God Is Holy

There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee (1 Samuel 2:2a).

In his book, Worship: The Ultimate Priority, John MacArthur explains what God's holiness means: "God is holy. Of all the attributes of God, holiness is the one that most uniquely describes Him. In reality, this is a summarization of all His other attributes. The word holiness refers to His separateness, His otherness, the fact that He is unlike any other being. It indicates His complete and infinite perfection. Holiness is the attribute of God that binds all the others together. Properly understood, it will revolutionize the quality of our worship."

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy... Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).

"This is not only important because it is a primary characteristic of God, but it is also important because God commands us to be like Him. Holiness is a word that essentially means 'set apart' and is closely connected to his righteousness. ... In fact, holiness is such a special characteristic of God that it affects our ability to be in His presence. When Adam sinned, he was kicked out of the garden, kicked out of the presence of God.  Because Adam was not holy anymore, he could not dwell in God's presence." (Gregory Brown, The Perfection of God.)

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

However, Christ's sacrifice made it possible for us to trade Christ's holiness for our sinfulness, and it restored our relationship with the Father. We become saints, holy before God, when we accept Christ into our lives. Glory be to God!

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