Jesus Is…, 51

~ Jesus Christ Is Holy ~

Passages  ~  “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’” (Isaiah 6:3). 

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.  And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8). 

Significance  ~  “Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?  We shall not die.  O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.  You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.  Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:12-13). 

Comment  ~  A root concept in the Biblical word holy is unique.  Holy is not only purity and righteousness but it includes all the uniqueness of God.  He is unlike any other!  “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16).

additional remark:  For a different look and fuller understanding of the holiness of God see chapter 13, entitled “Uniquely Unique” in the international award winning book GOD LIGHT: Sunlight Sonlight (find details by clicking on the God Light tab above).

the key question:  “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).  This is the most important question you will ever answer.  If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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Holy – 3 of 3

~ Implications ~

What Is the Opposite of Holy?

As previously noted, the word "profane" (or common) is used in many translations of Scripture to denote that which is the opposite of holy. For example in Ezekiel we read, "Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common: they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26-26). Later we read, "They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common" (Ezekiel 44:23).

Earlier in Scripture the Israelites were clearly told not to treat that which was set apart to God as common. The twentieth to twenty-second chapters of Leviticus is a rich area of study with regard to holy and profane. For instance, in these chapters our LORD repeatedly warns about profaning (or making common) His holy name.

Implications

In the New Testament, the word "saint" is used as a name for all believers. Those who know Jesus Christ personally are called saints. The word saint simply means "holy one." Returning to our primary definition of holy, that of being "unique," or "set apart," or "distinctive," we see the radical implications of how we are to live our lives.

We are to be those who are in the process of sanctification. Those who are becoming more and more distinct (unique) as we become more and more like our master, Jesus Christ. "We ... are becoming transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Or as Paul exhorts us, "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). From this passage it is clear that we have three choices; we can be transformed into a distinctive human being, we can remain conformed to the world, or we can be "double minded" (James 1:8 and 4:8) and end up being deformed. The choice is ours.

Jim Elliot, one of five young missionaries martyred for the cause of Christ by Auca Indians in Ecuador, once prayed, "Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God."

COMMENT: There are many quotable phrases from Jim Elliot in the book “JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You” edited by myself.

Holy – 2 of 3

~ Definitions ~

What Does Holy Mean?

Like many words, the word "holy" is used in more than one way in Scripture. If you were to ask a number of Christians in your local church to define holy or to give some synonyms, the typical responses would be such words as pure, righteous, immaculate, and sinless. While those words are all encompassed in the concept of holy, they are very limiting as opposed to the use of the word holy in the Word of God.

In a very fundamental sense, holy is a description of the uniqueness of God. It is interesting that most people have a different reaction to the word holy than to omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal, or any of the great attributes of God. And we also know that Scripture nowhere commands us to "be ye eternal for I am eternal," nor do we read that we are to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and so forth.

There is no adequate way to convey holy in the English language (or any other language), and there is no way to begin to grasp the depths of this characteristic of God. Some theologians have rightly pointed out that the word holy encompasses all of God's attributes. At the same time, since we are commanded to be holy—we must seek to understand what it is we are to be.

A primary and basic meaning of the word holy in the Word is "separate," that which is "set apart" or is "a cut above." In Christian circles we often talk about sanctification as being "set apart" and as being the process of becoming holy. While this is a correct concept, we may have oversimplified to the point of losing the significance of the meaning. Holy is that which is so different and "totally unique" as to be a magnitude above the highest!

Holy means "peculiar." Something which is holy is "very special." Holy is unique and not ordinary. In this regard we find that in contrast to holy, the King James Version (and others) uses the word "profane" to describe that which is ordinary or common.

When this key aspect of the meaning of holy is comprehended, the mysterious idea that holiness somehow encompasses all of God's attributes becomes quite clear. God is holy (unique) with regard to His purity and righteousness. God is also holy (unique) with respect to His all-knowing, holy (unique) by His ever-presence, and holy (unique) in His eternal nature.

