God said, “You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it” (Exodus 26:31).
God designed the temple and the priesthood as symbols to communicate that the glory of God in heaven is beautiful. It will inspire unending bliss.
God’s majestic face
Thankfully when we leave this fallen earth, God refits us for heavenly existence. What we cannot do now, made of dust as we are, weak and tainted still by sin, we will be able to do then. He will recreate us for life in a holy place by perfecting us in holiness through Jesus Christ.
On Mount Sinai, God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” However, in the New Creation described in the Book of Revelation, God says his people “will see his face” (Revelation 22:4).
Until then, in the life we still live in this world, the joy of seeing God’s holy majesty should be our great hope. We have much to look forward to. Because of what Jesus has done and will yet do for us, God’s majestic holiness is no longer our insurmountable problem, but rather our great hope.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
The Superiority of the Only God
The Lord is holy because he is uniquely God.
God calls himself the Holy One. He is holy because he is unimaginably different from and superior to his creation in every way.
One Old Testament story displays this starkly.
Superior to idols
Israel’s enemies the Philistines captured the holy Ark of the Covenant in battle from the army of Israel. The Ark represented the presence of God and normally resided in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle. The Philistines were thrilled with their conquest and believed this showed that their god Dagon was superior to the God of Israel. They put the captured Ark in the temple of Dagon as a trophy.
“And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.” (1 Samuel 5:3)
Not only had Dagon fallen on his face before the Ark of Israel’s God, he could not get himself off the ground. He was helpless. The priests of Dagon had to pick him up and restore him to his place. How humiliating for Dagon. How revealing to the Philistines.
Total victory
Verse 4 continues, “But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.”
Humans could prop up Dagon, but they could not keep him in his place. Again overnight he is toppled to the ground before the God of Israel, and this time God does to Dagon what conquering kings did to their enemies, what David did to Goliath: he cut of Dagon’s head and put it on the threshold of the altar as a trophy. That is, the head did not just fall off when God toppled the idol statue; rather, the head was removed and placed back on the threshold along with the hands of the idol for good measure, symbolizing that Dagon had no power in his hands and could do nothing.
God is holy because he is unimaginably superior to his creation in every way. He is superior not just to idols like Dagon, but to idols like money and possessions, idols like celebrities and companies, superior to all people and all things.
Uniquely God
Isaiah 45:11–12, 22 says, “Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: ‘Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host…. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.’”
Notice in this text that after God identifies himself as the Holy One, he lists several things that make him the Holy One. He says he formed Israel as a nation. He says he knows the future. And he says no one can tell him what to do. He says he created the earth, mankind, and the heavens. He says he controls all the hosts, that is, the hundred billion stars in each of the universe’s hundred billion galaxies. And he says he is the one to whom people must turn to be saved. He says he is God, and there is no other God. Consequently he is the Holy One.
A potter superior to his clay
Scripture says there are only two categories for all that exists: the potter and the clay. There is only the Creator and his creation. That’s it. God is the potter, and everything else is clay (Isaiah 64:8). There is no third or fourth category, no other gods or forces or spirits or matter that have existence apart from him and his creation. And there is an infinite difference, an infinite otherness, between the two. God infinitely transcends his creation in his nature and abilities. He is independent, infinitely superior to his creation, including mankind, in every imaginable way. We are dependent in every way for existence and abilities. God is other. He is the only God, and this makes him the Holy One.
All things from him, through him, and to him
“From him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). This asserts three things about God that are not true of you, any human, or any other created thing.
First, everything is “from him.” He conceived, designed with a purpose, and created everything that exists and happens. Ephesians 1:11 says, we have “been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” We cannot imagine how any being could be great enough to do this, but Scripture assures us it is true.
Second, everything is “through him.” He is the means to everything. He did not just create all things and then step back to watch and see what happens. Rather, he is actively involved in all things: governing all, sending or withholding the rain, opening and closing doors, blessing or opposing, sustaining or withdrawing the life of everything that exists. Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29).
Third, everything is “to him” or for him. That means all things are for his glory and purposes. Ultimately he does all things for the sake of his own name and glory. He created us to worship and give thanks to him gladly. Ephesians 5:20 says, “[Give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Uniquely good
This aspect of God’s holiness highlights his goodness, for he is the one who gets all credit for our wondrous world and universe filled with good things. In the creation narrative of Genesis 1, there is the well-known refrain, “And God saw that it was good.” And the sixth day, when God created mankind, concludes, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Because God is holy—the only God—the creation is good.
Takeaway
How should this aspect of God’s holiness affect the way we live, pray, and believe?
- We should worship God for the divine nature he alone has: that he has unlimited power, wisdom, and knowledge, that he is eternal, self-sufficient, self-existent, and free, that he is unchanging, incomprehensible, and sovereign over all. We should be in awe of him.
