God Is... Holy, Holy. Holy!

By Jason V

I remember my Uncle Howard's collection of walking sticks.  He had been a world traveller and had collected walking sticks from all over the world.  If we asked nicely, he might show them to us, but we were not allowed to touch them under any circumstances.  They were special, set apart, reserved for his use alone.  They were, in a sense, "holy."

Did you grow up with "holy" things in your life- things that were set apart for a special use, better than common, reserved for certain people or certain occasions?  We just moved from Maryland to South Carolina this week.  In a special box, packed very carefully and handled with special attention was the 110-year-old mantle clock my school gave me as a parting present.  It has become, in this sense, a "holy" object in our household.

These things are, of course, only "holy" in a very limited sense of the word.  To be truly holy, something must be set apart by God for God's purposes, reserved for His use and for His glory.  In this was, the tabernacle and the temple were known as holy places.  When Moses saw God in the burning bush, the Lord called to him and told him to take off his shoes, for he was standing on holy ground, ground that was now made holy by the presence of God.  Later, the Israelites would return and worship God on that same mountain, Mount Sinai, where God would give His Ten Commandments, His holy law.

So, if something is holy because God sets it apart and reserves it from common use for His special use, then what does it mean for God to be holy?  Well, to begin our understanding of this, we need to know two things: First, God is not just holy.  He is Holy, Holy, Holy.  This is what the angels around His throne cry out day and night for all eternity- "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord!"  This emphasis teaches us that God is not just holy in the sense that other things are holy, but He is the source of all holiness, the One who makes things holy. 

Secondly, God's holiness is the attribute of God which defines and characterizes all of His other attributes.  His love is a Holy Love.  His justice is a Holy Justice.  His power is a Holy Power.  His wisdom is a Holy Wisdom.

If we take these two things together, we will see that God is utterly special and unique, distinct and set apart from all of His creation.  He is so utterly special and unique that everything He touches and blesses and uses becomes holy because God makes it holy.  If you or I use a cup with our supper, it goes in the dishwasher and back in the cupboard.  Jesus used a cup in His supper and it became The Holy Grail, pursued by millions of people for thousands of years.  That's how powerfully holy God is.

Now, are you ready for the really mind-blowing truth: For everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, God calls you His Holy People!  You and I, as common and ordinary as we are in ourselves, have been set apart by God and made special for His purposes.  We are HOLY because God has set His love upon us and has called us to belong to Him.  We are no longer "ordinary people."  Because of God's love and God's work in us and through us, we are holy unto Him!  Isn't that amazing?

I remember one time standing in the Smithsonian staring at Robert E. Lee's boots, the boots he wore when he surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.  Those boots were in the Smithsonian because they belonged to Robert E. Lee.  How much more important and powerful is the God of the Universe?  How much more special is it for us to belong to Him?  Because he has claimed us, we are not just a museum piece.  We are truly holy, even as He who has called us is holy.  If that's true, then we should act like it, shouldn't we?  

Verses to Consider:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

          "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
             the whole earth is full of his glory."" (Isaiah 6:1-3, NIV)

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." (Ephesians 1:4, NIV)

"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."" (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Jason is blessed to be married to a wonderful woman and to have three children (two boys, aged seven and four and a one year old baby girl). He serves as the Pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Cheraw, SC. He enjoys strong coffee, good books and nature walks with his family.

Comments

[jasonS]

Wonderful thoughts all the way around. Thanks so much, Jason!