Wholly Holy

We know and love lots of attributes of God. That whole "God is love" thing is great. We sing of His mercy and grace. We generally like His "omnis" -- His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence. That He knows everything, can do anything that He intends, and is always present everywhere is really a good thing for us. There is one particular attribute, however, that trips us up a little, especially when we find out just what it really means. That would be His holiness.

Now, if "holy" means "apart from sin," we're all for that. Good stuff. And "apart from sin" is included in "holy" ... but there is so much more. The word in the Hebrew is qâdôsh. It means to be clean, but, more literally, to be "other, apart." Thus, to be "qâdôsh" is to be other than dirty, other than defiled, other than sin. We get that. But it goes farther. It means to be other than everything. He is God alone and He is not us. There is none like Him (1 Sam 2:2). He is totally unique. In a very real sense, He is "wholly other" so far that we will never be able to grasp Him. He is "other." Add to all this the interesting fact that "holy" is the only attribute of God that is raised to the third power, so to speak. We read that God is love or that God is Sovereign or that God is good, but when it comes to "holy," we read that God is "holy, holy, holy" -- and not only once, but twice. (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). This kind of repetition isn't "vain repetition" like Jesus warned against. It's significant. It is the Hebrew equivalent of underline, italicize, bold print. It is raising this concept to its highest level. Holiness is God's defining attribute, enfolding all the rest in its content and intent.

So, we have a God who is "other" -- other than sin, other than defilement, other than everything. That all by itself can be terrifying. We are naturally xenophobic -- afraid of that which is different. It is the root cause of our innate racism, sexism, ageism, or any other "ism." It makes Jews hate Gentiles and makes Gentiles into anti-Semites. It makes Americans "gaijin" to Japanese ... and not in a good way. It makes the rich separate themselves from the poor and the poor from the rich. "Other" is questionable to us. Absolutely other is really distressing. We change; He does not. We have incomplete power; He does not. We don't know things; He knows everything. We are becoming; He is. We are complex; He is simple. In all that He is He is not like us.

Then we throw in this tidbit. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:14-16). Because God is holy, we are to be holy, also. It is God's calling. "Come out from among them and be separate" (2 Cor 6:17; 2 Cor 7:1; 1 Peter 2:9). We are called to be other -- other than sin, other than the sinful world around us, other than those who are spiritually dead. We are to be separate.

God's holiness is huge, bigger than most of us realize. It is also our calling. When you find yourself syncing up to the world, watch out. We are to be separate, set apart, sanctified -- holy. By His grace and mercy and power we can be. It is our calling, our purpose, our direction (Rom 8:28-30). Praise God!