mrwil65
Active member
KEY PASSAGE: Isaiah 6:1-8 | SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES: Leviticus 11:44-45; 20:26; 21:8 | Numbers 1:51; 3:10
Isaiah 59:2 | Luke 5:5, 8 | Romans 3:23 | Titus 3:5 | 1 Peter 1:15-16 | 1 John 1:5, 10
What causes people to distance themselves
from the Lord?
Some simply ignore Him, but there are others who
become angry and hostile toward Him. As believers
who know that God is love, goodness, mercy, and
kindness, those adverse reactions are sad to see. But
there is an attribute of God that causes the unbelieving
world to withdraw from Him because it reveals their
sin—His holiness.
In the year that Judah’s King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw a
vision of “the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted,
with the train of His robe filling the temple” (Isa. 6:1).
Seraphim standing above Him were calling out, “Holy,
Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is
full of His glory” (vv. 2-3). The foundation trembled and
smoke filled the temple in this awesome display of His
holiness (v. 4).
All God’s laws, principles, and actions are derived from
His attribute of holiness. In the book of Leviticus, the
Lord used His commands to teach the Israelites that
He was holy, saying, “So you are to be holy to Me, for I
the Lord am holy; and I have singled you out from the
peoples to be Mine” (Lev. 20:26). He set them apart for
Himself and established various laws to govern how
they worshipped Him. This principle is reiterated in
1 Peter 1:15-16, “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy
yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written,
‘You shall be holy, for i am holy.’”
God’s Holiness Defined
Here are two aspects of God’s holiness.
1. His Moral Purity. The Lord is perfectly sinless
and pure with no evil thoughts, words, motives, or
actions. Nothing He’s ever done or will do is wrong.
He despises all wickedness and can neither tolerate
nor overlook it. As sinful creatures, we cannot
perceive just lips, and I live among a people of unclean
lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
armies” (Isa. 6:5). Upon his confession of sin, one of the
seraphim touched his mouth with a burning coal taken
from the altar, saying, “Behold, this has touched your
lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is
made for your sin” (vv. 6-7).
Secondly, Isaiah responded to the Lord’s question,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Having
been cleansed from sin, Isaiah quickly volunteered
to serve the Lord as His prophet, saying, “Here am I.
Send me!” (v. 8).
Peter’s response. Seeing Jesus produce a miraculous
catch of fish after his own futile night of fishing, Peter
recognized that He was no ordinary man. When
confronted with the holiness of Christ’s deity, “He fell
down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord,
for I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8).
The Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ response. A
conversation between the religious leaders and Jesus
is recorded in John 8. The signs and claims Jesus
made regarding His deity frustrated and antagonized
the Pharisees and Sadducees. They criticized and
challenged Him and eventually responded with
animosity, rage, and an attempt to destroy Him. They
couldn’t tolerate the presence of Holy God in the
person of Jesus Christ.
The response of non-Christians today. Those who
don’t know Jesus as Savior are very uncomfortable
with God’s holiness because, like a light, it reveals their
sin. They usually don’t want to hear anything about
God, Jesus Christ, or His Word, and are sometimes
antagonistic toward believers and the church. Their
reaction ranges from disregard and ridicule to hatred,
anger, and persecution.
The response of saints living in rebellion toward God.
When Christians tolerate sin in their lives and live in
disobedience, they become resistant to correction and
uncomfortable with God’s holiness. But all believers
have been set apart for God, and He continually works
to bring them back and sanctify them until the day He
calls them home to Himself.
The response of saints who desire to live in God’s
will, walk in His ways, and obey Him. These believers
are awed and overwhelmed by God’s holiness. They’re
quick to fall on their knees in repentance, acknowledge
their unworthiness, and worship and praise Him. Their
desire is to gather together to adore the God who
saved them and see the gospel proclaimed around the
world. These are saints who want holiness to rule and
reign in their lives.
How can Holy God have a relationship with
sinful mankind?
This is the great dilemma. Our sins separate us from
the Lord, and the only one who can bridge that gap
is Jesus Christ. In His holiness, God requires that His
wrath be poured out in judgment upon every sinner for
every sin committed. Yet in love, He placed our sins
on His perfect Son who bore the cross that we deserved
to bear. Now all who repent of their sins and trust in
Jesus as Savior can be forgiven because the penalty of
their sins has been paid. They themselves have been
justified--declared not guilty--and clothed with Christ’s
righteousness.
It’s all the work of God. There’s nothing we could do to
save ourselves. He’s the One who obtained our salvation
through His Son, convicts us of sin, opens our minds to
understand the gospel, draws us to Himself, and sets us
apart as His holy possessions.
When was the last time you thought seriously about the
holiness of God? What emotions did you feel? How did
you respond?
