GOD IS HOLY
By A. Gene Veal

“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”  Isaiah 6:3

That “God is Love” is a precious and comforting teaching for the Christian, but for us to begin with this Scriptural teaching as the whole message of the Gospel only contributes to an already too human understanding of Who God is.  Don’t you cringe when you hear someone refer to God as “the Man upstairs”?  Too often people attribute our “fallen” characteristics as humans to our God Who is HOLY.  We would do well to understand what the Scripture means when we are told “GOD IS HOLY.”

The central truth behind all that the Scripture tells us about God is that He is “MAJESTIC IN HOLINESS” (Exodus 15:11) The Scriptures refer to the holiness of God more than any other attribute.  Don’t you think there might be a good reason for this?  Unless we know what this means, how can we “BLESS HIS HOLY NAME”? (Psalm 103:1)

The basic meaning of the word “holy” is “to cut” or “to separate.”  This means God is completely separate from anyone, anything, any idea, any measurement, any imagination, any intellect, any power, etc.  Some limit His holiness as meaning He is separate from evil.  While that is true, I believe that definition is too limited in application of its meaning.  HE IS SEPARATE FROM ALL.  I prefer to say it this way:  God is completely “OTHER”.  What ever you can name, GOD IS OTHER.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  He is saying that He is completely beyond and completely OTHER than whatever we are or whatever we can think.  GOD IS HOLY!!!  “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy.” (Revelation 15:4)  Everything everywhere is connected to something else, but God is completely separate, “God is HOLY.”

This is very important because “the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”  We desire with the Psalmist to “behold the beauty of the LORD” for “the beauties of holiness.”  This is a threat to the sinner, but what a comfort to the righteous.

The person who is not a Christian needs to understand that God is beyond knowing apart from God revealing Himself to that person.  However, there is an initial revealing of God to everyone in all of His creation.  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness; because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse: because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.” 

The Scriptures tell us, “He hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.”  Every person knows enough about God in their heart to either pursue the knowledge of God or, instead, become “vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart be darkened.”  Ultimately, if they persist in this resistance to the knowledge of God, God will leave them to their choice, for “as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind.”

On the other hand, the Christian knows God and is encouraged to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”  The Christian realizing that if it were not for the grace of God giving him the revelation of Himself, he too would be lost.  For, as Jesus told us, “no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” and “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.”

As we have said before, a person’s knowledge of God will reflect in that person’s life.  He even has the tendency to treat others the way he perceives God treats him.  Peter tells us, “but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living. Because it is written, ‘Be ye holy; for I am holy’.”

In other words, as God is completely “OTHER” than the lost people who carve out their own idea of God and as He tells us, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”, we also are to be completely “OTHER” than the lost of this world in our thoughts and ways.

When lost loved ones and lost friends respond to life with a groan, with worry, anxiety, fear, etc., we instead manifest the life of Christ in us and bear the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives.  When there is hatred, we are “love”.  When there is clamoring, we are “peace”.  When there is abrasiveness, we are “gentleness”.  When there is any work of the flesh, we manifest the “fruit of the Spirit” of Christ in us. “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”  “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

Of course, even as a Christian you have “needs,” but how you go about meeting those needs is quite different from the world’s way.  When He preached His first sermon Jesus cautioned us to be OTHER than the world: “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans (the lost) run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

If you “think” as the world thinks (“in the futility of their thinking”), you will not know the wonderful supply that His faithfulness provides.  You will think like the world thinks: that you did it by your own manipulative efforts.  As a Christian (Christ in you) you are to think OTHER than the world thinks.  Be HOLY.  Be OTHER.

The Scripture does not say, “Become holy” or “Try to be holy.”  It says, “BE YE HOLY.”  You, having been “made the righteousness of God in Christ” and having been “crucified with Christ” you, nevertheless “live” or, rather, “Christ lives” in you.  You ARE holy.  Now, BE who you ARE.

Chambers puts it this way: “Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ . . .."  He did not say, "I have made a determination to imitate Jesus Christ," or, "I will really make an effort to follow Him"-but-"I have been identified with Him in His death."  Once I reach this moral decision and act on it, all that Christ accomplished for me on the Cross is accomplished in me. My unrestrained commitment of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to grant to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.”  (Click here to read his short article on TRUE SANCTIFICATION) especially "THE LIFE SIDE" section.

As you have the knowledge of the fact that “GOD IS HOLY”, you are called to a life of holiness which is a manifestation of the Spirit of Christ working in you the holiness that is yours in Him.  You then will “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”  The Scripture says you are “called to be holy” for “without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

“So be holy in all you do.”

Click here to read WHO IS GOD?

Click here to read SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY: GOD