Why Does It Matter So Much That God Is Holy?

There are two words for holy in the Bible. In the Old Testament the word is qodesh which means set apart, separateness, or even sacred. In the New Testament the word for holy is hagios which means to be set apart, sacred, or worthy of reverence. 

In Isaiah 6, when Isaiah has a vision of the Lord, this is what the angels proclaimed.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).

This same declaration concerning God’s holiness is repeated in Revelation 4:8.

In Scripture, when something was repeated twice, it was done to put special emphasis on it. There were times when Jesus would say, “verily, verily” or “truly, truly.” The repeating increased the importance of what was about to be said. Keep that in mind and understand that God being holy was not repeated twice, but three times. The fact that this attribute of God was repeated three times makes it of extra special emphasis. Here is how the blog writer for patheos.com put it.

“That is the greatest emphasis that can be put on anything or anyone in Scripture and this is telling us that this is the most important thing about God. God is holy, holy, holy. This is the only attribute about God that is mentioned in the Scripture three times!”

I don’t know if we will ever completely understand God’s holiness as much as we will encounter or experience it. God’s holiness is the type of thing that may be hard to explain, but when you encounter it, you know exactly what it is. As I try to put some perspective on God’s holiness, here are three reasons why God’s holiness matters so much.

1. God’s Holiness Separates Him from Everyone Else

We often celebrate God’s love, compassion, and mercy, and we should because they are great. However, if there is one characteristic that separates God from everyone else it is his holiness. 

Because God is holy, he stands alone, apart from every other person, being or entity. He is not set apart because of arrogance, but because everything about him is higher and greater than all other creation, which puts him in a category all by himself. No one else is revered like he is. No one else is exalted like he is. No one else is holy like he is. He is set apart from all creation and is set apart from all other gods. That’s why he says, 

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).

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Since God’s holiness is such a distinguishing characteristic, it is often the first thing people acknowledge when they encounter him. God’s holiness is so great that even the places he shows up automatically become holy.

Do you remember when Moses had his encounter with God and the burning bush? As Moses approached the bush God told him to take off his sandals because the ground he was standing on was holy ground. The only thing that made that ground holy was the fact that God was present. 

Within God’s holiness we also see his purity and his perfection. He is without sin and without fault, which is why when confronted with who he is, we recognize who we are very quickly.

In Isaiah 6, while Isaiah was having his vision of who God is and experiencing the presence of God in a magnificent way, it was God’s holiness that made Isaiah aware of his own sinful condition. God’s holiness is the great equalizer because no matter how “good” you think you are, when you encounter the holiness of God you realize how wretched you really are.

This was true of Isaiah, and this is true of all of us. That’s why when we stand before God, there will be no proud people because God’s holiness alone will humble you, and you will realize how far you have missed the mark.

The first recognition of the holiness of God and men occurred in the garden. When you go back to the garden after Adam and Eve sinned, the Bible says their eyes became opened. When God came down in the cool of the day to fellowship with them, remember what Adam and Eve did? They hid from God. The reason they hid was because they were aware of their sinful condition, which became more apparent because they were in the presence of a holy God.

This happens to us even now when we enter God’s presence. When you begin to worship or pray, and God’s presence shows up, any sin that is in your heart or life rises to the forefront in the presence of a holy God. That’s why when people are living in sin, the last place they want to be is in God’s presence; his holiness alone will remind them of their sinfulness.

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“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy’” (Leviticus 19:2).

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Because God is holy, perfect, and pure in all of his ways, he challenges and commands us to be holy. When you go back to the definition of the word holy, it means set apart for God’s use. God desires us to live in such a way that we can be useful to him and useful for him.

Another word for this is consecrated. God’s purity and perfection should move us to live in the same fashion. This is a challenge to us all to not live according to the sinful impulses of our flesh, but to live in accordance with the Spirit of God. The holiness of God requires it.

This does not mean we become standoffish people that can’t mingle with anyone because we are “holy.” Remember after all, Jesus did eat with sinners and tax collectors. This means that even though we are a part of this world, there should be a distinction between how we live and how the world lives. That distinction is a result of living a holy life separated unto God. So be holy because God is holy.

Why God’s Holiness Matters So Much

I hope I have at least stirred your heart to begin to understand why God’s holiness matters so much. Because he is holy, let us make every effort to live holy lives that will be pleasing to him. This is what God requires and what we need to be striving for. Let’s make it our consuming desire to be like our Heavenly Father and live lives that are set apart for his use. This will have benefit in the life we live today and in the life to come.

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

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