Holiness

In a very real way, preachers should always be wanting to say, with Paul, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Every attempt to handle the Word of God should be done with reverence, and every mention of His name should be with humility. But this is especially the case when the subject is the holiness of God. Moses was told to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground; how much more should we humble ourselves before a holy God?

This is the preeminent attribute of God. The Bible teaches that God is holy before all else. The seraphim who constantly adore Him do not worship before the throne, saying, “Love, love, love.” Nor do they say, “Just, just, just.” They do not cry out, “Good, good, good.” Although these are all attributes of God, His attribute that fulfills and permeates all the others is His Holiness. The seraphim cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Is. 6:3; cf. Rev. 4:8).

This attribute of God should be understood, negatively, as a freedom from all evil, and positively, as the living purity, and integrity of His divine nature. Everything He is, is Holy. It is so much a part of His nature that we should understand it as His name.

But notice at the same time that holiness in the highest dwells with the lowest.

Holiness is the basis of the ultimate oath. The Bible teaches us that God swears by His holiness. Consider the following two examples. The psalmist is contemplating the tremendous blessing contained the Davidic covenant. After mentioning some of the blessings of that covenant (vv. 19-34), he goes on to state the basis for the surety of it. “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: his seed shall endure forever . . .” We see the same in Amos 4:2. When the Lord is condemning the thoughtless self-indulgence of Israel’s wealthy, He says through Amos, “The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: ‘Behold, the days shall come upon you when He will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.'”

We know from Scripture than when someone swears, they swear by something greater than himself (Heb. 6:13-16). But we also know that there is nothing greater for God to swear by — so He swears by Himself. In these passages, in swearing by His own holiness, He shows us its greatness.

This is an absolute holiness. The Lord is holy like no other. The Bible states this plainly. As Hannah teaches us in her prayer, “There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.” As we shall see in a moment, creatures can be made holy by God, but this is communicated holiness. The Lord is uncreated and His holiness is absolute. His holiness is an essential holiness — He did not obtain it.

Holiness, by definition, results in severity to the unholy. We see the holiness of God exhibited clearly in His judgments on sinners. This is one reason we instinctively recoil from contemplating His holiness — we are afraid of what might burn. “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You in your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation” (Ex. 15:11-13). This is part of the song which the Israelites sang to mark the Lord’s deliverance of them, and His destruction of His enemies. We too easily forget that holiness, in a rebellious world, means the wrath of God.

Certain attributes of God, like His omniscience, are called incommunicable attributes. This is because creatures cannot partake of them. But holiness, for all its ultimacy, is not in this category. There is such a thing as communicated holiness. This attribute is shared to us by the grace of God. We are called to be saints (1 Pet. 1:13-16).