Editorial
May/June, 2004
Volume 39, Number 3
We keep encountering over and over again in Scripture the concept that God is holy. In fact, God only is absolutely holy. Moses, in his song of redemption, makes Jehovah God the theme of his praises, and then he ponders by asking a question: “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness?” (Exodus 15:11). God himself assumes the title of “the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25).
God is absolutely perfect in all His ways. There is not a single blemish or flaw in God’s character. God is never partial; He is never unfair; He never plays favorites. We read in Deuteronomy 32:4 that God is “the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” The figure of “the Rock” declares that the Lord is strong and stable. The words “His work is perfect” indicate faithfulness; no wrongdoing exists in Him.
There are two basic aspects to God’s holiness. One aspect is related to the loftiness, exaltedness, and splendor of God as seen in Isaiah 6:1-4, where Isaiah saw God “high and lifted up,” and the seraphim cried “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” The second feature of God’s holiness is the absolute purity of His goodness. God is untouched and unstained by the evil of the world. God’s holiness is the standard for our moral character, and the motivation for the way we are to live our lives.
Holiness cannot take part in sin nor approve it in others. The very sight of sin affects God with abhorrence (Habakkuk 1:13). In the dark hour (many years ago) when God the Father blotted out the view of Christ on the cross, Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1). In verse 3 (of Psalm 22) we learn the reason why Jesus was forsaken of the Father. The response to Jesus’ question is that God is holy and cannot tolerate sin; in verse 3 of Psalm 22, Jesus says, “But You are holy.” At Calvary, we are permitted to view God’s abhorrence of sin, and perceive something of the holiness of God.
At least two times the Prophet Isaiah refers to the Lord as “the Hoiy One of Israel.” The God of Israel is totally unlike the gods of other religions. Those gods over and over again engaged in the same types of sinful acts as their followers did. The gods of the ancient (and modern) world are lacking in holiness, and instead, are vile, corrupt, degrading, and impure. Jehovah God, by way of contrast, is free from such acts. Job 34:12 says, “Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice.”
The holiness of God is evident in all His laws. Moral laws and natural laws are all an outgrowth of God’s holiness. His laws are designed to urge upon human beings the divine demands for leading a holy life. God’s laws demand only good and forbid all evil. Romans 7:12 speaks primarily of the law given through Moses, and says, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.” God’s holiness provides the pattern for His people to imitate. He commands us, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16).
At the BRF sponsored Brethren Alive Conference in July, 2002-—the theme centered on the concept of holiness. The first message was entitled “Knowing God’s Holiness” and some excerpts from that message are included in this issue of the BRF Witness. Included here also is an additional article on the subject, “The Holiness of God.” We read in Psalm 99:5, “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool, for He is holy.” People who have a clear concept of the holiness of God will not quickly and arrogantly oppose His government in our lives.
The two essays which follow are designed to help readers have a more complete grasp of the doctrine of the holiness of the true and living God.
Knowing God’s Holiness
By Carl Groff
If we were to try and name all the attributes of God, holiness would top the list because this attribute infiltrates all the others. For example, love is an attribute of God—but His love is a holy love. His omniscience is holy omniscience. His omnipresence is holy omnipresence.
Holiness fundamentally means separation from all that is common or profane or ungodly. The root word means “to separate or to cut off.” A “holy day” is separated from the other days. “Holy ground” is separated from the rest of the ground. Added to the concept of holiness is the truth that absolute holiness belongs only to God.
Jehovah God is described in Scripture as being “holy, holy, holy.” At no place in Scripture is God called “love, love, love.” Nor is He called “eternal, eternal, eternal.” God is never called “truth, truth, truth.” God is never emphatically called by any name except one—and that is “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” in Isaiah 6:3, and “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” in Revelation 4:8. We want to note some facts about the attribute of God known as holiness:
1. God’s holiness is known through His Word.
Psalm 60:6 says that “God has spoken in His holiness.” The message of the Bible has been initiated by a holy God. His Word has been given to us through the Holy Spirit. We read over and over again in the Scriptures that “The Spirit spoke through David”—or other similar phrases. The words of the Bible have been written by “holy men of God [who] spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
There are many good books around today— books that are entertaining and moral in their words, but when it comes to matters of the soul and heaven and death and God, we need a book that comes from holy sources. We need a book that talks about a holy calling, holy love, a holy gospel, a holy Christ, and guarded and overseen by the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible is that book— a book that promotes holy living.
People in the world about us may be indifferent to our doctrine; they may not be interested in our theology; they may ignore our Bible altogether. But people of the world will be compelled to give attention to men and women, children and youth, who are living holy lives. And if we are to live holy lives, we will need to listen as never before to God’s holy Word, for God has spoken to us “in His holiness.”
2. God’s holiness will punish sinful living.
The holiness of God demands that He judge sin. All through the Scriptures, we learn that God has judged sin. And there is a future judgment in store, a time known as “The Great Tribulation.” Some of the Tribulation judgments are described in Revelation 16:1-6.
They heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.’ So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: ‘You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
When we deal with God, we are dealing with a very holy Being who demands to be taken seriously, and who stands distinct from that which is impure. When you think about it—for one sin, Adam was put out of the Garden. For one sin, Cain and his descendants were cursed. For one sin, Moses was kept out of the Promised Land. For one sin, Elijah’s servant got leprosy. For one sin, Ananias and Sapphira were stricken with death.
God’s holiness is such that sin will be punished. Thankfully, God’s love is such that an atonement has been provided—and sin can be confessed and forgiven.
3. God’s holiness demands blood atonement.
The holiness of God means that we can only approach Him on His terms—and God’s terms involve “the shedding of blood.” Very early in human history, Cain decided that he didn’t like God’s terms. He did things his own way in Genesis 4. The next chapter of Genesis mentions the anger which affected his countenance—but anger was not Cain’s only problem.
The first step in Cain’s downfall was unbelief. God’s instructions for worship included a blood sacrifice which was needed to atone for sin. God had set the example by clothing Cain’s parents in animal skins, after the fall described in Genesis 3. To do that, an animal had to be slain and blood was shed.
When the time came for Cain and Abel to bring their offerings, Abel sacrificed the best of his lambs, but Cain ignored God’s instructions and brought produce from the ground as an offering. Cain’s offering symbolized good works, and God not only rejected it; He called it “evil” in 1 John 3:12. Abel’s offering involved the shedding of blood and was pleasing to God. We are not told by what outward sign the Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s, but we do know that Abel left the altar with the full assurance that his sacrifice had been accepted.
Multitudes today are still trying to come to God by the way of Cain. They are bringing all their good works. They say, “Well, I’ve been a good husband; I was a good father; I’ve been a dependable employee; etc.” But God says that your works are as “filthy rags.” God’s holiness demands that we come to Him by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ —and according to God’s holy Word, all who come on that basis can be assured of acceptance.
In Old Testament times the High Priest could not go into the Most Holy Place of the Temple unless blood was on the altar, thus typifying a covering for sin. Today we have access to God because Jesus Christ shed His blood and placed it on the altar for us. Those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior are a part of His body, and the Father sees us as holy because we are “in Christ.” Note the promise stated in Colossians 1:21-23.
“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard.”
Carl Groff is one of the team of plural free ministers in the White Oak Church of the Brethren in the Atlantic Northeast District. The message here was excerpted from a sermon delivered at Brethren Alive 2002, held on the campus of Elizabethtown College.
The Holiness of God
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.”
—Isaiah 6:3
Likely very few people who saw in the paper an announcement of a sermon on the holiness of God would be drawn to church to hear it. But though the idea seems as colorless as a laundry list, it turns out to be as contemporary as this morning’s sunrise and as interesting as the Reader’s Digest.
Take a concordance some time and turn to the topic “the holy one of Israel,” to see how often it appears in the pages of the Bible. That phrase stands out from the pages of the Book of life because its meaning is written large in the business of life. See now how that statement can be substantiated.
1. The Holiness of God Sets the Standard for Our Conduct.
For one thing the holiness of God sets the standard for our conduct. We talk about the “standard of living.” A person’s standard of living is high or low according to the kind of food and housing and clothing he has. Economically our standard of living is determined by material things. But morally our standard of living is determined by the quality of holiness in the character of God. There is a manuscript of the Constitution of the United States so written that, when it is held at a distance, the shading of the letters look like a picture of George Washington. In the Constitution—is seen a character. The constitution of life is but a portrait of the character of God. It is called the moral law, and it finds its summary in the Ten Commandments. If we could take the Ten Commandments and so shade the letters as to make them show the face of God, we have as nearly as it can be had, a transcript of the quality of holiness in his character. There is something in holiness which says, “Do this,” and something else which says, “Don’t do that.” The dividing line is the line which divides right from wrong. The character of God sets a standard of conduct. It commands what is right, and it condemns what is wrong.
When the Old Testament prophets rose to declare that the essence of holiness is moral purity, they began to bear down on the sins of the people. The theme song of Amos is that a morally holy God demands moral holiness in his people. They supposed that they could go on sinning against one another and still be right with God—just so they went to the temple and offered their sacrifice. But the prophet minces no words in telling them they must put an end to selling the poor for a pair of shoes and accepting bribes in a court of justice. “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live,” he says, “and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you.”
The holiness of God still places its demands upon us. Religion is the touchstone of morality. Bible reading and churchgoing are not whitewash for wrongdoing. The guiding rule in every choice is not “Is it expedient?” or “Is it legal?” but “Is it right?” It may be legal to drink liquor, but is it right? It may be legal, to get a divorce on some flimsy excuse, but is it right?
