The Holiness of God
I. Introduction
Today I would like to speak to you on a subject that many of us would find uncomfortable. It is an uncomfortable subject because we live in modern-day, so-called “seeker-sensitive”, feel-good American evangelicalism. And in this atmosphere, we have become used to talking about God in ways that have made him to be a god of our own creation, a god in our own image, a god tamed to suit our own desires.
Many of today’s famous preachers and celebrity pastors wants everyone to believe that the God we serve is like Barney the pink dinosaur whose only concern is that we feel that we are loved and that we are safe and that we are accepted just as we are and that we are perfect just the way we are.
But the God we serve cannot be tamed; the God of the Bible is not a God of our own imagination. We must adapt to him and not he to us.
We need to come to God on his own terms as he is revealed in Scripture, all of Scripture, because the teaching of one set of God’s attributes (whether it is love and forgiveness) to the exclusion of God’s other attributes (righteousness) leads to, at best, an unhealthy faith or at worse, it undermines the Gospel itself.
So today I would like to talk about the topic of God’s Holiness and our responsibilities as children of a holy God.
What does “holy” mean?
But first let me define what the word “holy” means. In Scripture, holiness has a primary meaning: to be “set apart” or “consecrated” or “different”. It is in this sense that Scripture calls the items of the Temple, like the bowls and other utensils as “holy” because they are set apart for the service of God in the temple. It is also in this sense that God is “most holy” because he is the most different and apart from everything else. He is the most “other” of all beings. And in God’s call for us to be “holy” he is calling us to be separate from the rest of the world in our faith and our conduct which is our spiritual worship and set apart for his service (Romans 12:1).
Holiness also has a secondary meaning, although this is the meaning that most of us probably associate with the word “holy”. And it is “moral purity” and it is in this sense that Scripture tells us to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
Now both of these senses are related in that if a Christian were to be holy as in morally pure, he or she will necessarily become set-apart and different from how the rest of the world believes and acts. These two senses of the world holy can be distinguished but not separated when it comes to our calling as believers. With that, let’s read today’s text from the Book of Isaiah.
II. Text: Isaiah 6:1-7
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!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
III. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord
More than two decades ago, in early September, marked the end of an era. The news broke that New York City was attacked by terrorists in the 9/11 attacks. Many of us still remember where we were during that day, no matter where we were at that time. It marked the end of the era of American invincibility that was taken for granted after World War II.
Again, in early September, but just last year, was also another historic moment in the history of the United Kingdom that marked the end of an era – the end of the Elizabethan Era, when Queen Elizabeth died, after having reigned for more than 70 years.
The 9/11 attacks in New York proved that the United States was not untouchable and fear and anxiety has been on the American conscience ever since, and we see that in our airport terminals at JFK or at Newark. The death of the Queen in Great Britain has made people question if the United Kingdom can even stay united since many people believe that she was the only one holding things together.
Both of these national tragedies have made people wonder about the future, about their safety, about whether their lives will stay the same. This was the atmosphere when King Uzziah died.
King Uzziah was the 10th king of the southern Kingdom of Judah after Israel had divided after the death of Solomon. He was 16 when he became king and he ruled for 52 years. Most people in Judah had probably only known Uzziah as their king and so the king’s death would have brought about a lot of fear and instability in the nation.
And there is also something about national tragedies that brings people to search God in the midst of uncertainty and instability. It was reported that after 9/11 church attendance skyrocketed. And after the Queen’s death, people around the country visited churches to find comfort and pay their respects to their late Queen.
In the year that King Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah was in the temple. Why was he there? He was probably there to find comfort and wisdom in the God of Israel in the midst of Judah’s national tragedy. And in God’s temple he saw the Lord.
IV. 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.
The vision that God gave Isaiah was a revelation of God’s holiness, his other-ness, his different-ness. And this vision began by God showing Isaiah his heavenly throne.
Amidst the fear and anxiety that comes from the death of a king, the Lord shows Isaiah that the real king still lives and reigns in Heaven sitting on his throne! What comfort it is to know that in our own life, when we feel that the one thing that holds it together is gone, we can say that the King still lives and reigns!
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because he lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, he holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because he lives!
