The holiness of God is a central attribute of who God is. God’s holiness refers to His absolute purity, perfection, and separation from all that is sinful and unrighteous. Throughout Scripture, God is described as being “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). Understanding the holiness of God is foundational to understanding God Himself and is crucial for how we should respond to Him.
God is Holy in His Being
Holiness is not just one characteristic among many that God possesses – it is the very essence of who He is. Everything about God’s being, character, and nature is completely holy (1 Samuel 2:2). He is utterly unique and transcendent, distinct from all of creation. God’s holiness flows out of His being as the one and only perfect, righteous, and glorious God.
The holiness of God means He is completely pure, without spot or blemish. He has no darkness or unrighteousness in Him at all (1 John 1:5). He is separated and exalted above everything and everyone else. There is nothing and no one like God, nor can there ever be, because He alone is God.
God is Holy in His Character
Not only is God’s essence holy, but He expresses holiness through all of His infinite attributes and character traits. God expresses holiness through:
- His righteousness – God always does what is right, just, pure, and good (Psalm 145:17).
- His justice – He deals righteously with sin and judges all people fairly (Deuteronomy 32:4).
- His love – God’s love is a holy love that seeks the good of others (1 John 4:8).
- His sovereignty – He has the holy right to do all that He pleases (Psalm 115:3).
- His wrath – God’s wrath against sin flows out of His holiness (Nahum 1:2-3).
- His grace – He graciously gives mercy and redemption to the undeserving (Ephesians 1:6-7).
Every aspect of who God is reflects His moral perfection and His separation from anything impure or sinful. All that God does is holy.
God is Holy in His Dwelling Place
In addition to His being and character, the spaces and places where God dwells are described as holy. His holiness is manifest in heaven, His throne room (Hebrews 9:24). The temple in Jerusalem was viewed as holy because it was the place where God dwelt among His people (Psalm 5:7). God’s holiness was so great that approaching Him or the places He resided required certain rituals and sacrifices to be made clean.
When Isaiah saw the vision of God on His throne in heaven, the seraphim declared “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). There is nowhere that God’s holiness and glory are not present, though they are especially concentrated in His dwelling place.
Implications of God’s Holiness
Understanding that God is perfectly holy has several important implications for how we relate to Him:
- We should approach God with reverence and awe. Because God is so completely holy, pure, and exalted, we should show Him honor, respect, and reverential fear (Psalm 89:7). Casualness or overfamiliarity with God is dangerous.
- We cannot approach God on our own merits. Our sin separates us from God’s presence and His holiness would consume us if He did not provide a way of atonement (Exodus 33:20). We can only come to God through Christ’s sacrifice.
- We are called to pursue holiness. As children of God, we are called to imitate Him and reflect His holy character through our thoughts, words, and actions (1 Peter 1:15-16). The gospel transforms us to become holy as He is holy.
- We live all of life coram Deo. Realizing that God is omnipresent and perfectly holy should motivate us to live all of life consciously in His presence (coram Deo), worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1).
Recognizing the unfathomable holiness of God humbles us, drives us to the cross, and motivates us to pursue purity. His holiness highlights the amazing grace He has shown by providing redemption through Christ.
Old Testament Descriptions of God’s Holiness
The Old Testament provides many descriptions of the holiness of God:
- God is gloriously holy (Exodus 15:11). His holiness shines brightly for all to see His magnificence.
- He is majestic in holiness (Exodus 15:11). God’s holiness inspires awe and praise for His beautiful greatness.
- No one is as holy as the Lord (1 Samuel 2:2). God has no rival in purity and perfection.
- He is holy in all His works (Psalm 145:17). Everything God does reflects His moral excellence.
- God is awe-inspiringly holy (Isaiah 8:13). He evokes overwhelming reverence because of His holiness.
- Heaven declares that God is thrice Holy (Isaiah 6:3). His holiness is matchless and transcendent.
These Old Testament passages reveal glimpses of the magnitude of God’s holiness. He has no equal and no one like Him in His perfect purity.
New Testament Affirmations of God’s Holiness
The New Testament also affirms the perfect holiness of God’s nature repeatedly:
- Jesus taught God’s name is to be treated as holy (Matthew 6:9). Reverence is to be shown for His name.
