The Holiness of God

How do you feel about God's holiness? Is it something that you are attracted to? Or do you feel a big separation with God because of his holiness? Learn to come close to this holy God through the fear of the Lord.

​Pray
Dear Father, there is no one like you. I am drawn to how perfect you are in all your ways. You are amazing. Thank you for speaking through your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Read
Exodus 19:10-12 - And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

Ask
Why do you think the people had to get ready to meet with God?
Why would the people die if they came too close to God?

Reflect
God is holy. What does this mean? He is set apart from sin. He is completely pure in all his motives, actions and words. God always chooses to be perfectly loving, patient, just, etc. What happens when unholiness comes into contact with holiness? Whatever is unholy gets burned up or destroyed, much like a mosquito in a bug zapper. God is not cruel in this. It is just what happens when unholiness and holiness connect. For God says, "No one can see my face and live." Exodus 33:20

God is good. He still wants us to be close with him, even though we have this problem of unholiness. So throughout history, God makes ways of humans being close to him without getting killed. The practices of worship and the blood sacrifice were ways that people could meet the holy God. In Jesus, we have the once-and-for-all perfect sacrifice. Hebrews 10:10 We have now been given full access to this holy God.

The holiness of God should produce fear within us… not a fear that drives us away, but a fear that draws us close. It is only when we see God rightly in his holiness that we have a chance at being close with him. If we somehow make him out to be a better version of ourselves, we will never know him intimately. We must understand that he is God, and we are not. From this true basis, we can actually draw close.

Our approach should never be casual with this holy God. A deep reverence for his holiness and a deep gratitude that he made a way to come close is what we need.

Meditate
1 Peter 1:15-16

Apply
Can you be holy? Yes. Simply ask Jesus if there is any unholiness in you (i.e. in your thoughts, words, actions, relationships, etc.). If he convicts you of anything, take time to repent and commit to walking in holiness.