God is Holy

God is holy, and if there is one truth repeated again and again in Scripture, it is the great message of the holiness of God. The Prophet Isaiah had a clear vision of the holiness of God compared to the lowliness and sinfulness of humanity. He wrote,

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because 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. (Isaiah 6:1–5)

Notice that Scripture does not say that the seraphim said, “Faithful, faithful, faithful.” Or, “Eternal, eternal, eternal.” Or, “Mighty, mighty, mighty.” Though God is all of those things and more, it is important to note that God’s holiness is emphasized.

We may try to be virtuous. We may try to be charitable. We may try to be moral, but we fall miserably short of the standards of a flawless, perfect and holy God. That is why the death of Jesus Christ was necessary—to bridge the gap between us and the holy God.