- And we should kneel, bow, and humble ourselves before God to acknowledge his superiority.
- We should thank God for his goodness in creating us through his infinite wisdom and creating a world filled with delightful things.
- We should surrender to and obey God because he made us and therefore owns us. He is the Sovereign, Almighty Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)
The Only God
We will understand God better when we understand the difference between us (Isaiah 45:22).
Imagine a creative, 10-year-old girl named Sarah, who loves to read and is learning to write stories. Sarah recently read a book that tells the story of a woman who writes a daily blog online, and she is intrigued. At dinner one night she says, “Daddy, I want to write a blog. How do I do that?”
Her father’s first thought is not what a great learning opportunity this would be for his home-schooled daughter; rather, his mind turns immediately to protecting her from internet predators. “Honey, someday you can do that, but do you remember what we’ve talked about that we have to be careful on the internet because some people we might contact online want to hurt people?”
“I’ll be careful,” says Sarah. “Please let me write a blog. Please, please, please! Nothing bad will happen!”
Her dad has seen enough stories of teenage girls lured into trouble online and does not give it a second thought. The answer is no.
A difference in wisdom
Who would fault Sarah’s father? The difference in experience, knowledge, and discernment between a 10-year-old and her 40-year-old dad is vast, so great that Sarah cannot grasp it.
Only a virtuoso concert violinist knows in detail how great is the gap between his skills and those of a beginner. In small measure, a beginner can hear the difference but cannot really understand or explain it.
A person blind from birth cannot imagine what it is to see.
These analogies shine light on the difficulty we have with God’s holiness. God is holy because he is unimaginably different from and superior to his creation in every way.
Isaiah 45:11–12, 22 says, “Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: ‘Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host…. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.’”
The hurdle
Divine holiness is for many the greatest hurdle to wanting to draw closer to God. We do not understand it. The difference between the great “I Am” and his creation is infinitely greater than any analogy can fully communicate.
But we need to leap over that hurdle. I cannot understand the most important truths about God unless I have some grasp of his holiness—and value it. The more I grasp his holiness, the better I know God and relate to him as he is (not how I wish he were).
An inscrutable difference
For example, the whole sacrificial system that God required in the Old Testament is not what I would have planned. The thought of going to the tabernacle to slit the throats of animals leaves me cold. Similarly, I would not have planned the atoning death of Jesus on the cross as a sacrifice for human sin. I feel this way, however, because I am infinitely less wise, enlightened, and holy than God.
An inscrutable story
Another example: One of the most counterintuitive stories in the Bible for me is the near-fatal experience Moses had on his journey to Egypt to deliver Israel from bondage. The story lasts just three verses. It comes out of nowhere; there is little explanation, and then it is over, and the narrative resumes as though nothing had happened.
Moses had recently met with God at the burning bush. God had commanded him to go to Pharaoh, and Moses had at last accepted the assignment. He went home, gathered his wife Zipporah and two sons, and set off for Egypt. One important fact: neither of his two sons had been circumcised, as centuries earlier God had commanded Abraham and all his descendants to do.
The crisis
Exodus 4:24–26 says, “At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!’ So he let him alone. It was then that she said, ‘A bridegroom of blood,’ because of the circumcision.”
That’s the story in total. Obviously there is a lot of backstory we are not given, but it appears Zipporah had for years resisted circumcising her sons, and Moses had failed to insist on it. Thereby he had given more honor to his wife than to the Lord, and that is a serious sin.
But God knew all this
Still, God knew these circumstances when he chose Moses, so why did he subsequently decide to end his life? One thing is certain, this narrative is not mysterious to God. His actions make perfect sense to him. They are right, wise, and good, as all his actions are, always and without exception. Yet to us they are mysterious. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom 11:33, ESV)
One reason this story makes so little sense to me is, God is holy, and apart from him I am not. He is the I Am, and I am not. He is the only God, and I am his creation. He is perfectly pure, and I—though holy in status through Christ—am a recovering sinner. I see things from a human, this-world perspective; God sees things from an all-knowing, eternal, heavenly perspective. So I cannot understand the most important things about God unless I understand and value his holiness.
Worshiping God for the infinite, holy difference
With that in mind, here is a prayer I regularly use: “Lord, I praise you because you are infinitely superior to me in every imaginable way. I praise you because you are infinitely superior to me in knowledge. I praise you because you are infinitely superior to me in goodness. I praise you because you are infinitely superior to me in love.” And so on, with wisdom, kindness, mercy, grace, patience, and other virtues. All this is a detailed way of saying, I praise you because you are holy; you are the only God.
When it seems as though circumstances are not what God should allow, when my prayers are not answered, when I seek God for guidance and wisdom that seems way too long in coming, I find peace when I pray in this way, remembering God’s holiness.
There are only two categories for all that exists—God and his creation—and there is an infinite difference between the two.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)