Fallen and Flawed

God’s Holiness: A Headlong, Under-the-Hood Look

**Part of The Nature of God: A Quick and Dirty Guide series.**

We know nothing like divine holiness. It stands apart–unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable.

But what does holiness in God MEAN?

Holiness means God is morally spotless in character, motives, thoughts, words and actions. He is pure of evil desires. And he is the source and standard of what is right.

This means God is totally and utterly set apart from all creation. He is transcendent.

His holiness is related to his jealousy, righteousness, omnipotence, moral purity and His hatred for evil. 

Yet, God’s holiness is balanced with the biblical teaching of his immanence–especially seen in relation to humans.

Think about it like this: the one who lives in a high and holy place also lives among us, the contrite and lowly in spirit. 

Biblical Support for God’s Holiness

The Hebrew and Greek root meaning of “holy” is separateness. It’s predominantly used in Scripture as separateness from sin:

I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:44

I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45

God’s holiness also appears in his power and works: 

Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? Ex. 15:11

It’s seen in his rejection and redemption of Israel. 

For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. Isaiah 54:5

And it’s seen in the ability to discern the spirit of God in those who were not run off by Jesus’ hard teaching of the bread of life: 

We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. John 6:69 

Holiness Is God’s True Motive Behind His Wrath

God’s wrath is his hatred of everything that degrades and destroys creation. No wonder A. W. Tozer said, “Every wrathful judgment in the history of the world has been a holy act of preservation.”

God values purity. He hates impurity. Thus, if he wants to save and preserve his creation, then God must destroy whatever would destroy it.

That’s his jealousy.

The bottom line is this: the holiness of God, the wrath of God and the health of creation are united. That means holiness is the necessary condition for the health of creation.

And if it’s the necessary condition, then we must be able to participate in God’s holiness. In fact, we can participate in it. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Participating in God’s Holiness

It’s like this: We must take refuge from God–in God. In other words, we must believe that God sees us perfect in His Son. And we must also believe that he disciplines, chastens and purges us so that we may be holy.

Paul urges us to mourn over sin and clear ourselves of guilt. The reason why? We have comfortable habits of unholiness. We look at sin as the natural thing.

But if we want to be holy as God is holy, then we must carve out everything that contaminates the body and spirit. 

Our Violent Reaction to God’s Holiness

When we see the holiness of God, we are assaulted. We react violently. What causes this violent reaction? Good question. 

Atheist or not, every human has a notion of God. Rudolf Otto called it the numinous,the irrational dread.

This is what’s behind primitive cargo cults or modern polytheists. A fear for the unknown, the uncertain, the mysterious, the impersonal, the strange. A nostalgia for the past, a fiddling with the return of the dead.

This fear does nothing for us except hang a cloud of apprehension over our head. 

But through the self revelation in creation, Scripture and the Holy Spirit, this non-rational dread is given life, personality and moral content. It becomes God. And is holiness.

Thus, the foreboding and severe, kind and longsuffering Lord of the universe inspires a deep sense of awe and perpetual worship in His creatures.

It lands us flat on our backs. In a posture of adoration. Or, for some, it triggers a stiff-arm. A cold shoulder, a posture of rejection.

Either way, we respond to God’s holiness.

Tags: God, Holiness, Holy

Quick Study: Our Wretched State

Remember towards the end of the movie Expelled when Richard Dawkins, quoting Bertrand Russell, said:

“When I stand before God, I’ll ask him why he didn’t give me more evidence.”

Remember that? I find that comical. 

I also find it comical when someone like Dan Barker suggests that he’ll rail on God when he gets the chance.

Strange positions for people who supposedly don’t believe in God.

Naturally, unregenerate people aren’t going to share the biblical view of God or His holiness. Or their wretchedness.

So, in that vein, I’m kicking Monday off right by sharing narratives from the Bible that demonstrate what our true response will be when we stand before God–whether in this life or the next. 

Because of this I must lament and wail, I must go barefoot and naked; I must make a lament like the jackals.  And a mourning like the ostriches. Micah 1:8

But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Exodus 33:20

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Luke 18:13

and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. Ezra 9:6

Then I said, ”Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire.

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

Tell me: Do these passages humble you, stir your heart or…make you want to vomit? Does your skin crawl when I use the word “wretched”? Can you think of any passages I’m missing? 

I look forward to hearing from you. Brutal and all.

Tags: Death, Holiness, Judge, Lament