You see, this question of the holiness of God is quite contemporary. It says that you cannot honor the cross on Sunday and practice the double-cross on Monday. It says with the psalmist that the man who has a right to stand with a clear conscience in the presence of God is not necessarily the man who goes to church or reads his Bible or says his prayers; it is the man who has clean hands, and “a pure heart.” It says that matters are not safe for us, even though we sit in one of the high seats of the synagogue, unless we set the clock of our conduct by the character of our God.
2. The Holiness of God Makes God the Enemy of Sin.
There is a second meaning in our truth which is possibly less obvious than the first. The moral holiness of God makes him forever the enemy of sin. Sin is the very opposite of that moral goodness which is the essence of his character and the governing purpose in his creation. Sin heads straight for the defeat of God’s holy desire. He is bound, therefore, to be against it. The self-consistency of his character demands it. Inasmuch as he is God, inasmuch as he sits on the throne, and inasmuch as he has the upper hand over things in this world—sin is going to be the loser.
Now look at that fact as it works itself out in individual experience. It says that you can never sin and get away with sin. It says that the man who sets out to do something wrong is whipped before he starts. It says that the holy God, who demands holiness in his people, has fashioned this world so that it pays to be good and it costs to do wrong. Any man who tries to beat that law is a fool. Do you think you are clever enough to outwit God? Do you think you can put one over on the Almighty? Look around you and see if you know anybody who has ever flown in the face of the commandments and not had to pay. The Good Book says that “the way of the transgressor is hard.” It is written in the Book because it is written in life. Can you put your hand in the fire and not get it burned? When it comes to sin, our God is a consuming fire. Oh, my brethren, why are we such fools? Why do we keep on trying to get by with things we know are wrong when the cards are stacked against us?
But while the holiness of God speaks a word of warning against sin in the individual life, it stands as a strong source of confidence in the ultimate victory of right in the cosmic life. In days like these it is natural ) that we should be concerned over the fate of the world. Will those who fight on the side of right win? Or will they go down before the onslaughts of evil? Is there no hope for the world?
There is a hope indeed—right here in the mighty fact of the holiness of God. A man was brought into court one day charged with running a gambling device known as a slot machine. The man chose to defend himself. When the prosecutor had presented his case, the defendant’s turn came. “Judge,” he said, “I am charged with conducting a gambling device. Will you tell me what gambling is?” “Gambling,” said the judge, “is risking something of value on an event the outcome of which is uncertain.”
“Well, Judge,” said the defendant, “according to your definition, I am not guilty. When a man puts a coin in his machine, the outcome of that event is not in the least uncertain. The inside mechanism is so adjusted that he cannot win. The thing is set against him. He is bound to lose.” And the man won his case!
So, it seems to me, is the contest in the large between good and evil. There is no gamble to it. The final outcome of this struggle is not in the least uncertain. If the holiness of God makes sin in the individual suicide, then that same holiness makes evil in the cosmic life self-defeating. God made this machine which we call the universe, and it was his privilege as its maker to set the works so that it would pay off in his favor. Inasmuch as his name is the Holy One of Israel, his favor is on the side of right, and when you sin you are going to lose, whether your name be Henry or whether it be Hitler.
3. The Holiness of God Guarantees that We Can Trust Him.
There further meaning in our truth. The holiness of God guarantees that we can trust him and not be disappointed. The same self-consistency in the character of God which makes for inflexible certainty in the judgment of sin, makes sure his trustworthiness in all other matters. He keeps his word about punishing sin, and he will keep any other word he gives. The holiness of God is our surety that we can depend on him.
Dependability seems such a rare trait in human nature. You leave your car at the garage, and the service manager tells you he will have it ready by four o’clock, but when you go for it you have to wait until five. You go out to hire a cook, and she promises to be on hand in the morning in time to get breakfast, but you never see her again. You have so many experiences with people who cannot be depended on, you begin to wonder if there is any such thing as dependability. There is, my friends, such a thing as faithfulness to one’s word. If you have failed to find it in people, you can always find it in God. If he says he will do a certain thing, he will do it. If he tells you he will take over your fears and anxieties and worries and give you peace of mind, he will do it if you trust him. If he tells you that though your sins be red like crimson he will still forgive, he will do it if you trust him. If he tells you that he will give you strength to do a difficult task, he will do it if you trust him. If he tells you that his grace is sufficient and he will see you through no matter what your need, he will do it if you trust him.
Once when David Livingstone’s life was in danger from certain savages in Africa he grew frightened. But just for a moment. For then he reached into his pocket and took out his New Testament and read there the promise of a presence that would be with him always. He closed the book and put it back into his pocket and then said to himself: “It is the word of a gentleman, a person of the most strict and sacred honor… I feel quite calm now, thank God.”
The words of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honor! Any word of God is just that because it is backed by an ever standing, never changing holiness which says, “You can trust God, for he is trustworthy!”
Condensed from the book Getting to Know God by John A. Redhead, Abingdon Press, paperback edition, 1979. Used by permission.
