Isaiah 6:1-3---In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, 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." (NIV)I Peter 1:16---for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (NIV)
I've often wondered how we would respond or react if we could get a glimpse of the Lord like Isaiah did. When we realize just how holy He is, and how unholy we are, would we fall on our face and cry out to the Lord like Isaiah, or would we turn away from the Lord in disdain? Would we volunteer for the mission God had for us, or would we walk away with indifference in our heart?
So many people have no reverence or fear of the Lord. They don't regard Him as holy, or in any case, you sure don't see any evidence that they do by the way that they live their lives. Many don't feel that they need a relationship with God. They don't particularly worry about the afterlife because they think that they are pretty good people. Some have been mislead by the erroneous concept that their good deeds are going to be weighed against their bad deeds, and if the good outweighs the bad, then they will be able to go to heaven. They compare themselves to others, and say "Hey, I'm not a rapist or a killer or anything, so I'm a pretty good person. I'm a much nicer and better person than a lot of people I've seen, so I think I'll be okay. I'll take my chances when it comes to what's after this life, because God knows that I'm not nearly as bad as others."
They forget that Jesus said that the man who looks at a woman with lust is the same as an adulterer, and that the one who hates his brother is the same as a murderer. They have no understanding of how holy God is. They don't grasp the idea that if God is perfect in holiness (which He is), then we can't come into His presence because of our sinful nature. The best we could ever hope to do falls way short of the mark. In fact, God's Word states that "even our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6) when we compare it to how pure and holy God is. We can never be good enough, or do enough good things in this lifetime to earn or work our way into heaven. Unfortunately there are many mislead cults that strive to do just that. They think that if they give a certain number of years of their life to witnessing or teaching or helping the poor, etc., that they will be able to earn what God has already provided through the only means possible: the sacrifice of His only Son--Jesus. Jesus was the only perfect man Who ever lived. He is the only One Who can give us hope of an eternity in heaven because He alone lived a truly holy life. No one else who has ever lived on this earth was without sin. Jesus alone met that mark set by our Father in heaven. Only by Jesus taking the penalty for our sins, could we ever hope to be reconciled with a holy God.
Let's see some of the scripture references to how holy God is from the New Living Translation (NLT):
- Ps. 77:13--O God, your ways are holy
- Ps. 99:3--Your name is holy!
- Ps. 99:9--for the Lord our God is holy!
- Ps. 111:9--What a holy, awe-sinpiring name he has!
- Isa. 57:15--The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One
- Lev. 11:44--You must be holy because I am holy
- 1 Sam. 2:2--No one is holy like the Lord!
- Isa. 40:25--"To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One
- 1 Pet. 1:15--just as God-who chose you to be his children-is holy
- Ex. 15:11--Who is glorious in holiness like you
- Ps. 29:2--Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness
- Ps. 96:9--Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor
- Isa. 5:16--The holiness of God is displayed by his righteousness
- Ez. 28:25--I will reveal to the nations of the world my holiness among my people
- Heb. 12:10--we will share in his holiness
As Christians, we are called to be holy and to live a life of holiness which sets us apart from the world. We are referred to as a peculiar people, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. (1 Pet. 2:9)We are to be a reflection of the goodness and purity of God. Here's some scriptures from the (NIV) that testify to that fact:
- Ex. 19:6--holy nation
- Ex. 20:8--Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
- Lev. 20:7--Consecrate yourselves and be holy
- Lev. 20:26--You are to be holy to me
- Rom. 12:1--holy and pleasing to God
- Eph. 5:3--improper for God's holy people
- 2 Thess. 1:10--to be glorified in his holy people
- 2 Tim. 1:9--saved us and called us to a holy life
- Titus 1:8--upright, holy and disciplined
- 2 Pet. 3:11--holy and godly lives
- Rom. 6:9--righteousness leading to holiness
- 2 Cor. 7:1--perfecting holiness out of reverence
- Eph. 4:24--God in true righteousness and holiness
When we come to the place in our walk with God that we truly understand in our limited capacity (with just a glimpse of His true perfection) how holy He really is, we should have a response similar to Isaiah's. We should get an increased and better perception of how utterly lowly and unrighteous we are in comparison to His perfect holiness. And then we should want to live a life that reflects those higher qualities of our Lord. We need to be careful to watch what we see and hear and say. We should live to a higher standard, shunning the wicked things that this world promotes, craves and seeks. We can only do that through the power of the Holy Spirit living in and through us. Remember that we are wearing His name, so let's strive with all we have to be holy, for ... HE IS HOLY!
Singing His Praises,
Joey C.