This connotation of "separate from the rest," of uniqueness, provides insight into why many physical objects in the Scriptures were referred to as holy. Why, even the ground is termed as holy (for example Exodus 3:5). Additionally, the Scriptures mention holy anointing oil, holy water, holy house, holy place, holy bread, holy instruments, holy seed, a holy ark, and of course the holy of holies; many things and places are described as holy. The nation Israel was termed a holy nation because they were God's people, a unique people, set apart for God.

In the New Testament we read regarding Christians that they are "a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). Perhaps the use of the word holy to describe many ordinary objects is one reason we have tended to let go of the primary definition of holy when it comes to describing God and instead to emphasize the concept of purity and righteousness. In doing so, we have lost much of the richness of the meaning.

It is also instructive to recognize that many things that were set apart and deemed holy in the Old Testament were set apart in order that they be undefiled, or kept pure. This provides more understanding of how we have drifted to the meaning of purity.

It should also be noted that the word "Pharisee" connotes the meaning of "one who is separate." Certainly we would not want to associate our God with the Pharisees—the Pharisees were unique in some negative ways. The emphasis of a holy God is clearly that of "positive uniqueness" or "above all else."

When we understand holy as uniqueness, we see that the holiness of God really is a summary attribute which represents God's deity and exclusiveness. The word holy calls attention to who and what God is—totally different than anything or anyone else. God's knowledge is holy knowledge. His justice is holy justice. His mercy is a holy mercy. His spirit is the Holy Spirit.

Holy – 1 of 3

~ A “Unique” Concept ~

Holy. It is hard to imagine any other single word so closely coupled with the nature of God. Perhaps it is equally as hard to imagine any other single word which has such a strange reaction in the hearts of mankind.

It is also difficult to imagine a more critical concept for the Christian to come to grips with than the holiness of God—and its implications! There is no other attribute so central to the very character of God than the fact that He is a holy God. For example, we are told, "Holy is His name" (Psalm 111:9; Isaiah 57:15; Luke 1:49), and God is frequently referred to as "The Holy One" in the Old Testament.

One key reason that understanding the meaning of a holy God is so critical for the Christian is that we have a direct command to "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). This is actually a reference to many Old Testament Scriptures. How can any one of us obey that command until we first understand what holy means?

It would be a drastic mistake to think that because someone has studied holiness or written about it, that they have somehow achieved a level of holiness which is above the normal. In fact the experience of many of the saints of God has been that the more they begin to understand the nature of the holy God, the more they realize their awful sinfulness. The effect is similar to the effect of shining a brilliant light upon a fine diamond which has been placed against a dark background. The more we see His nature, the more we see the blackness of our own hearts.

God's people, the Jews, understood the majesty of the holiness of God. The early translators of the Bible understood His majesty. The Old Testament translates the word "Adonai" as "Lord"—the name of our sovereign God; but when it comes to "Yahweh"—the name of our sacred God, it uses the word "LORD" in all upper case in order to signify the majesty of the holy God. Lord is the title of God, while LORD is the name of God.

Uniqueness of the Attribute of Holiness

Holiness provokes a defensive response in mankind, even a hatred in the minds of some. The greater the holiness, the more natural unredeemed man recoils from it because man is defiled through and through with the sin nature. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

It is true that man often admires goodness and high moral standards—but only at a distance! The Jews admired their prophets at a distance. Today, many men and women admire Jesus Christ from a distance. He was a good man, they admit.

God would not even allow the Old Testament saints to see the face of the Holy One. Remember when His faithful servant Moses—who had seen God perform some astonishing miracles—asked to see His face, his request was denied.

"And the LORD said, 'I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,' He said, 'you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.' Then the LORD said, 'There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen’” (Exodus 33:19-23). When Moses returned from the experience of seeing God's back side (literally: hind quarters), his face was radiant (Exodus 34:29-30).

The Christian awaits that ultimate experience, to see our Lord Jesus Christ face to face when He welcomes us into our heavenly dwelling place. In that future day we will see God as He is. We will see Him in all His fullness. In all His brilliance and radiance, we will see God face to face! In that day we will understand fully for the first time a "holy" God.

In heaven we will become whole, we will have integrity, we will be "complete in Him" (Colossians 2:9). In that day we will for the first time have it all together. But we won't even be cognizant of it because we will be so enthralled, so enraptured, so completely fulfilled with Christ, our bridegroom.