And Scripture says that God’s throne is “high and lifted up”. This speaks of the sovereignty of God over all creation. He rules everything. In the words of a theologian: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
God’s throne being “high and lifted up” also speaks of the fact that God sees everything that happens in his domain. He sees the movement of every galaxy to every twitch of every human eye. He hears the hum of every bird, the words of every gossip, the sound of every cry.
Now God’s throne being high and lifted up, ruling and seeing everything, is a double-edged sword. To the righteous to those among God’s people it is a comfort. It is a comfort to know that God sees the injustices and persecutions that happen because we know that since God sees it, he will make things right if not now, then one day. It is a comfort in our own lives to know that since God sees all the things that we need, then he will provide when we need them.
But the other side of this double-edged sword is for the wicked, to the unjust, to the unrepentant sinner. To them, God’s throne being high and lifted up means God sees the sin in every bedroom, in every phone, in every thought of the human mind. God sees every idle word that Jesus said “on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). Instead of being a comfort, God’s all-seeing throne represents a throne of judgment over the wicked.
When Isaiah saw God’s throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple, we also get a sense of the greatness and glory of God and the complete smallness of man.
And so listen to this first important point: Holiness begins when we, as creatures see our place in the universe. We are not God; we are not King. We do not set right and wrong. God does and he has the right to set the terms and conditions for living in his creation. That awe and respect for God’s created order is what Solomon says when he says that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).
V. 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.
We now encounter these bizarre heavenly creatures that surround the throne of God. These creatures are called “seraphim” which literally translates to “burning ones”.
Scripture tells us that two wings were for flying, two were for covering the face, and two were for covering the feet. Such was the glory and holiness of God that not even heavenly creatures can see God’s face. Remember the story of Moses, how when Israel was at Sinai, and Moses was meeting with God, he asked to see the glory of God. And God said “no man shall see me and live” (Exodus 33:20) and so God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and Moses got to see only the afterglow of the glory of God. And even after this brief glimpse of God’s glory, when Moses went back to the people, his face shone with God’s glory that the people asked him to wear a veil over his face because they were afraid of him.
But while the seraphim could not see God’s face without a covering, and Moses cannot see God’s face and live, the New Testament tells us that in Jesus we see the face of God. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
And here is the second lesson on holiness: holiness happens by beholding God’s glory, by spending time with Jesus, by meditating on everything that he has done for us. This is what it means to “behold the glory of the Lord.” And this beholding naturally just transforms us into God’s image. God’s holiness is infectious. It makes holy everything that is in its presence.
Imagine if the church were to encounter God regularly. Encounter God and the glory of God while driving in our cars, while praying in our rooms, while worshiping in church. Every day when we meet God through prayer, worship and his word. Imagine what kind of glory the world can see through us!
And here I want to say a side note: many times we feel distant from God and we don’t see him because we don’t participate in the life of the church. God dwells in our hearts for sure but his presence is felt more strongly among his people. Even Isaiah did not just seek God at his home but at the Temple, among God’s people, and it is there that he had a vision of God.
Just like Moses, who didn’t even know he was glowing after spending time with God, we, too, won’t even know it but other people will see the fruit of God’s Spirit in us by merely spending time with God. They will see love of God and sorrow and hatred of sin. They will see the Spirit’s fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
VI. 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!”
What is interesting here is the seraphim could have proclaimed the greatness of God in many different ways. They could have shouted, “mighty, mighty, mighty” and they would have been right. They could have shouted, “wise, wise, wise” and they would have been right. They could have shouted “good, good, good” and they would have been right. But above these descriptions of God, the heavenly beings shout, “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
In fact, the only description of God repeated three times in the whole Bible is that God is holy, holy, holy!
It is sad that the only description of God that is emphasized in this way is also the description of God that the modern church likes to downplay the most. I don’t ever remember any of the popular megachurch pastors today talk about the holiness of God.
We hear about God being a God of justice but not a God of punishment. We hear about the God of love but not a God of discipline. We hear about the God of grace and forgiveness but not the God of repentance.
But even worse than this, many self-proclaimed Christians have now made God into a god of sin who approves every lust of the human heart, in the name of God’s “acceptance” and “love”. In the United Kingdom just earlier this month, the Church of England had just approved blessings for same-sex unions. And what’s even more shocking is that the vote wasn’t even close. Thirty-six bishops voted in favor of blessing same-sex unions and only 4 opposed, all in the name of God’s “acceptance” and “love” at the expense of God’s holiness.
