I find it strange that folks think they can get a lot of value out of something that cost them nothing or very little.”
–Lou Bradshaw (Crazy Jack Daggett)
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
–1 Peter 1:15 (NKJV)
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“Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? FOR YOU ALONE ARE HOLY. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”
–Revelation 15:4 (NKJV, cap letters are mine)
We have been looking for several weeks at some of God’s natural attributes. Those are characteristics that only God possesses. This morning I want to begin to look at some of His moral attributes. These are characteristics of God that man can share and try to obtain. The one for today is “holy” or “holiness.” In my way of thinking it is perhaps a bridge between the natural and moral. For only God is holy! Yet…we are told to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). If only God is holy, why, how, in what manner, can we be holy?
Holiness is the very excellency of His Divine nature. He is the Holy One. I would venture to say that His holiness precedes all of His other attributes. His omnipotence is a holy power. His supremacy is a holy supremacy. His love is a holy love. His joy is a holy joy. His wrath is a holy wrath. Get the picture? Arthur Pink writes this of His holiness, “He is so [holy] because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. He is absolute Purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin.” Stephen Charnock adds, “Holiness is His beauty.” In all that He does, and is, His holiness is seen.
It is this attribute of holiness that is celebrated before the throne. “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!'” (Isaiah 6:3, NKJV) “Holiness is the glory of the Godhead!” (Charnock) The scene is far too wonderful for us to begin to imagine. Those awesome and terrible angelic beings–the seraphim–around the throne declaring the holiness of God. John Howe says that this is “a transcendental attribute, that, as it were, runs through the rest, and casts lustre upon them. It is an attribute of attributes.” Now, let me clarify the term. It is not transcendentalism in the form of New Age thinking, it is thinking and a realm far above that only exists with God.
Scripture has declared that the holiness of God is manifested in His works. The psalmist said, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Psalm 145:17, KJV). It is the rule of all His actions. That is why it will be a terrible day when all stand before the Lord for we shall see Him in His majesty, glory, and holiness, and we shall all tremble. We see also that holiness is manifested in His laws. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 7:12, NKJV). Did you get that? The law is not done away with, Jesus fulfilled it and said that we should love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. That is the law and it is holy. When we stand before the holy God, we shall see if we truly loved Him the way He told us to. Pink says, “That law forbids sin in all its modifications: in its most refined as well as its grossest forms, the intent of the mind as well as the pollution of the body, the secret desire as well as the overt act.” Holiness will reveal this.
Perhaps the holiness of God is most clearly seen at the Cross. “Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the time of our Savior’s death; His countenance was most marred in the midst of His dying groans.” (Charnock) Because God is holy He hates all sin. We read in Proverbs, “For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord…” (3:32, NKJV) and again, “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord…” (15:26, NKJV) Yes, God forgives sinners, but He never forgives sin. Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of creature-doings is utterly impossible. It had to be taken care of on the cross. There, the holy God, poured out His holy wrath, upon His holy Son, to show His holy love.
In our flippant age, including much of what goes on in the church that is called worship, we must be careful to always show our reverence. He is holy. To take the things of God, including worship in a way that could be called mockery is to face the challenge of His holiness. Therefore our approach to Him must always be one of reverence. Yes, He is our “Abba, Father,” our Daddy-Father, but never forget the authority of the Father figure. “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him.” (Psalm 89:7, NKJV) As Pink exhorts, “The more our hearts are awed by His ineffable holiness, the more acceptable will be our approaches unto Him.” Because God is holy we should desire to be conformed to Him. “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) is not a suggestion, it is a command. How can this be? Go back to the Cross and then to the day that you accepted Him into your heart. You are not the temple of the Holy Spirit–the representation of God and He lives in you. Dare you not keep the body, the soul, and the spirit holy? Dare you not conform to His image?
——————————————-
“Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? FOR YOU ALONE ARE HOLY. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”
–Revelation 15:4 (NKJV, cap letters are mine)
We have been looking for several weeks at some of God’s natural attributes. Those are characteristics that only God possesses. This morning I want to begin to look at some of His moral attributes. These are characteristics of God that man can share and try to obtain. The one for today is “holy” or “holiness.” In my way of thinking it is perhaps a bridge between the natural and moral. For only God is holy! Yet…we are told to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). If only God is holy, why, how, in what manner, can we be holy?
Holiness is the very excellency of His Divine nature. He is the Holy One. I would venture to say that His holiness precedes all of His other attributes. His omnipotence is a holy power. His supremacy is a holy supremacy. His love is a holy love. His joy is a holy joy. His wrath is a holy wrath. Get the picture? Arthur Pink writes this of His holiness, “He is so [holy] because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. He is absolute Purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin.” Stephen Charnock adds, “Holiness is His beauty.” In all that He does, and is, His holiness is seen.
It is this attribute of holiness that is celebrated before the throne. “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!'” (Isaiah 6:3, NKJV) “Holiness is the glory of the Godhead!” (Charnock) The scene is far too wonderful for us to begin to imagine. Those awesome and terrible angelic beings–the seraphim–around the throne declaring the holiness of God. John Howe says that this is “a transcendental attribute, that, as it were, runs through the rest, and casts lustre upon them. It is an attribute of attributes.” Now, let me clarify the term. It is not transcendentalism in the form of New Age thinking, it is thinking and a realm far above that only exists with God.
Scripture has declared that the holiness of God is manifested in His works. The psalmist said, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Psalm 145:17, KJV). It is the rule of all His actions. That is why it will be a terrible day when all stand before the Lord for we shall see Him in His majesty, glory, and holiness, and we shall all tremble. We see also that holiness is manifested in His laws. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 7:12, NKJV). Did you get that? The law is not done away with, Jesus fulfilled it and said that we should love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. That is the law and it is holy. When we stand before the holy God, we shall see if we truly loved Him the way He told us to. Pink says, “That law forbids sin in all its modifications: in its most refined as well as its grossest forms, the intent of the mind as well as the pollution of the body, the secret desire as well as the overt act.” Holiness will reveal this.
Perhaps the holiness of God is most clearly seen at the Cross. “Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the time of our Savior’s death; His countenance was most marred in the midst of His dying groans.” (Charnock) Because God is holy He hates all sin. We read in Proverbs, “For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord…” (3:32, NKJV) and again, “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord…” (15:26, NKJV) Yes, God forgives sinners, but He never forgives sin. Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of creature-doings is utterly impossible. It had to be taken care of on the cross. There, the holy God, poured out His holy wrath, upon His holy Son, to show His holy love.
In our flippant age, including much of what goes on in the church that is called worship, we must be careful to always show our reverence. He is holy. To take the things of God, including worship in a way that could be called mockery is to face the challenge of His holiness. Therefore our approach to Him must always be one of reverence. Yes, He is our “Abba, Father,” our Daddy-Father, but never forget the authority of the Father figure. “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him.” (Psalm 89:7, NKJV) As Pink exhorts, “The more our hearts are awed by His ineffable holiness, the more acceptable will be our approaches unto Him.” Because God is holy we should desire to be conformed to Him. “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) is not a suggestion, it is a command. How can this be? Go back to the Cross and then to the day that you accepted Him into your heart. You are not the temple of the Holy Spirit–the representation of God and He lives in you. Dare you not keep the body, the soul, and the spirit holy? Dare you not conform to His image?
“Holy, Holy, Holy!
Tho’ the darkness hide Thee,
Tho’ the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.”
–Reginald Heber