“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3b)

The apex of all the names, attributes, characteristics, and nature of God is found in the word Holy. He is Holy. The root of the word holy is separate. God is separate from everything. Thus, Holy is the essence of His transcendence. There is still more to His Holiness. Holy also holds the meaning of pure. What is holy is separate from evil and sin. God is Holy because He is not stained by evil and sin, all of His character and actions are because He is pure.

Whenever man is confronted by God and His Holiness, he becomes aware of his sin. Adam and Eve in the garden after they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience, were immediately trying to cover themselves and hid from God. Isaiah, when he saw the vision of God, cried out “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5) Job, after he gets his desire that God would hear his complaint, he is confronted by God and said, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6) Peter expressed to Jesus, after Jesus had given fishing directions to Peter, who then caught so many fish, both his boat and his partners boats, began to sink, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)

The acknowledgement of God’s Holiness is expressed in prayer and worship. Hannah, the mother of Samuel in asking for a child, prayed “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2) The Psalmist would exclaim, “I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?” (Psalm 77:12-13) In calling to worship, the Psalmist said, “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. . . .” “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.” (Psalm 99:5,9)  

God’s Holiness is also revealed to us through His completeness in the Father, and the Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, in His prayer recorded in John 17, addresses the Father as the Holy Father. (John 17:11) Both Gabriel and Peter call Jesus, the Holy One of God. (Luke 1:35, John 6:69) Then the Spirit of God is known as the Holy Spirit. God is Holy.

What is amazing? The knowledge that this Holy God wants a relationship with us. He not only wants a relationship with us, but it is the extent to which He has gone for that relationship. He became one of us. He came to show us how to live in a relationship with Him. He also came to provide the way for us to come to Him. That alone is amazing, but then He makes the goal for us to be like Him. How could he care so? And yet, He does. Here is His aim for us to, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16; Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 22:32) The writer of Hebrews would put is this way, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” (Hebrews 2:11)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block