God is Holy
In one sentence: God is perfectly pure, infinitely glorious, and completely unlike anyone or anything else.
We have already said that God is King. He rules over all He has made with perfect wisdom, justice, goodness, and authority. But if we are honest, authority can make us nervous, because we live in a world where power is often abused. We have seen leaders use authority to protect themselves, control others, excuse injustice, and serve their own desires. So when we hear that God has absolute authority, we may be tempted to imagine Him as unpredictable, selfish, or harsh. After all, we are used to seeing that power corrupts.
But that is only true of fallen creatures. God is not a fallen creature. God is not merely powerful. God is holy. Now there’s a loaded church word for you. Depending on your background, the word holiness might come with some baggage. We may associate holiness with coldness, harshness, distance, self-righteousness, or a religious attitude that looks down on everyone else. Sometimes people have used “holiness” to mean little more than rule-keeping, external appearance, or separation from anyone who seems messy. But biblical holiness is not cranky religion or polished superiority. Holiness begins with God Himself.
It means He is pure, glorious, set apart, and utterly unlike us in every good and perfect way. God is not corrupt, selfish, unjust, deceptive, petty, cruel, or compromised. There is no hidden darkness in Him. There is no evil beneath the surface. There is no gap between what He says and who He is. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” That means God’s kingship is holy kingship. His power is never corrupt. His authority is never cruel. His judgment is never unjust. Everything God does is consistent with the perfection of who He is.
God is not one being among many. He is not the biggest creature, the strongest ruler, or the best version of us. He is the uncreated Creator. There is no one like Him. Exodus 15:11 asks, “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness…?” 1 Samuel 2:2 says, “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you.”
We understand this a little bit when we think about rare and valuable things. Diamonds are valuable because they are not scattered like gravel on the sidewalk. Things that are rare often catch our attention because they stand apart from what is ordinary. But God is not merely rare. God is one of one. There is no rival Creator. No equal King. No comparable glory. No alternate source of life, truth, goodness, beauty, and holiness. God is not valuable because He is useful to us. He is worthy because He is God.
That is why the Bible’s vision of holiness leads to worship. In Isaiah 6, the prophet sees the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. The foundations shake. The house is filled with smoke. The seraphim cry to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah does not respond casually saying, “How interesting.” He says, “Woe is me!” God’s holiness humbles him. It exposes him.
That is what holiness does. It prevents us from treating God casually and ourselves too highly. Before the Holy One, we stop pretending. We stop comparing ourselves to people we think are worse than us. We stop measuring sin by human respectability. We begin to see ourselves before God. And yet, Isaiah 6 does not end with Isaiah’s ruin. A coal from the altar touches his lips, and he hears, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” The Holy One does not ignore sin. He cleanses it.
That prepares us for the astonishing mercy of God. If God were only distant, mercy might seem impossible. But because God is holy, mercy becomes breathtaking. The Holy One is not obligated to come near. He does not lack anything. He is not lonely without us. Yet He chooses to come near in compassion and saving grace.
This is what we see most clearly in Christ. Jesus is called “the Holy One of God.” Yet He touches lepers, eats with sinners, welcomes the unclean, and draws near to the broken. He does not become unclean by coming near to us. He makes sinners clean by coming near to them. At the cross, the Holy One bore our guilt so that unholy people could be made clean. His mercy is not cheap. His holiness is not lowered. In Jesus, we see the holy God coming near to save.
Why This Matters
God’s holiness teaches us to worship with reverence. He is not common, casual, or manageable. He is the Holy One, infinitely worthy of awe, honor, and praise.
God’s holiness teaches us to repent honestly. Sin is not small because it is committed against the Holy One. We do not need excuses, comparisons, or self-defense. We need cleansing.
God’s holiness teaches us to trust Him deeply. He is never corrupt, never cruel, never unjust, and never false. His love is holy love. His justice is holy justice. His mercy is holy mercy. The One True and Living God who is completely holy chooses to come near. The Holy One does not come near because we are clean. He comes near in Christ to make us clean.
For Further Thought
These questions are not meant to create arguments, but to encourage careful, charitable, Bible-shaped conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts/answers to any/all of these questions in the comments.
- Why could God’s absolute authority make people nervous, especially in a world where power is often abused?
- What is the difference between saying God is morally pure and saying God is completely unique?
- Why does Isaiah respond with humility and confession when he sees the holiness of God?
- How does the holiness of God change the way we think about sin?
- Why is it astonishing that the Holy One chooses to come near to sinners in Christ?