WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT GOD’S HOLINESS?

 

Today we want to look at - “WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT GOD’S HOLINESS!”  

God is holy, and God wants His people to be holy.  God’s purity cannot tolerate any form of sin, and this is an evidence of God’s degree of holiness.

Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil (sin), and canst not look on iniquity (wickedness)…”

NLT puts it this way, “But God is pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.”

In Job 15:15 the Bible says, “The heavens are not pure (clean) in His sight.”

Look at what the Scriptures say about God’s holiness:

1. Holiness is the nature of God. His holiness cannot tolerate sin. Sin offends our holy God and separates us from Him (Isa. 59:1-8). Because God is holy, He cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it didn’t matter. Sin cuts people off from Him, forming a wall to isolate God from the people He loves. If sin separates you from God, it also separates you from His blessings – breakthroughs. Sin stands between you and God, and therefore blocks the blessings of God from reaching you.

People who die with their sin un-forgiven separate themselves eternally from God. God wants them to live with Him forever, but He cannot take them into His holy presence unless their sin is removed. Have you confessed your sin to God, allowing Him to remove it? The Lord can save you if you turn to Him.

2. God is glorious in holiness. In Exodus 15:11 the Bible says, “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

3. There is none holy as the LORD. 1 Samuel 2:2 says, “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”

4. God’s dwelling place is called holiness. Psalm 48:1-2 says, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. 2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”

5. God sits on a throne not padded with vitafoam but with holiness. Psalm 47:8 says, “God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness.”

6. God’s house number is holiness. Psalm 93:5 says, “Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, forever.”

7. Day and night, the living creatures in heaven call attention to His holiness. In Revelations 4:8-10 the Scriptures say, “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

8. God’s holiness is beyond comparison. The God of Israel and of the Christian church is holy-he sets the standard for morality. Unlike the Roman gods, He is not warlike, adulterous, or spiteful. Unlike the gods of the pagan cults popular in the first century, he is not bloodthirsty or promiscuous. He is a God of mercy and justice who cares personally for each of his followers. Our holy God expects us to imitate Him by following His high moral standards. Like Him, we should be both merciful and just; like Him, we should sacrifice ourselves for others.

9. God’s holiness is our standard for holy living (Ps. 93:1-5). After people commit their lives to Christ, they usually still feel a pull back to their old ways. Peter tells us to be like our heavenly Father - holy in everything we do (1 Pet. 1:14-16).

We’re to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd (world), yet not being different just for the sake of being different. What makes us different is having God’s qualities in our life. Our focus and priorities must be His. All this is in direct contrast to our old ways.

We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. Don’t use the excuse that you can’t help slipping into sin.

“Your royal decrees cannot be changed. The nature of Your reign, O LORD, is holiness forever” (Ps. 93:5).

10. God cannot be known apart from His holiness (Isaiah 59:1-21). The key to God’s eternal reign is His holiness. God’s glory is not only His strength but also His perfect moral character. God will never do anything that is not morally perfect. This reassures us that we can trust Him, yet it places a demand on us. Our desire to be holy (dedicated to God and morally clean) is our only suitable response. We must therefore, never use unholy means to reach a holy goal, because God says, “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev. 19:2).

“There is a problem - your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, He has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah 59:2).

11. God’s holiness will eventually be recognized by all creation. Just as the Holy Spirit is seen symbolically in the seven lighted lamps, so the “living beings” represent the attributes (the qualities and character) of God. These creatures were not real animals. Like the cherubim (the highest order of the angels), they guard God’s throne, lead others in worship, and proclaim God’s holiness.

God’s attributes symbolized in the animal-like appearance of these four creatures are majesty and power (the lion), faithfulness (the ox), intelligence (the man), and sovereignty (the eagle). The Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, saw four similar creatures in one of his visions (Ezek. 1:5-10).

In what ways is God holy?

1. God is completely separate from sin and uncleanness. In Joshua 24:19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy and jealous God.”

In 1 Samuel 6:20 they cried out saying, “Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?”

2. God is dazzling and glorious in His absolute purity. In Isaiah 6:3 the Scriptures say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with His glory!”

3. When God makes a promise, His holiness ensures that He does what He has said. Amos 4:2 says, “The Sovereign Lord has sworn this by His holiness.”

4. God’s holiness will not tolerate evil in His eternal Kingdom. In Matthew 13:41 Jesus said, “I, the Son of Man, will send My angels, and they will remove from My Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.”

In conclusion, remember that without holiness no man shall see the LORD (Heb. 12:14). So if you want to enter Heaven and see the Lord on that final day, you must do all it takes to remain holy.

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)                                              21.07.2019