“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” (ISA.6:3, NASB)
Recently I blogged about the difference in knowing God and knowing about God. There is a huge difference. Knowing about God only looks at what God does and gives no consideration as to who God is. It is important because my view of God determines my relationship to God.
There are those who say that God’s chief attribute is holiness. I propose that holiness is not just something God has—it is something that God is. I hesitate to speak of the attributes of God, because the words are all inadequate descriptions of His character. It is not possible to describe an infinite God with finite words.
His holiness encompasses all of the other words that you may use to describe Him. The word for “holy” means separate, or different. God is different from all else. His love, mercy, goodness, compassion, grace, etc. are all encompassed by His holiness. So are the attributes of anger, wrath, and justice. They are not separate pieces of the pie, but all a part of the essence of who He is. They are different ways that we experience Who God is.
We have a tendency to classify God’s attributes according to our favor. We would much rather experience God’s compassion and mercy, than his justice and wrath. (I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want what I deserve. I want mercy!)
You cannot play one characteristic of God against another. His wrath, anger, compassion and mercy are all from the same essence—His holiness. We try to separate out his characteristics and talk about His love on one hand, and his wrath on the other. In actuality, God’s wrath is an exhibition of His love.
Does this sound confusing? How can I be sure to experience His mercy and grace, rather than His justice and wrath? There is only one way. John 5:24 tells us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”[1]
May you experience God’s Holiness in His mercy and grace.
[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
