Thrice Holy
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”—Isaiah 6:3
The holiness of God. Out of all the attributes of God, the holiness of God is the only attribute that modifies all of the others. And it is the only attribute that can be applied to the things that have come from God. For example, the people of Israel are considered God’s “Holy Nation” (Exodus 19:6), and God established His “Holy Day” (Exodus 20:8). In the Temple there was the “Holy Place” (Exodus 26:33); then there are the “Holy Gifts” (Exodus 28:38). But what is holiness? And how is God holy? Holiness is the attribute of God that is the summation of His otherness. It conveys the idea of being wholly set apart, perfect, awesome, and generating a reverent fear at the same time. It is the defining attribute of who He is. He is the “Holy God,” the one who is completely distinct from us. A.W. Tozer explains,
“Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is. Because He is holy, His attributes are holy; that is, whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy”—A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 105-106.
God in His essence is holy. He is not like we are, but is altogether different. He is pure spirit, while we are flesh. He is self-existent, while we are created. He is infinite, while we are finite. He is perfectly good and pure while we are polluted and evil. We are creatures that dwell within time, we are born, we grow up, and we die. God created time and dwells outside of it, never having been born, never dying, nor being able to die. He is incomprehensible, but nevertheless still made us and desired to have a relationship with us.
The holiness of God is easier to illustrate than it is to define. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet is given a glimpse into God’s throne room.
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"—Isaiah 6:1-3
When Isaiah got a glimpse of God’s holiness, he responded with, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"—Isaiah 6:5.
Isaiah was allowed to get a glimpse of God and see the angels who are privileged to surround His throne. They cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” God is not just holy, He is thrice holy, three times so named to distinguish the Holy Trinity of God together in mutual interdependence and unity, without division, without separation, but each member of the Trinity holy and fully God. The holiness of God was shown to Isaiah. It involved him experiencing something altogether different than anything that he knew or had ever experienced. Accompanying his awe was dread, for in seeing the standard of perfection and witnessing that which was wholly different, he saw how unclean and imperfect he was.
God calls us to be “holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We cannot see God without being holy (Hebrews 12:14). We are only holy after we trust in Christ and continue to live according to His Word. We cannot make ourselves holy. Only after embracing the Holy Son of God are we considered holy, and then only are we holy as the Spirit of God is at work within us, cultivating the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and leading us into the things of God. May we seek to be holy, continually seeking Him through His Word and in prayer, knowing that we shall see Him as He is—the fullness of our hearts’ desire. We will delight in Him for all eternity, proclaiming along with the angels, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Amen.
The holiness of God. Out of all the attributes of God, the holiness of God is the only attribute that modifies all of the others. And it is the only attribute that can be applied to the things that have come from God. For example, the people of Israel are considered God’s “Holy Nation” (Exodus 19:6), and God established His “Holy Day” (Exodus 20:8). In the Temple there was the “Holy Place” (Exodus 26:33); then there are the “Holy Gifts” (Exodus 28:38). But what is holiness? And how is God holy? Holiness is the attribute of God that is the summation of His otherness. It conveys the idea of being wholly set apart, perfect, awesome, and generating a reverent fear at the same time. It is the defining attribute of who He is. He is the “Holy God,” the one who is completely distinct from us. A.W. Tozer explains,
“Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is. Because He is holy, His attributes are holy; that is, whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy”—A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 105-106.
God in His essence is holy. He is not like we are, but is altogether different. He is pure spirit, while we are flesh. He is self-existent, while we are created. He is infinite, while we are finite. He is perfectly good and pure while we are polluted and evil. We are creatures that dwell within time, we are born, we grow up, and we die. God created time and dwells outside of it, never having been born, never dying, nor being able to die. He is incomprehensible, but nevertheless still made us and desired to have a relationship with us.
The holiness of God is easier to illustrate than it is to define. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet is given a glimpse into God’s throne room.
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"—Isaiah 6:1-3
When Isaiah got a glimpse of God’s holiness, he responded with, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"—Isaiah 6:5.
Isaiah was allowed to get a glimpse of God and see the angels who are privileged to surround His throne. They cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” God is not just holy, He is thrice holy, three times so named to distinguish the Holy Trinity of God together in mutual interdependence and unity, without division, without separation, but each member of the Trinity holy and fully God. The holiness of God was shown to Isaiah. It involved him experiencing something altogether different than anything that he knew or had ever experienced. Accompanying his awe was dread, for in seeing the standard of perfection and witnessing that which was wholly different, he saw how unclean and imperfect he was.
God calls us to be “holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We cannot see God without being holy (Hebrews 12:14). We are only holy after we trust in Christ and continue to live according to His Word. We cannot make ourselves holy. Only after embracing the Holy Son of God are we considered holy, and then only are we holy as the Spirit of God is at work within us, cultivating the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and leading us into the things of God. May we seek to be holy, continually seeking Him through His Word and in prayer, knowing that we shall see Him as He is—the fullness of our hearts’ desire. We will delight in Him for all eternity, proclaiming along with the angels, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Amen.
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