One Holy God
I can actually remember reading by lamplight, doing my thing in an outdoor toilet; there were no telephones, experiences my greatgrandchildren can’t even imagine. The iPhone came in 2007. In all too many cases this is reality to them.
I downloaded a recent interview with Dr.Groothuis regarding his book The Soul in Cyberspace, written back in 1997. We are fast becoming what we worship, while ignoring our finiteness and our limited capacity to care. Couple this with multitasking; that is thinking, serving and doing in several directions at the same time. We have lost the sense of what Groothuis calls “embodiment.” As a result we are growing careless with the words we use.
In fact, there are words, I fear, we have lost the meaning of. What does it mean to say God is the embodiment of Holiness? Luckily the prophet Isaiah caught a sight of the Holy God. We have a record of that vision.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:1-4
If you have ever been in a mighty thunderstorm or a tornado, Psalm 92:2 describes experiencing the presence of God. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” The three-fold repetition of Holy Holy Holy by the angels is the thrice praise of the Holiness of God, the same sound from the past, the present, the future and for all eternity.
What should it mean to us when Peter writes the following? But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 1 Peter 1:15-17
In the Old Testament age, holiness was thought of as the place of the temple, the very center being the Holy of Holies. The death of Christ tore open the curtain to the Holy of Holies, once and for all, making it possible for us to utter from our hearts what the Holy Spirit has taught us concerning the holiness of God. The difference between living a holy or an unholy life is described by the Apostle John in this manner. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 7:18
Every faithful one who proclaims the Word of God humbly adopts Christ’s words. His/her doctrine becomes the doctrine which the Holy Spirit has taught us. He/she that speaks for him/herself is that personality that is to be questioned, speaking exemplary as if he/she is the source. Ambition for personal glory and renown is the very thing the absence of which the multitude condemned Jesus. “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” Matthew 27:40
In conclusion:
Christ’s message was not self-oriented. “It was crafted through the Spirit who sent Him.” The adversaries taunted Him with the lack of bold self-assertion. Our Lord’s own position was that his teaching was not self-originated, but was the teaching or message “of him that sent him.” Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 7:18
A holy person is faithful
The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1Thessalonians 5:24
A holy person loves righteousness and abhors lawlessness
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” Hebrews 1:9
A holy person is humble
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
A holy person is honest
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:9
A holy person is obedient
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:8
