The Holiness of God

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up;

and the train of his robe filled the temple. 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 6:1-3 ESV)

The God who dwells in unapproachable light (1Timothy 6:16) personally encountered Isaiah (vividly recounted here in chapter six).

No wonder Isaiah referred to God as the Holy One of Israel 25 times in his scroll—for he experienced the magnificent glory and overwhelming holiness of God.

It is a holiness that causes seraphim, the Burning Ones, to cover their faces. A holiness that moved Isaiah to declare, “Woe is me!”

These are suitable responses to God’s majesty and holiness!

To view but a glimpse of God’s holiness evokes worship. Worship that breathlessly repeats, “Holy! Holy! Holy!”

It also elicits fear to exclaim, “Tremble!”

Before His Holiness, a fallen creature feels just how infinitely small and sinful they are.

Yes, God’s holiness speaks into His goodness. His purity. But even more, of His incomparability. His unique, transcendent otherness. God is an unattainable Being, completely set apart from us.

But Jesus is both.

Jesus is holy and human. He is like us. But not like us.

Because of God’s holiness, only Jesus helps us know God and enter His presence. He came to bridge the insurmountable gap between a holy God and sinful humans.

Further, the holiness of God is made visible in Christ Jesus. And through His Cross He displayed the extremity and ugliness of our sin.

In J A Motyer’s translation of Isaiah, 6:11-12 reads, “As for your sin—the price is paid!”

Isaiah was cleansed by the ember from the altar of sacrifice.

 As God prepared Isaiah for his calling, Jesus does for His disciples. He is that refining, purifying fire.

Isaiah needed to view God’s holiness to feel the weight of his inadequacy. And to gain a sense of the need for Israel’s repentance in order to effectively preach God’s message with conviction.

Have you experienced His holiness?

Does it rightly move you? To humility? To worship?

Let God do His work in bringing you into a deeper understanding of His majestic holiness. And, as smoke filled the temple (6:4), let awe for The King, Lord of Hosts fill you, the Lord’s temple.