The Bible says God is holy. Just what exactly does it mean to be holy? Let’s look at some of the ways God is holy:
- He is set apart, distinct, unlike any other. He is not just better than creation, He is other than creation. He is absolutely unique:
Ex. 15:11 (ESV) “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
God is above and beyond all created things.
- He is morally perfect in that He is pure, undefiled, and without sin.
1 John 1:5 (ESV) This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
God’s character is unblemished; His moral purity is absolute.
- God’s essential nature is holy. It is not just one of His many attributes. It is the beauty of all His attributes combined:
Isa. 6:3 (ESV) And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
In Hebrew, repeating a word three times expresses perfection and infinite intensity. God is not just holy, He is perfectly and infinitely holy.
- God is separate from all evil, He is perfectly opposed to sin.
Habakkuk 1:13a (ESV) You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong,
God is morally incapable of tolerating or participating in evil.
Now that we’ve looked at how holy God is, let’s look at the holiness connected with the things and people of God.
- Objects, people, and places that are set apart for God’s use are called holy
Lev. 20:26 (ESV) You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) 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 marvelous light.
Holy here means to be set apart for God’s purpose. We are not perfect, but we should practice moral purity, obedience to God, separation from sin, and devotion to Him. In short, we need to grow in Christlikeness through the Spirit. Yes, we never truly can reach this holiness on our own, but only in a life transformed by grace.
- Lastly, but certainly not least important, is the holiness of God’s covenant with us:
Heb. 10:10 (ESV) And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
We are holy and set apart, sanctified, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ forevermore.
Why is this important?
This is important to us as Christians because we need to better know the God with whom we share a personal relationship. Just as we can learn more about our spouses, children, friends, and even enemies, to understand them and thus relate to them better, we can know the one true God in a very personal. This is true with God.
Understanding His holiness gives us insight into how to worship Him more fully.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 