The Holiness of God

One of the flaws we often find in modern Christianity arises from the lack of teaching, understanding, and emphasis we place on the true nature of God - specifically the holiness of God. Because we don't often teach about the holiness of God and that He requires us to be holy like He is, we remove the barrier that holiness is between us and God, and in doing so, we bring Him down closer to our level.

When we do this, God becomes the "buddy" that protects us from the big, bad bully Satan instead of the holy God that He is. This leads to believers lacking the desire and motivation to move past the baby stage of the faith, and preferring to stay at an entry level of understanding without growth. As a church, we have pushed the idea of, “Come as you are.” This statement has truth in its own way but isn’t being interpreted or applied properly, as it ignores the need to not stay as we are. The holiness of God compels us to change and calls us to action.

First and foremost, Jesus is not our buddy, homeslice, or pal. Those terms are far too casual and disrespectful to the Lord. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity Who are all equal in majesty, glory, and splendor, far above anything else. An understanding of this first point will lead us to the second: that there is no way we can “come as we are” and stay that way before a Holy God. The perfection of our Savior demands a change in our own lives.

The Lord requires us to be holy as He is holy, meaning that it is not enough to merely try our best. Let’s look at a passage in Isaiah 6 as a case study in how we should actually be approaching a Holy God.

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” - Isaiah 6:1-7 (ESV)

The Position of the Throne

The first thing Isaiah does in this passage is call our attention to the position of the Lord’s throne. It is not across from Isaiah nor on the same level as him. The text positions the throne as “high and lifted up," far above Isaiah’s head – at a height unattainable for Isaiah and indeed for any man. Next, Isaiah tells us that the train of the Lord’s robe filled the whole temple. This picture shows the all-encompassing presence of God. Isaiah can go nowhere without God being present there as well.

The Attendants of the Holy One

In verse two, Isaiah mentions the seraphim, also standing in the presence of God. Seraphim are angelic beings who are referred to in Scripture only here. They are described as having six wings. “...With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.” In covering their faces and feet, they show just how far above them the Lord is. The beings that strike terror into the hearts of men (Daniel 10) have to cover themselves up when they are in the presence of the Lord.

Of Him, the seraphim declare: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of host; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Neither a calm statement or saying, they call this to each other (verse 3) as a scream – a battle cry. The seraphim picked the one thing about God that even with their covered faces is so clear to them. They give one of only two responses that come from seeing the Lord.

As for the content of the seraphims' declaration, it also has something to teach us about the holiness of God. They shout "Holy, holy, holy" in a never-ending hymn of praise to their Maker. We might sing these pleasant lyrics as a song in church, but they sing these words for emphasis. The threefold repetition brings the meaning to its fullest expression: He is holy, holier, holiest. Yahweh is infinitely holy, and one can find no measure, beginning, or end to this aspect of His character. The seraphim cannot help but declare what has been evident to them from their first creation to the present moment. It is a never-ending declaration.

The Effects of Holiness

Now comes the second aforementioned response to the holiness of God: it undoes. At the seraph’s call, verse four tells us that “the foundation of the thresholds shook” and “the house was filled with smoke.” The foundations which are inanimate, uncomprehending things shake at the declaration of the holiness of the Lord. Wherever God is and wherever His holiness is proclaimed or touches, there is smoke and quaking (Exodus 19).

“Woe is me! For I am lost,” is Isaiah’s response. What more fitting response could Isaiah have? The word “woe” is used as an indicator of doom. Prophets used it to tell of the judgment of God that was about to fall on people and cities that were not obeying the Lord. Prophets would not usually use it for themselves. So why does Isaiah use it here for himself? He tells us, “For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Isaiah knew that he had a problem. The problem wasn’t just that Isaiah had to brush his teeth but that he was an unholy, sinful man unable to stand in the presence of holiness (1 Chronicles 13, Exodus 19,28). God is so holy that He cannot tolerate dirt and sin, and nowhere is this truth more evident than in the presence of God.

The Human Problem

In order for us to be able to stand in the presence of God, we must be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 11). On our own and in our own strength, there is absolutely no hope. Romans chapter three says,

“None is righteous, no, not one, no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside: together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12 (ESV)

So what are you going to do? Every person will stand in the presence of God and give an account of themselves. Every word, every action will be brought up (Matthew 12:36). How will you be able to stand in front of the Lord of hosts when your every evil deed, every perverse thought, and your every tiny remark are all laid bare and you see truly how unholy you are? But praise the Lord, for He has made a way for sinful men to be made clean. Ephesians 2:4-5 says,

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (ESV)

There is only one way to be made clean and holy and that is only through Christ Jesus the Lord and what He did on the cross. I hope and pray that you come to rely on Him because there is no way that the holy God will accept us without the work of Christ paving the way.

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Works Cited

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) ESV Text Edition: 2016

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