A theologian once described modern liberal Christianity in this way: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” (H. Richard Niebuhr)
Another 20th century martyr who was killed by the Nazis said, “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
But all of this only proves that the Bible is true. Because Scripture predicts this falling away will happen:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
In the midst of the wickedness of the world, we must focus our eyes to see a vision of the holy, holy, holy God whose throne is high and lifted up. And this God commands us “Be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16). This is the third lesson to learn: the reason that we need to be holy is because God is holy
VII. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
If you have read the news, or have seen Facebook, you may have heard of this revival that his happening in Asbury University right now. The Spirit of God has moved so much in that place that we hear it spreading to other places in the country and around the world. May God bring it here in our church!
One of the marks of a true revival is that there is a sense of brokenness and humility in the presence of God because you become aware of the greatness of your sin. Until that sense of conviction is there, what we call “revival” is just emotionalism and not the Spirit of God.
Even in our church, we don’t want to see people crying or shouting because of the beautiful music or an eloquent sermon but because they have met God and have seen their brokenness that only Christ can fix.
Isaiah was probably one of the most righteous people of his age. But at the sight of the most holy God, he trembles and shakes and shouts “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips!” He immediately sees his sin.
And he doesn’t just talk about sin in the vague sense that we oftentimes do when we say we are sinners. He knows specifically in what area he is a sinner, he is a sinner in his speech. He is, after all, one of the most eloquent people in Israel, a prophet of God, so maybe he has sinned in the words that he used or maybe in the way that he used them or maybe in the time that he used them.
When you meet God, God will show you specifically which areas of your life require the most work. The Apostle John talks about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
The lust of the flesh includes sexual sins like any sexual activity with people who are not your husband or wife, pornography, adultery, and fornication. It includes drugs and alcohol addiction, and even addiction to your phone or listening to music that sound good but fills your heart with evil things. It is anything that satisfies the body detached from any spiritual or godly significance.
The lust of the eyes includes the desires for wealth and status. It is the American sin of materialism and always wanting more money but never having enough. It is the sin of coveting; you always want what you see your neighbor or friend or co-worker has, whether its their car, or jewelry, or house, or their job. All this instead of being satisfied with God and relying on him for your provision and happiness.
The pride of life refers to one’s sense of superiority over others. It is self-righteousness because you go to church. It is racism because you are Asian or white or black or Spanish. It is the “you only live once” mentality, thinking that you own your own life instead of realizing that it is all in God’s hands. It is the “be yourself” mantra that is repeated to all the young people today. And today pride is celebrated as good, whether it is “Asian pride” or “gay pride”. This is instead of having our identity and security in Christ. And when our pride is threatened that is where anger and jealousy come from.
An encounter with God will reveal to you your specific sins like what happened with Isaiah. Maybe God right now is opened your eyes to your sin. Do not ignore it! This conviction is how you know that you are beginning the path of holiness, but only if you turn your conviction into action.
VIII. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
I think we have now come to the most beautiful part of the text. God sees the repentance of Isaiah and he neither excuses his sin by saying “Isaiah don’t worry about it”, neither does he condemn him by saying “get out of my holy presence!”. He atones for it. That is to say, he takes away his sin.
What is the significance of the coal? The coal is taken from the altar, which symbolizes sacrifice. It is not simply through the repentance of Isaiah that his sin was atoned for. But rather atonement had to come from outside of him. God had to purify him through a sacrifice.
We know about the famous verse Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” but if we follow it, it says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25). And Christ rose from the dead on the third day to prove that his holiness was more powerful than sin, death and every kind of impurity.
Church, today God presents us with the coal that can purify us from all our sins and make us holy like he is holy. This coal is now the cross of calvary where Christ died for us. He is the atonement, the means by which we can be at-one or with God, which is where the word atonement comes from: at-one-ment or reconciliation. And once we are with God, he will send his Holy Spirit to make you holy.
And to be clear, without holiness no one can see the Lord, and in the New Creation, the Book of Revelation says, “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false” but thank God that in Christ, we can find God’s offer of holiness.
So let me end with this point: holiness does not come from the strength of your will but from the brokenness of your heart. It is not from proud and lofty resolutions but from a contrite and humbled spirit that is ready to say to God, “Lord have mercy on me, I am a sinner!”