- God’s kingdom, power, and glory are holy (Matthew 6:13). All that He reigns over reflects His holiness.
- The Holy Spirit is given to believers (Romans 5:5). The third member of the Trinity shares God’s holy nature.
- Jesus was declared holy by His resurrection (Acts 2:27). His sinless perfection was approved by the Father.
- God’s law is holy (Romans 7:12). It flows out of His holy will and character.
- God’s judgment is according to truth and holiness (Romans 2:2). He judges based on His moral perfection.
From beginning to end, the Bible confirms that God alone is perfectly holy in His being, character, abode, works, and judgments. No one compares to Him in moral purity.
The Holiness of God Requires Atonement for Sin
A key implication of understanding God’s holiness is recognizing that His holiness makes Him unable to ignore or tolerate sin (Habakkuk 1:13). His eyes are too pure to look upon evil (Habakkuk 1:13). The holy wrath of God burns hot against all wickedness and unrighteousness because it contradicts His perfect character.
Yet God chose to provide a way of atonement for sin through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Only someone who was also perfect and holy could bear the punishment we deserved for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). His holiness required justice against sin, but His love offered merciful redemption to sinners who repent and believe (Romans 3:25-26).
Examples of Things God Describes as Holy
In addition to Himself, God describes many things in Scripture as holy as they relate to Him and His purposes:
- God’s name is holy (Ezekiel 36:20-21)
- His Sabbath day is holy (Exodus 20:8)
- His sanctuary is holy (Exodus 26:33)
- His priests and Levites are holy (1 Chronicles 23:13)
- His prophets are holy (Luke 1:70)
- Israel was called to be a holy nation (Exodus 19:6)
- The Bible is the Holy Scripture (Romans 1:2)
- Heaven is a holy place (Psalm 20:6)
- The Holy Spirit sanctifies believers (Romans 15:16)
- Believers in Christ are saints, or holy ones (Philippians 1:1)
These things are not inherently holy but are made holy by their association with God and His purposes. God calls people and things to reflect His holiness as they relate to Him.
The Holiness of God in Salvation
The amazing truth of the gospel is that through Christ, God invites unholy people to become partakers of His holiness. When we place our faith in Jesus, His perfect holiness is credited to us (Hebrews 10:10). Although we will never become as fully holy as God is in this life, we are being transformed bit by bit into His holy image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Whereas once we were separated from God because of the gap between His utter holiness and our sinfulness, now He declares us holy in Christ (Colossians 1:21-22). We could not reach God in our own strength, so He came down to us through Christ and brought us to Himself. Our holiness is not our own but is wholly (pun intended) because of Jesus.
How Should We Respond to God’s Holiness?
Recognizing the complete holiness of God should inspire us to respond in several ways:
- Reverence and awe – We should approach our thrice holy God with great humility, respect, and fear (Psalm 89:7). Casualness is dangerous.
- Repentance – Seeing how holy God is should humble us and compel us to repent of our sin which falls infinitely short of God’s perfection (Isaiah 6:5).
- Gratitude for grace – God’s gracious gift of salvation through Christ utterly amazes us when we glimpse His holiness. Undeserved mercy was given (Hebrews 4:16).
- Pursuit of holiness – Being in relationship with a holy God should motivate us to strive to live holy lives that please and honor Him (1 Peter 1:15-16).
- Worship and obedience – We obey God’s commands and worship Him because He alone is worthy and we were created for His glory (Revelation 4:8-11).
Above all, cherishing and responding properly to God’s holiness requires that we worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). He alone deserves all honor, praise and obedience because of who He is.
Conclusion
The holiness of God means that He is utterly and supremely untainted by any impurity or sin. He is perfect in righteousness, justice, love, and every possible virtue. God is holy in His essence, character, dwelling place, judgments, and acts. His holiness requires justice against sin, yet He mercifully sent Christ to atone for those who have faith in Him. We respond to God’s holiness with reverent awe, repentance, gratitude, and obedience. Contemplating the holiness of God humbles us and highlights the amazing gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.