The Holiness of God
Presumptions:
We understand and hold that the Bible is the Word of God, and thus is the only source of knowledge from which we shall obtain knowledge of who God is.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”
2 Peter 1:3
We understand that there is a God who is the creator of all.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 40:28
We understand that though God is truly beyond our understanding He has revealed Himself to us so that we may have an understanding of His nature.
“To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with Him?” Isaiah 40:18
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20
Only those who have a redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ are able to understand and comprehend the God who has adopted us into His family.
They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” John 8:19
A God Beyond Comprehension
We can never understand the fullness of who God is.
John tells us in John 4:24 that “God is spirit”, and therefore only those who have a spiritual nature can begin to grasp the glory of God. However, man is natural and born spiritually dead and therefore it is impossible for the natural man to comprehend the fullness of God.
The natural man will by the fact of his fallen nature always form a view of God that is comprehensible to their understanding. He will, therefore “make sense” to him, and it will be a god that suits his needs but far from the God of eternity
Unless we are transformed by the Spirit of God we have no means to understand the Eternal One. God can not be found by mere seeking, as if He was a topic in the dictionary that is easily discovered by diligent searching.
When we begin to grasp God’s nature, this understanding of Him is a lifelong continual process.
“bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10)
“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? “ (Isaiah 40:15-18)
The Essence of God
The very essence of God is best described in two verses;
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24
From these two verses, one from God’s conversation with Moses and the other the words of Christ, indicate the very essence of God. That God in form is spirit, who is self-contained, self-existent, absolutely independent and eternal.
God depends on no one, responds to no one, and does all things solely for His own glory and honour.
The Monotheistic Nature of God
God is one. His existence is of one deity. There is one God, creator of all. Unlike polytheism that holds to many gods or deities the God of the Bible who is spirit is one divine being.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:4
The preeminent Nature of God
Holding to the correct view of the preeminent nature of God will keep our understanding of God and His work biblical. And will develop a completely different view of God from those who hold to a theologically liberal theology.
God in His essence is preeminently HOLY. God is a Holy God
Liberal theology holds that God is preeminently LOVE. That God is a God of love.
“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44
“There is none holy like the Lord” 1 Samuel 2:2
“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelations 4:8
Holiness is a comparative term comparing God to something He created.
Holiness is the basis of all of Gods other attributes.
The Being of God
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!” Psalm 99:9
As stated previously, God is spirit, who being one is Holy as the preeminent essence of His nature.
The word “Holy” comes from the root word in both Hebrew (O.T) and Greek (N.T.) meaning “to cut” or “separate” and it refers to God’s relationship to everything else. God by nature of His relationship to all else is separate; or distinct or cut away from, for nothing else can be in relationship to God. God is Holy and separate from all. He is absolutely distinct from all things.
Yet, since we only understand God in a sense of relationship with Him, then we say He is Holy, and separate from all that is unholy. In this sense, His Holiness is original. However, God is also holy in His moral being. In the moral sense, holiness becomes the quality that is the basis of all of Gods other attributes, such as love, mercy, wrath, justice etc.
When used in a moral sense, holiness creates a holy-love from God and a Holy-wrath. All measured in perfection based upon the third aspect of Holiness that being His ethical aspect of Holiness. God hates sin and all that is evil and violates His Holiness. God cannot have communion with sin, and therefore God is morally perfect or ethically pure.
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.” Habakkuk 1:13
Holiness of God
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!“ Psalm 99:9
“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. “ Revelations 15:4
“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. “ 1 John 1:5
“You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” Habakkuk 1:13
“And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
“Sing praises to the Lord , O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.“ Psalm 30:4
Holiness is the essence of God. It is who He is. It is better to say “Holy is the Lord” for that is the collective sum of God. Nothing else is Holy other than God, and no place is Holy unless God dwell there. It is the mark of God’s moral presence, for all else is in opposition to Him. Before the fall of the angels, and then man, there was nothing known but holiness, and now there is only holiness and sin.
He is the “Holy One” for:
His works are holy, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all his works.” Psalm 145:17
His Word is Holy “…our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance…” 1 Thessalonians 1:5
His relationships are Holy “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
His Judgments are Holy “And I heard the angel in charge of the waters* say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments.” Revelations 16:5
His requirements for us are holy “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 peter 1:16
His presence is Holy “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” Psalm 47:8
Implications of Holiness
God is eternally separate from the effects of Satan’s rebellion (sin)
God must punish all that violates His Holiness
God must remain true to His Holiness
In Christ, God must accept all true repentance
God must be faithful to all His promises
God can only have communion with others who are Holy
Apparent Difficulties
There are a few apparent difficulties based on the liberal view of theology.
It is argued in liberal theology, that the God which is revealed in the Old Testament is strictly a holy God, whereas, the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the New Testament as an expression His love. Therefore, Jesus does not carry upon him the implications of the Old Testament holy God of wrath and anger.
It is also argued that the love of God supersedes any aspect of holiness for “God is love” as John says in the epistle of First John. It is also stated that if Jesus was primarily a holy God, then He could not be intimate and personal and part of the intimate aspects of our daily lives.