Chapter 8, The Holiness of God. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy. Revelation 15.4. He only is independently, infinitely, immutably holy. In Scripture he is frequently styled the Holy One. He is so because the sum of all moral excellency is found in him. He is absolute purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1, 5. Holiness is the very excellency of the divine nature. The great God is glorious in holiness. Exodus 15, 11. Therefore do we read, Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Habakkuk 1, 13. As God's power is the opposite of the native weakness of the creature, as His wisdom is in complete contrast from the least defect of understanding or folly, so His holiness is the very antithesis of all moral blemish or defilement. Of old, God appointed singers in Israel that they should praise the beauty of holiness. 2 Chronicles 20 verse 21. Power is God's hand or arm, omniscience his eye, mercy his bowels, eternity his duration, but holiness is his beauty." That was a quote from Stephen Charnock. It is this supremely which renders him lovely to those who are delivered from sin's dominion." Again quoting Steve Charnock. Quote, A chief emphasis is placed upon this perfection of God. God is oftener styled holy than almighty and set forth by this part of his dignity more than by any other. This is more fixed on as an epitaph to his name than any other. you never find it expressed his mighty name or his wise name but his great name or most of all his holy name this is the greatest title of honor in this ladder doth the majesty and venerableness of his name appear end quote This perfection as none other is solemnly celebrated before the throne of heaven, the seraphim crying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, Isaiah 6.3. God himself singles out this perfection. Once have I sworn by my holiness, Psalm 89 verse 35. God swears by his holiness because that is a fuller expression of himself than anything else. Therefore are we exhorted, sing unto the Lord, all ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Psalm 30 verse 4. This may be said to be a transcendental attribute that, as it were, runs through the rest and casts luster upon them. It is an attribute of attributes. John Howey, 1670. Thus we read of the beauty of the Lord, Psalm 27 verse 4, which is none other than the beauty of holiness, Psalm 110 verse 3. Again, quoting Stephen Charnock, quote, As it seems to challenge an excellency above all his other perfections, so it is the glory of all the rest, as it is the glory of the Godhead, so it is the glory of every perfection in the Godhead. As His power is the strength of them, so His holiness is the beauty of them. As all would be weak without almightiness to back them, so all would be uncomely without holiness to adorn them. Should this be sullied, all the rest would lose their honor, as at the same instant the sun should lose its light, it would lose its heat, its strength, its generative and quickening virtue. As sincerity is the luster of every grace in a Christian, so is purity the splendor of every attribute in the Godhead. His justice is a holy justice, his wisdom a holy wisdom, his arm of power a holy arm. Psalm 98 verse 1. His truth or promise a holy promise Psalm 105 verse 42. His name which signifies all his attributes in conjunction is holy Psalm 103. 1 end quote. God's holiness is manifested in his works. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Psalm 145 verse 17. Nothing but that which is excellent can proceed from him. Holiness is the rule of all his actions. At the beginning he pronounced all that he made very good, Genesis 1.31, which he could not have done had there been anything imperfect or unholy in them. Man was made upright, Ecclesiastes 7.29, in the image and likeness of his Creator. the angels that fell were created holy for we are told that they kept not their first habitation Jude 6 of Satan it is written thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created till iniquity was found in thee Ezekiel 28 verse 15 God's holiness is manifested in his law that law forbids sin in all of its modifications in its most refined as well as its grossest forms, the intent of the mind as well as the pollution of the body, the secret desire as well as the overt act. Therefore do we read the laws holy and the commandment holy and just and good, Romans 7.12. Yes, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19 verses 8 and 9. God's holiness is manifested at the cross. Wondrously and yet most solemnly does the atonement display God's infinite holiness and abhorrence of sin. How hateful must sin be to God for Him to punish it to its utmost deserts when it was imputed to His Son. Quoting Stephen Charnock, Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured out upon the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a sinner's conscience, nor the irreversible sentence pronounced against the rebellious demons, nor the groans of the damned creatures give such a demonstration of God's hatred of sin as the wrath of God let loose upon His Son. Never did divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at that time our Savior's countenance was most marred in the midst of his dying groans. This he himself acknowledges in Psalm 22, when God had turned his smiling face from him and thrust his sharp knife into his heart, which forced that terrible cry from him, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He adores this perfection, thou art holy. Verse 3, Because God is holy, He hates all sin. He loves