The Holiness of God

As omnipotence is the power of God’s attributes, so holiness is the beauty of them. His strength makes Him mighty, and His holiness makes Him glorious. Without holiness, all the other attributes of God would lose their honor. That means if the sun were to lose its light, it would lose its heat and its quickening virtue. No wonder Moses and his sons sang the song, “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” (Ex. 15:11). Isaiah said, “And one called out to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory” (Is. 6:3). John said in the Revelation, “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Your works, O LORD God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev. 15:3-4).

Love cannot be the fundamental attribute of God, because love always requires a standard, and this standard is found only in holiness. God’s love is not regulated by sentiment, but by principle. His strength makes Him mighty, and His holiness makes Him glorious. Without holiness all the other attributes would lose their honor. Just as grace reigns not at the expense of righteousness, so love never conflicts with holiness. Paul said, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:20). Scripture says, “There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God” (I Sam. 2:2).

As there is none good, absolutely speaking, but God (Mark 10:18), so none are absolutely holy but God. He cannot have more holiness, because He is perfectly holy; so He cannot have less holiness, because He is unchangeably holy. No creature can be essentially holy.

There is a twofold holiness: (1) a holiness of equality, and (2) a holiness of similitude. The holiness of equality no man is able to reach. Who can be equally holy with God? However, there is a holiness of similitude, and for that we must have a desire that gives evidence of the relationship of grace; for that we must aspire in order to have some resemblance of God’s holiness in us. Peter was inspired to say, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy” (I Pet. 1:14-16). Paul said, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

God’s purpose in the world is to make a people like Himself in holiness. 1. What is God’s grace for? It is to bring righteousness to the elect and make us holy. 2. What are the promises for? They are to encourage holiness. 3. What did God send the Spirit for? To anoint the elect with the Holy Unction. 4. What are all the afflictions for? To make His own partakers of holiness. 5. What are mercies for? They are loadstones to draw the elect to holiness of life.

As election is the effect of God’s sovereignty, our forgiveness is the fruit of His mercy, our knowledge is a stream from His wisdom, our strength is an impression of His power, and our purity is a beam from His holiness. The Father is the fountain of holiness; the Son is the channel of holiness; and the Spirit is the imprinter of the image of holiness on the chosen of God. Paul said, “…and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (Col. 3:10).

Jesus Christ is the cause of all that is holy in others, because His fountain feeds all His cisterns. What reflection could man’s holiness be upon the infinite holiness of God? Though God created man mutable, yet He did not create him evil. God does not will sin as sin, because that would reflect against His holiness; but to will to suffer it in order for good is the glory of His wisdom.

We hear it said today, “It is not a sin question we face, but a Son question.” They say a sinner does not go to hell because of his sins, but he goes to hell because he rejects the Son of God. That is only part of the truth. When one does away with the question of sin, he does away with repentance which is the fruit of regeneration. The sinner that has been made alive by the Holy Spirit sees himself as a depraved person. If it were the “Son question” only, then the person who has never heard about Jesus Christ has never been convinced concerning his own personal sinfulness.

The holiness of God was satisfied by the death of the Holy One. It is not just a “sin” question but a “Son” question. The only hope for the sinner is the crucified, buried, risen, exalted, and living Savior—Jesus Christ the Lord. The Holy Spirit was sent to apply this salvation to the elect. Paul said, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher…” (II Tim. 1:8-11). The holiness of God the Father was satisfied by the death of His only begotten Son—the Holy One.

A sense of God’s holiness makes the chosen ones humble when Jesus Christ claims them. Holiness produces in the elect a sense of humility when they are claimed by the Son of God. Therefore, the holiness of God produces in the elect a fear of the sovereign God when they are born of the Spirit. Furthermore, the sovereign God produces a reverential fear in the elect which governs our actions, checks our vices, and makes us tremble at the hissing of the tempter.

The apprehension of God’s holiness makes us patient and contented under all God’s dispensations. There can be no just complaint brought against any of God’s proceedings with His chosen ones. It is part of His holiness to hide His face from us, to show thereby His hatred of sin. He melts us down as gold, to fit us for the receiving of a new impression—to mortify the affections of the flesh, and clothe us with the graces of the Spirit.

King David said, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne” (Ps. 89:14). Paul said, “…He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:10-14).

A sense of God’s holiness will inflame us with a desire to be conformed to Him. We cannot be infinitely holy, but as a copy, may have the likeness of the original—but not the same perfection, so we can bear the likeness of God (II Cor. 3:18). To endeavor to be like an honorable man is to make one image like another, to set our clocks without regarding the sun.

We honor holiness most when we show our affection during times of the greatest contempt for it. While men spurn the purity of the Law, I will value it above everything if it is God’s Law. The Psalmist said, “It is time for the LORD to act, for they have broken Your law. Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way” (Ps. 119:126-128).

The Psalm of Asaph states, “But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices. Oh that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries. Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him, and their time of punishment would be forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (Ps. 81:11-16).

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The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE—UPDATED EDITION is the source of all Scripture quotations in this message, unless otherwise noted.