Holiness
The Rev. Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
We sometimes use the word “holy” in ways that are not part of its meaning. We call common things holy. A synonym of the end result of holy is “perfect”. That is, the summation of what it means to be set apart, to be holy, is to be made perfect. We misuse the word by looking at the weather and saying, “It’s a perfect day”. Sometimes we get excited by a new purchase and describe it as the perfect house, or perfect car, or perfect (you fill in this blank). None of these meet the definition of holy and perfect.
There’s always something wrong with what we describe as perfect. The response of some to these “perfect” items might be “Nothing is perfect”. The truth is: God alone is perfect. Jesus said that God alone is good. God is perfect because He has no faults; He is holy. For example, God is good because His character is the definition of good. Perfection, holiness, and goodness are attributes of God. God described Himself. He used the word “holy” (Isaiah 6:3). Moreover, God commanded His people to “be holy [He said] because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16). Since God said that both He is holy and His people are to be holy, everything that the church is and does must be holy.
I’ve found it helpful to picture an umbrella to understand the holiness of God, in the light of all of His attributes. If you were to list His attributes (such as faithfulness, sovereignty, goodness, love, etc.) and place them under an umbrella, the umbrella would be God’s holiness. The holiness of God more fully describes each one of His attributes. There is no one as faithful as God and no one as good as God. God is uniquely and perfectly holy.
God’s holiness sets Him apart from all. God transcends His creation and gives it purpose. The Westminster Shorter Catechism’s first question and answer deals with purpose. “What is the chief end of Man?” The answer is, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” To glorify God is to attribute all the honor, respect, majesty, etc. to Him. In other words, man is to live with the knowledge that God is holy and everything is due Him. This is all mankind’s purpose!
We are given glimpses of God’s holiness in the Bible. Isaiah 6:1-5 is perhaps the most familiar. The occurrence is God’s commission of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah is allowed to see the throne room of God in heaven. Part of the vision that he received included great winged creatures crying out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” Holy is repeated three times in describing God. Twice would be emphasis in the Hebrew language, similar to our use of an exclamation point. Three times represents supreme emphasis.
The basic meaning of “holy” is unique but there is a range to its meaning. The range is from unique to absolute perfection. Holy — and variations of it — are used to describe things and people whom God sets apart. For example, the Apostle Paul referred to the children of one believing partner in marriage as “holy”. Things and people that God sets apart for Him are called holy.
We understand consecration and sanctification in light of the word holy. Both words are descriptive of God’s action in setting people apart for Himself and changing those whom He sets apart to be like Christ.
So what? What does God’s holiness have to do with our lives? The simple answer is everything! Everything in the Christian’s life is to reflect God’s holiness. All else is sin. The Apostle Paul wrote that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Yet, God requires perfection. God requires that those who will see Him face to face must be holy as He is holy. In this life, our lives, our worship, and all that we are and do must reflect the holiness of God. The gospel is the only means given by God for our holiness. Those whom God justified, He glorified (Romans 8:30). God brings His people to glory through His work of free grace in sanctification. He makes His people holy. By God’s work of grace, He progressively sanctifies believers so that when they see Jesus face to face, they will be holy.