everything which is in conformity to His law, and loathes everything which is contrary to it. His word plainly declares the froward is an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 3.32 And again, the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 15.26 It follows, therefore, that he must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding his punishment than without requiring his hatred of it. God has often forgiven sinners, but he never forgives sin, and the sinner is only forgiven on the ground of another having borne his punishment. For without shedding of blood is no remission." Hebrews 9.22 Therefore we are told, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. Nahum 1 verse 2 For one sin God banished our first parents from Eden. For one sin all the posterity of Canaan, a son of Ham, fell under a curse which remains over them to this day. Genesis 9 21 For one sin, Moses was excluded from Canaan. Elisha's servants, smitten with leprosy, Ananias and Sapphira cut off out of the land of the living. Herein we find proof for the divine inspiration of the scriptures. The unregenerate do not really believe in the holiness of God. Their conception of His character is altogether one-sided. They fondly hope that His mercy will override everything else. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether as thyself, Psalm 50 verse 21, is God's charge against them. They think only that a God, little g, patterned after their own evil hearts, hence their continuance in a course of mad folly. Such is the holiness ascribed to the divine nature and character in the scriptures that it clearly demonstrates their superhuman origin. The character attributed to the gods, little g, of the ancient and modern heathendom, is the very reverse of that immaculate purity which pertains to the true God. An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of all sin, was never invented by any of man's fallen descendants. The fact is that nothing makes more manifest the terrible depravity of man's heart and his enmity against the living God than to have set before him one who is infinitely and immutably holy. His own idea of sin is practically limited to what the world calls crime. Anything short of that man palliates as defects, mistakes, infirmities, etc. And even where sin is owned at all, excuses and extenuations are made for it. The God, little g, of the vast majority of professing Christians, love is looked upon very much like an indulgent old man who himself has no relish for folly, but leniently winks at the indiscretions of youth. But the word says, Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Psalm 5 verse 5. And again, God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalm 7 verse 11. But men refuse to believe in this God and gnash their teeth when his hatred of sin is faithfully pressed upon their attention. No, sinful man was no more likely to devise a holy God than to create a lake of fire in which he will be tormented forever and ever. Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of creature doings is utterly impossible. A fallen creature could sooner create a world than produce that which would meet the approval of infinite purity. Can darkness dwell with light? Can the Immaculate One take pleasure in filthy rags? Isaiah 64 verse 6. The best that sinful man brings forth is defiled. A corrupt tree cannot bear good fruit. God would deny himself, vilify his perfections, were he to account as righteous and holy that which is not so in itself, and nothing is so which has the least stain upon it contrary to the nature of God. But blessed be his name, that which his holiness demanded his grace has provided in Christ Jesus our Lord. Every poor sinner who has fled to Him for refuge stands accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1.6. Hallelujah! Because God is holy, the utmost reverence becomes our approaches unto Him. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all about Him. Psalm 89 verse 7. Then exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool. He is holy. Psalm 99 verse 5. Yes, at his footstool, in the lowest posture of humility, prostrate before him. When Moses would approach unto the burning bush, God said, Put off thy shoes from off thy feet. Exodus 3 verse 5. He is to be served with fear. Psalm 2 verse 11. Of Israel his demand was, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. Leviticus 10.3 The more our hearts are awed by his ineffable holiness, the more acceptable will be our approaches unto him. Because God is holy, we should desire to be conformed to him. His command is, Be ye holy, for I am holy. 1 Peter 1.16 We are not bidden to be omnipotent or omniscient as God is, but we are to be holy, and that in all manner of deportment. 1 Peter 1.15 Quoting Stephen Charnock, This is the prime way of honoring God. We do not so glorify God by elevated admirations or eloquent expressions or pompous services of Him as when we aspire to a conversing with Him with unstained spirits and live to Him in living like Him." Then as God alone is the source and fount of holiness, let us earnestly seek holiness from Him. Let our daily prayer be that He may sanctify us wholly, W-H-O-L-L-Y, and our whole spirit and soul and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5.23. For much more information on the Puritans and Reformers, including the best free and discounted classic and contemporary books, mp3s, digital downloads and videos, please visit Still Waters Revival Books at PuritanDownloads.com. 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