The Holiness of God - Part 3

Taken and modified from multiple sources
Continued From Yesterday

We’ve spoken of the holiness of God as seen in the creation as well His holiness in the Law of God and find revealed in that Law His absolute perfection.  We might also add that you can see glimpses of God’s holiness in the tabernacle, even in the incense that was to be used to be offered before God, the recipe for which was never to be used by anyone else for any personal use, and if they did they were to be killed cause that which belonged to the Lord was so distinct from His creation.

God’s Holiness Seen in the Incarnation

Having said all of that by way of possibility, let me take you where I especially wish to take you to look at the holiness of God.  We could have gone in some depth in to any of those; but I want to take you to another place.  I believe that the most clear, the most discernable, the most understandable manifestation of the holiness of God seen in the boldest way against the blackest backdrop, making it the clearest, is the revelation of God’s holiness in the incarnation...in the incarnation. 

Because I am a human being, I live in this world, and thus, as a result, I can’t get outside of it.  I can think rational thoughts, I can follow the gift of reason that God has given to me and I can comprehend, at least intellectually, the idea of God’s perfection and God’s holiness. 

·        I can, like John, get some kind of an understanding of the reality of the vision in heaven. 

·        I can to some degree understand the perfection of creation in its initial form. 

·        I can understand to some degree the perfection of God’s law and to some degree the perfection of His justice. 

But nothing is more clear to me than the holiness of God as manifest in the incarnation because of this world in which I live.  Likewise, this is the world in which you live in.  John tells us that when Jesus came, He “declared” or explained God.  Verse 18 of John 1:

“No man has seen God at any time.  The only begotten God who was in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” 

Whatever you want (and need) to know about God, Jesus explains.  Certainly that’s true of His holiness. 

In Hebrews 1 we read,

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son whom He appointed heir of all things through whom all things He made the world and He, the Son, is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” 

If I want to know anything, and that means quite literally ANYTHING,  about God, the clearest representation of what I need to know, that I will ever be able to comprehend is manifest in person of Jesus Christ as He lived, walked, ministered, taught, and the died, raised up, and the ascended to the Father. 

One way we do this is to look at our Lord with regard to His entire life.  For example, in Luke 1 Gabriel comes to Mary, who was espoused to Joseph and he makes the great announcement about the birth of the Son of God, the Christ.  Verse 30:

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and His kingdom will have no end.’  And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’” Listen to this.  “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit....’”

The what Spirit?  

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and for that reason the Holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” 

The Holy Spirit and the Holy God sent the Holy Offspring, the Son of God.  Contrast that with David’s statement in Psalm 51:5,

“In sin did my mother conceive me…”

We might likewise look at the gospel of Luke, in the third chapter and see another glimpse of the holiness of Christ.  At His baptism; once again the Father and the Spirit are present, and, as I said, all that emanates from God is holy and thus it is not surprising the affirmation of that is here, verse 22,

“Jesus was baptized and while He was praying heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove and a voice came out of heaven, ‘Thou art My beloved Son in Thee I am well pleased.’”

That’s an affirmation of the Son’s moral perfection, is it not?  Contrast that with Acts 2:38,

“Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins”

…which is said of us.

We ought surely look at His death and certainly we have.  It’s been commented on numerous times.  In looking at His death we see again the revelation of His holiness.  2 Corinthians 5:21,

“God made Him who knew no sin, sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 

Just 15 Greek words, the great statement on imputation.  But the identification of Christ with these words, “Him who knew no sin,” indicates again His holy perfection. 

In 1 Peter 1,

“You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless...the blood of Christ.” 

Again whether you’re looking at His birth, or whether you’re looking at His baptism, or even looking at His death, His holiness is manifest.

In fact, in Hebrews 9:14, a verse that just came to mind, it says,

“How much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God?” 

When I hear these people say that on the cross Jesus became a sinner, it is a grievous blasphemy really.  He only was “made sin” in a sense that He bore the wrath of God for us.  But even God couldn’t look upon Him and abandoned Him in that moment.

To Be Continued…