This is available in Swedish.
In our current culture, we often hear that God is love (as we read in 1 John 4), which is of course true. However, no attribute is as emphasized in Scripture as the holiness of God. The Bible never says God is ‘love, love, love’ or “merciful, merciful, merciful.” Rather, the never-ending worship theme in heaven is “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty” (Revelation 4:8). This repetition is a common Hebrew way of expressing superlatives, essentially saying God is “holy, holier, holiest.”
In the original text, the word ‘holy’ carries the idea of being set apart. This is thus the primary meaning of the word ‘holy’ in the Bible: that God is the only, unique, eternal, self-existent Being. He is Creator of all that there is—completely separate from his creation. He is the one true and living God and there is no other like him. The magnificent expression of his holiness is his glory (Exodus 15:1; Isaiah 44-46).
The never-ending worship theme in heaven is “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty” (Revelation 4:8).
The second way the holiness of God is used in the scriptures is similar to the attribute of righteousness. In summary, God is morally perfect, pure, and spotless. Everything he does is morally good and right—there is no wickedness, darkness, or injustice in him. This way of using the term holy describes God’s righteousness, goodness, and justice. God is therefore not only the Creator but also the King who is sovereign over his creation, implementing his righteousness and justice (Psalm 103:6). He is the righteous judge to whom we all must give an account (Romans 14:12).
Harmony of attributes
As we read the Scriptures, we see that God can never violate his holiness (Exodus 34:7). Every attribute of God exists in perfect harmony with his holiness. In stark contrast to ourselves, God is perfect and simple in his character. No attribute is ever compromised or neglected for another.
God will always uphold his holiness, righteousness, justice, and even wrath against sin and evil. If God loves all that is pure and good, he therefore must hate and harbor righteous wrath toward evil and wickedness.
For instance, in his love, God will always uphold his holiness, righteousness, justice, and even wrath against sin and evil. If God loves all that is pure and good, he therefore must hate and harbor righteous wrath toward evil and wickedness. In contrast, if God did not hate evil, he could not be love and he would not be good. Similarly, when God forgives sin, he cannot forsake his justice. If he did, he would be unjust, like a corrupt judge who looks the other way when evil has been committed and must be punished. God is perfect and as such, he upholds all that he is in perfect harmony.
Contrasted humanity
Needless to say, we humans do not maintain perfection and holiness and we consistently compromise what we know to be good and right and true. Sometimes we compromise to save our own skin, reputation, or perhaps to gain something in this world. When we become aware of sin in our lives, we often make excuses and seek to justify ourselves. Perhaps we shift the blame on other people, on circumstances outside of our control or even on God himself. Even in our love towards other people, we find ourselves being selfish and manipulative. We often crave affirmation rather than loving in a pure fashion, expecting or demanding something in return.
Hence, when we see ourselves in the light of God’s holiness and righteousness, we begin to see how sinful we truly are. When the prophet Isaiah saw the glory of God in a vision (Isaiah 6), he sees himself as he really is before a Holy God and cries out a curse upon himself, “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!” God is so holy and we are so unclean in comparison that seeing his full glory would in fact lead to our own death (Exodus 33:20). There is a chasm between man and God, a chasm so wide and so deep that it is impossible for man to cross.
The mystery (and mercy) of atonement
This is one of the main mysteries in the Bible, which the apostle Paul lays out in the book of Romans. God, being holy, cannot simply deny his holiness and “just forgive” any of us. His love is holy and so is his mercy. He is just and acts according to righteous judgement, not looking away or ignoring sin and evil, as an ineffectual or corrupt lawgiver. And yet, the Bible states that God indeed passes over our sins (Romans 3:25) and “casts them into a sea” (Micah 7:19). How can he do this without forsaking his holiness?
Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate expression of the holiness and mercy of God in perfect harmony
The true answer rests in Christ’s death on the cross. He died and rose again in our place to pay our debt, at once upholding God’s holiness and justice. We can celebrate the cross—with true thanksgiving—seeing it as the greatest act of love by God, as his wrath was justly poured out on Christ, righteously satisfying justice against sin. Christ’s sacrifice fully covers the sins of all who ever would believe in Jesus so that the cost of their transgressions is paid in full (Romans 3, Isaiah 53).
Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross is therefore the ultimate expression of the holiness and mercy of God in perfect harmony (Psalm 85:10). Each day, may we remember that without the cross, the majesty and glory of a thrice holy God would have remained a terrifying and unapproachable reality (Hebrews 12:18-24). And yet now, through Christ, this same holy, holy, holy God invites us to come boldly before him, calling him “Father” (Ephesians 3:11-14).
