“Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two, he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:2-3 (RSV).
It is impossible to fully understand the holiness of God as mortals. How does the created describe the Creator with no beginning and no end? We have no natural reference point for this type of holiness. Our only chance of understanding God’s holiness is by reading what He tells us about Himself and relying on the Holy Spirit to bring revelation to our spirits.
Of all God’s attributes, His Holiness may be His greatest or fundamental attribute (some consider it the union of all His attributes). It is the only attribute of God mentioned three times as a descriptor in the Bible. In the Jewish tradition, mentioning something twice signifies supreme importance; mentioning it three times signifies completeness and stability. God is ABSOLUTE Holiness; this is fundamental to all His character traits.
Absolute Holiness of God
Holy is defined as “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness (divine perfection).” This inspires awe or reverence among believers.
Although this definition refers to the holiness of God, its inadequacy in fully describing Him is reflected by the use of the word ‘Holy’ three times. His absolute holiness calls for absolute awe, highest reverence (Fear of God) and exorbitant, undivided worship.
Isaiah’s vision of the Lord is captivating, as is Moses’s encounter at the burning bush. These speak to the difference between God’s omnipresence and His tangible presence. His tangible presence carries the weight of His glory, a result of His absolute holiness. The seraphim (angelic beings associated with light and purity) covered their face and feet in God’s presence; Moses hid his face and was asked to take off his sandals in His presence (Ex 3:2-6). Our eyes cannot withstand the extreme brilliance of absolute holiness, nor can we bring the dust of the world (from where our feet or shoes have been) into this place.
However, God wants us to experience part of His tangible presence here on earth because this is what sets His people apart! This is why Jesus taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name….”. This is not a statement introducing this prayer; it is the first prayer request: May Your Name be reverenced as absolute holiness. When You are reverenced as You should, Your Kingdom will come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Called to be holy – by the power of the Holy Spirit
The root word for holy means set apart, sacred, sanctified. It applies to our call to be holy as He is, to be entirely devoted to God and set apart as sacred (dedicated for the service or worship of God).
If absolute holiness is the fundamental character trait of God, then 1 Peter 1:15-16 (RSV) MUST arrest us as fundamental to the way we live our lives: “…but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy”. Within our spirit (made in God’s image) is the seed to be holy and set apart for our Creator’s purpose. We water this seed by feeding on God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit causes the seed to germinate and bear fruit in us, empowering us to keep choosing the narrow path.
Hebrews 12:14 tells us that without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
This is referring to both on earth and in heaven. God desires to fellowship with us on both sides of eternity, but we need to be set apart to handle His manifest presence. When our sins were placed on Jesus, God had to turn away from Him until the price was paid, and then there was a reconciliation of mankind to God. When we go back to pick up these sins, we are again separating ourselves from Him.
Psalm 24:3-4 (RSV) says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully“.
A universal cry of the Church is for revival, to see His glory and manifest presence. Are we ready to pay the price for this? The call to be holy is a call to true repentance (genuine sorrow for our sin, changing our ways, choosing His way) and baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3: 15-16). This results in a natural flow of His manifest presence and power through us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, despite my limited ability to grasp Your ABSOLUTE holiness, my heart tells me I am in the presence of indescribable greatness, complete authority and supernatural power. I repent of taking Your HOLY presence and Your Name as common things. Birth true repentance in me. Holy Spirit fall afresh on me again. May Your holy fire burn away the chaff of sin in me and refine the gold that You placed in me. Empower me to start a journey of holiness with you, relying on Holy Spirit to sustain me in it, as I choose this path afresh each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
