God is absolutely holy. His name is holy. His Word is holy. Holiness is one of God’s divine attributes. And it means God is righteous and perfect in all His ways and He is completely worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
God is the One who is high and lifted up—eternal in heaven. Our eternal God is above everyone and everything. He has no earthly equal. “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15). There are numerous references to God’s holiness throughout the Scriptures.
Isaiah had a vision in which he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. Above Him was the seraphim. “And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3). “When the seraphim announced God’s holiness,” writes Dr Charles Stanley, “they were stating an unshakable truth. The Lord is utterly perfect in His holiness. The repetition emphasizes that He is absolutely pure, completely separated from sin, wholly righteous, just and spotless.” (The Charles F Stanley Life principles Bible p. 803). The seraphim appear to be angelic beings.
It is noteworthy that in the Revelation, John on the isle of Patmos had a similar vision to that of Isaiah’s. He writes, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8).
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty
God in three Persons, blessed trinity!”
(Reginald Heber 1783-1826).
We also have the situation with Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who became a prophet-priest. Hannah was barren, so she prayed to God for a child. God answered her prayer and she gave birth to Samuel. In her prayer, Hannah expressed the following about the LORD: “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). Hannah fully recognized and acknowledged the holiness of God.
When God miraculously delivered His people through the Red sea, Moses and the children of Israel praised God in song of appreciation for what He did for them. They stated: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). The children of Israel realized that God was ‘exalted in holiness’.
God is incomparable. He is unique in all His attributes, since there is absolutely no one like him. He declares, ”I am the first and I am the last; beside me there is no god” (Isaiah 44:6). God also told Israel, “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:8). Because God is self-existent, He depends on no one for existence. When God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush, He said “I AM WHOM I AM.” (Exodus 3:14). It appears that God was declaring to Moses, “I am the self-existent, self-sufficient being.”
Because of God’s holiness, sinful and unregenerate man cannot approach God’s presence in such a condition. There is only one way to approach God and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ who declared: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Note the definite article ‘the’. I am the way, the truth, the life. It is of paramount importance that Christians are fully aware of God’s holiness. Hence, Peter writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16). To be holy means being set apart for God’s plans, and purposes.
Christians cannot be Christians if we continue to indulge in the sins of the previous lifestyle. That is why God is saying, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Born-again believers in Christ are energized and empowered by the “indwelling Holy Spirit” to live a godly life. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20). Our body is God’s temple.