Friday, November 8, 2013

Holiness of God

God has revealed Himself to us and I believe that He has revealed that He is a Holy God. All of his other attributes flow from His holiness. If you have not read Stephen Charnock’s The Existence and Attributes of God, I highly recommend the book, especially his chapter the Holiness of God. 

God’s has shown us that “He is holy” and His name is holy (Psalm 99:3). See how often God reveals to us that he is the “Holy One” or “Holy One of Israel”. 
He is the Holy Spirit. 
He is a holy High Priest (Hebrews 9:8.) 
He is the Holy Father. 
God swears by His holiness (Ps 89:35; Amos 4:2) because He can swear by no greater. 
His angles are holy angels (Matthew 25:31). 
His word is a holy Word. 
In His presences is holy ground. 
When He was in His temple, it was a holy temple. 
His men are holy prophets. (2 Peter 3:2) 
His love is holy love. 
His hate is holy hatred. 
His Strength is his holy arm– (Isa 52:10) 
All his works and ways are holy ways (Psalm 145:17) 
His promises are holy promises (Psalm 105:42) 
His law and commandments are holy (Rom 7:12) 
His calling is a holy calling (II Tim. 1:9) 

He could have had the angels fly about Him declaring “Love, Love, Love” or “omnipotent, omnipotent, omnipotent” but He desires to have His holy angles cry “Holy, Holy, Holy”. 

It is this otherness, this mystery, this fearfulness of God’s holiness that drives us from God in fear while it pulls us to God in beauty, because God’s holiness is beautiful (2 Chronicles 20:21; Psalm 29:2; Psalm 96:9). Holiness is beautiful because it is pure, it is perfection, it is separate from all this is impure. God’s holiness is the beauty of all His other attributes. His goodness is holy goodness. His love is holy love. His power is holy omnipotence and his knowledge is holy wisdom.
Quote:
“Holiness is the sum of all excellence and the combination of all the attributes which constitute perfection of character”. Boyce

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