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Be Ye Holy
By Dr. T.K. Koshy Vaidyan
Oct 2005

In common terms theologians describe the hallmark of God’s character-His holiness. It is a key word in describing the nature of God.

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory”[Isaiah 6:3] The song of seraphims in heaven reveals the awesomeness of God’s holiness. The song is the repetition of a single word holy. Three times the word is sung in succession giving the church its most august anthem. The song is called the “Trisagion” which simply means the “three times holy.”

The repletion of the word holy represents a peculiar literary device that is found in Hebrew forms of literature, especially in poetry. The repetition is a form of emphasis. Only once in sacred scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession .Bible says that God is Holy, Holy, Holy. Not that He is merely holy or even holy, holy, but He is Holy, Holy, Holy!

God’s holiness is central to understanding who and what He is. Nowhere in the scripture is God called “Love, love, love”; “Eternal, eternal, eternal”; “Truth, truth, truth”; “Merciful, merciful, merciful. ” He is never emphatically called by any name except one: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Whenever you see three words like this, you are reading and emphatic statement meaning that this is a centerpiece; this is something you don’t want to miss. At the heart of who God is, He is holy.

The choirs of heaven, the vast worshipping host gathered about the throne of God sing about the holiness of God. The anthems begin with the celestial creatures unceasingly exclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, Who was and is and is to come [Rev: 4:8]. It is an affirmation that God is self existent and separate from all other beings, and also utterly undefiled by any impurity in this nature. The Holy One, sovereign of the universe, stands above time, with no beginning or ending, no past or future, always the same. The message is clear: the epicenter of heaven is the holiness of God.

As this awesome song of cherubim’s swells through the courts of heaven, the white robbed elders fall down and worship Him who lives for ever, saying “ You are worthy, O Lord , to receive glory and honor and power ; For you created all things, and by your will they exist, and were created ” [Rev: 4:11].

The idea of holiness is so central to biblical teaching that it is said of God, “Holy is His name” [Lk: 1:49]. His name is holy because He is holy. God the father, Jehovah is known as the “Holy One of Israel.” In the New Testament God the Son is spoken as the “Holy One [1 Jn: 2:20]. The third person of the triune God is constantly spoken as the Holy Spirit. Thus the truth that God is holy is the fundamental truth of the Bible, of the Old Testament and the New Testament, of Jewish religion and Christianity. God is absolutely holy [Josh: 24:19; Ps: 22:3; 1 Pet: 1:15, 16].

Holiness is an indispensable word for speaking about God. In Rev. 15:4 the saints are saying, “Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy.” In Isaiah 40:25, the Lord, the Holy One asked “to whom then will you liken me, or to whom shall I be equal?” The men of Bethshemesh asked “Who is able to stand before this Holy Lord God?” [1 Sam 6:20]. In Hosea 11:9, the Lord said, “I am God and not man the holy one in your midst.” And again in Isaiah 57:15, this is what the High and Lofty One says: “He who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit.” No one can encounter with God without encountering His holiness. God and His holiness are inseparable! Holiness belongs to God!

God has always been and will always be incomparable in His holiness. His holiness cannot be fashioned in anything that man can see. He has always been the invisible sovereign. There is none among the gods like Him, in His holiness [EX: 15:11], for His uniqueness is the uniqueness of His holiness. He is distinctively holy. His holiness is unsearchable, incomprehensible and incomparable.

Holiness – the centerpiece of God’s attributes:

Of all things that God is at the center of His being, He is holy. He is majestic in holiness [Exo 15:11]. God’s holiness unlocks the door to understanding and making sense out of everything else about Him. His love is holy love. His wrath is holy wrath. Everything has been infiltrated by this defining attribute of God called holiness.

Think of the attributes of God as spokes on a wheel. If followed long enough, each will take you back to the hub of His holiness. As spokes emanate from the hub, so the attributes of God emanates from His holiness, which brings them together in an orderly fashion. Yet most of us see only His attributes (love, justice, mercy, and goodness) and not His holiness. Don’t forget that His love is holy love, His justice is holy justice, His mercy is holy mercy, and His spirit is Holy Spirit. The tendency is to add the idea of the holy to the long list of attributes as one attribute among many. But when the word holy is applied to God, it does not signify one single attributes. On the contrary, God is called holy in general sense. The word is used as synonym for His deity.

God swears by His holiness [Ps: 89:35]. Why? Because it is fullest expression of His character and it fully explains who he is. The Bible declares that God is holy in all His being [Lev: 19:2] His law is holy [Rom: 712]. Holiness is the centerpiece, the defining point, the heart of the matter of who God is. William Evans said, “If there is any difference in importance in the attributes of God, that of His holiness seems to occupy the first place. It is to say the least, the one attribute which God would have His people remember Him by more than any other.”1 The holiness of God is the message of Holy Scripture. In Lee M. Haines words: “Holiness is the keyword in describing the nature of God. The word belongs uniquely to Him. It separates Him from everything else and from everyone else. It is an indispensable word for speaking about God.”2

Holiness – God’s intrinsic and transcendent purity:

It has been customary to define holy as “purity”, free from every stain, wholly perfect and immaculate in every detail. Purity is the first word most of us think of when we hear the word holy. To be sure, the Bible does use the word this way. But the idea of purity or of moral perfection is at best the secondary meaning of the term in the Bible. When the seraphims sang their song, they were singing for more than that God is “Purity, Purity, and Purity”. Tony Evans define the holiness of God as “His intrinsic and transcendent purity, the standard of righteousness to which the whole universe must conform.”3 According to R.A.Torry, “Holiness is the essential moral nature of God.”4

Holiness – the uniqueness of God:

The primary meaning of holy is “Separate” It comes from an ancient word that means “to cut” or to “separate”. Holiness separates God from everything else and everyone else. God’s holiness is more than just separateness. His holiness is also transcendent. The word transcendent means literally “to climb across”. It is defined as exceeding usual limits”. To transcend is to rise above something, to go above everything else. When the Bible calls God holy, it means primarily that God is transcendently separate. He is above and beyond the world. He is holy in His character [Ps. 22:3, Jn. 17:11; Lev. 19:2].

God is holy in His name and power [Is. 57:15; Lk. 1:49]. God is holy in His words [Ps. 60:6; Jer. 23:9; Ps. 89:35]. God is holy in His acts [Ps. 145:17, Amos 4:2]. God is holy in His throne (authority) [Ps. 47:8].

God is preeminently and supremely holy. He possess an incomparable majesty, so supremely majestic that there are beings who do nothing but surround His throne day and night singing out the praises of His holiness [Is. 6:1-4, Rev. 4:8].

To be human is to be confronted by the Holy God. This is my prayer, as we study this subject let the holy God help us through His Holy Word, and by His Holy Spirit rediscover the holiness of God.

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