Does God’s holiness delight you or make you
uncomfortable? Why?
Isaiah 59:2 | Luke 5:5, 8 | Romans 3:23 | Titus 3:5 | 1 Peter 1:15-16 | 1 John 1:5, 10
What causes people to distance themselves
from the Lord?
Some simply ignore Him, but there are others who
become angry and hostile toward Him. As believers
who know that God is love, goodness, mercy, and
kindness, those adverse reactions are sad to see. But
there is an attribute of God that causes the unbelieving
world to withdraw from Him because it reveals their
sin—His holiness.
In the year that Judah’s King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw a
vision of “the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted,
with the train of His robe filling the temple” (Isa. 6:1).
Seraphim standing above Him were calling out, “Holy,
Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is
full of His glory” (vv. 2-3). The foundation trembled and
smoke filled the temple in this awesome display of His
holiness (v. 4).
All God’s laws, principles, and actions are derived from
His attribute of holiness. In the book of Leviticus, the
Lord used His commands to teach the Israelites that
He was holy, saying, “So you are to be holy to Me, for I
the Lord am holy; and I have singled you out from the
peoples to be Mine” (Lev. 20:26). He set them apart for
Himself and established various laws to govern how
they worshipped Him. This principle is reiterated in
1 Peter 1:15-16, “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy
yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written,
‘You shall be holy, for i am holy.’”
God’s Holiness Defined
Here are two aspects of God’s holiness.
1. His Moral Purity. The Lord is perfectly sinless
and pure with no evil thoughts, words, motives, or
actions. Nothing He’s ever done or will do is wrong.
He despises all wickedness and can neither tolerate
nor overlook it. As sinful creatures, we cannot
perceive just lips, and I live among a people of unclean
lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
armies” (Isa. 6:5). Upon his confession of sin, one of the
seraphim touched his mouth with a burning coal taken
from the altar, saying, “Behold, this has touched your
lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is
made for your sin” (vv. 6-7).
Secondly, Isaiah responded to the Lord’s question,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Having
been cleansed from sin, Isaiah quickly volunteered
to serve the Lord as His prophet, saying, “Here am I.
Send me!” (v. 8).
Peter’s response. Seeing Jesus produce a miraculous
catch of fish after his own futile night of fishing, Peter
recognized that He was no ordinary man. When
confronted with the holiness of Christ’s deity, “He fell
down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord,
for I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8).
The Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ response. A
conversation between the religious leaders and Jesus
is recorded in John 8. The signs and claims Jesus
made regarding His deity frustrated and antagonized
the Pharisees and Sadducees. They criticized and
challenged Him and eventually responded with
animosity, rage, and an attempt to destroy Him. They
couldn’t tolerate the presence of Holy God in the
person of Jesus Christ.
The response of non-Christians today. Those who
don’t know Jesus as Savior are very uncomfortable
with God’s holiness because, like a light, it reveals their
sin. They usually don’t want to hear anything about
God, Jesus Christ, or His Word, and are sometimes
antagonistic toward believers and the church. Their
reaction ranges from disregard and ridicule to hatred,
anger, and persecution.
The response of saints living in rebellion toward God.
When Christians tolerate sin in their lives and live in
disobedience, they become resistant to correction and
uncomfortable with God’s holiness. But all believers
have been set apart for God, and He continually works
to bring them back and sanctify them until the day He
calls them home to Himself.
The response of saints who desire to live in God’s
will, walk in His ways, and obey Him. These believers
are awed and overwhelmed by God’s holiness. They’re
quick to fall on their knees in repentance, acknowledge
their unworthiness, and worship and praise Him. Their
desire is to gather together to adore the God who
saved them and see the gospel proclaimed around the
world. These are saints who want holiness to rule and
reign in their lives.
How can Holy God have a relationship with
sinful mankind?
This is the great dilemma. Our sins separate us from
the Lord, and the only one who can bridge that gap
is Jesus Christ. In His holiness, God requires that His
wrath be poured out in judgment upon every sinner for
every sin committed. Yet in love, He placed our sins
on His perfect Son who bore the cross that we deserved
to bear. Now all who repent of their sins and trust in
Jesus as Savior can be forgiven because the penalty of
their sins has been paid. They themselves have been
justified--declared not guilty--and clothed with Christ’s
righteousness.
It’s all the work of God. There’s nothing we could do to
save ourselves. He’s the One who obtained our salvation
through His Son, convicts us of sin, opens our minds to
understand the gospel, draws us to Himself, and sets us
apart as His holy possessions.
When was the last time you thought seriously about the
holiness of God? What emotions did you feel? How did
you respond?
Does God’s holiness delight you or make you
uncomfortable? Why?