School of the Foundations of the Christian Faith “The Creator and His Creation.” Lesson 2. God’s Holiness. The school consists of 22 lessons. The founder of the school is the Christian Bible Institute.
The Bible says that God is very different from people.
- God is the Creator, whereas people are creation.
- God is absolutely holy and perfect, whereas people are sinful and imperfect.
- God possesses perfect wisdom and perfect power, whereas people cannot know everything or do everything.
- God possesses perfect love and perfect goodness, whereas people are filled with selfishness and evil.
God’s holiness means that God is absolutely pure, and He cannot have fellowship with anything impure! When God allowed the prophet Isaiah to see a small part of what was happening in heaven before the throne, God’s holiness literally overwhelmed the prophet.
Isaiah 6:1–3 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above Him stood seraphim; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And they called to one another: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!”
God’s holiness is so radiant that when the seraphim are in the presence of God, they continually speak of it: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts!” The vision of God’s holiness literally overwhelmed the prophet Isaiah. He immediately saw his own impurity and sinfulness.
Isaiah 6:5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
Even when God merely spoke to people, it was already dangerous for them. When God met Moses at the burning bush, Moses covered his face:
Exodus 3:5 “And God said: ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’ 6 And He said: ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
When God spoke to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai, the whole people were afraid:
Exodus 19:17 “And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; its smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly; 19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. 20 And the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to see Him, and many of them perish; 22 and let the priests who draw near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord strike them.’ 23 And Moses said to the Lord: ‘The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying: “Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.”’ 24 And the Lord said to him: ‘Go down, then come up, you and Aaron with you; but let neither the priests nor the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He strike them.’”
God’s holiness means that there is absolutely no sin or impurity in Him. Sin is any form of opposition to God’s perfection. God’s holiness means that there is absolute harmony in God; there is nothing in Him, nor can there be anything, that contradicts His perfection and purity.
This means that:
- He is the source of life
- There is no imperfection in Him.
- There is no deficiency in Him.
- Death is impossible in Him
The evangelist John presents God's holiness and His perfections as the source of life and light.
John 1:3–4 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
There are no defects, shortcomings, or imperfections in God—nothing that could be improved! He is absolutely perfect in every aspect of His being and its expression! God is so magnificent that His glory shines brighter than the strongest light! When Moses came down from the mountain after meeting with God, his face was radiant.
God's holiness makes Him very dangerous for sinners
God's holiness also means that His nature cannot tolerate any impurity. Because God is perfect and cannot be imperfect, nothing impure or imperfect can come near His holiness! The seraphim, in the presence of God's holiness, covered their faces and their feet. Isaiah himself was so overwhelmed by God's holiness that he could only fall facedown and cry out, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King”.
In the Old Testament, God explained to people many times and in various ways the importance of His holiness. All the worship ceremonies in the Old Testament, the numerous washings, sin offerings, purification rites, and sacrifices of atonement—all this was necessary to explain to people that God is holy. He is absolutely holy. He is not merely somewhat holier than people. He is so holy that human sinfulness cannot exist in His presence.
Man cannot live without God. But because man is sinful, he cannot remain in God's presence. God's wrath, which destroys all unrighteousness, strikes everything sinful, including sinful man. Because God is absolutely holy, sinful man had to be struck by the power of God's wrath. This wrath was poured out in its absolute fullness upon Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was offered on the cross of Calvary to satisfy God's holiness. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes eternal union with God possible for those who, by faith, receive His righteousness and His lordship.
Romans 5:8–9 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
The depth and power of God's love can be understood only when we truly understand His holiness.
Review Questions:
- What is God's holiness?
- What can God’s holiness be compared to?
- Why did the seraphim angels cover their faces when they saw God?
- Why is God’s holiness dangerous for a sinner?
- Why is God angry with the sinner?
- How does Christ protect believers from God’s wrath?
Bible verse to memorize: Isaiah 6:1–3
Source: Christian Bible Institute
