The Holiness of God [podcast]

WHAT ever happened to the holiness of God?

Clearly the LORD wanted His people to know, to understand, and to always be in remembrance of – to never forget – that He is HOLY. Hence this instruction:

“And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.” Exodus 28:36

Notice again how the LORD wants His beloved people to remember, to be saturated in heart and mind with the truth that He is Holy.

“Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” Psalms 97:12

His divine holiness is beautiful.

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” 1 Chronicles 16:29

How can any preacher possibly claim to be anything but a depraved wolf in sheep’s clothing if he is not preaching the holiness of God? How? Holy/holiness appears 654 times in the Bible. The sheer repetitive fact of this attribute of the nature, the character of God is clear evidence all by itself that any preacher not preaching on it often, does not know this God who is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).

The fact that God’s holiness is so prevalent in His Word clearly reveals that it has been intentionally forgotten, evaded, left out, avoided, and eliminated from the message of the apostate modern church.

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11 

According to Exodus 15:11, divine “holiness” is “glorious.” Holiness is not what most of us think it is. Holiness in the divine economy is something of great “beauty” and utterly refreshing (Psalms 96:9). It seems that holiness is not merely a divine attribute but rather the divine nature of the Almighty.

Are we ready to allow our LORD, who alone is “Holy, holy, holy,” to define what holiness truly is and how He brings it about in our lives? See Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8.

“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” Habakkuk 1:13

The holiness of God is not going to diminish nor go away because those who claim to be His ignore it. In fact they will collide head on in judgment with He who is Holy.

“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.” Psalms 5:4 

Definition. The holiness of God refers to His absolute moral purity and the absolute moral distance between God and his human creatures (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

“The holiness of God only secondarily refers to His moral purity, His righteousness of character. It primarily points to His infinite otherness. To say that God is holy is to say that He is transcendentally separate. Holiness is not one attribute among many. It is not like grace or power or knowledge or wrath. Everything about God is holy. Each attribute partakes of divine holiness.” Sam. S.

“God’s holiness means He is separate from sin. But holiness in God also means wholeness. God’s holiness is His ‘God-ness.’ It is His being God in all that it means for Him to be God. To meet God in His holiness, therefore, is to be altogether overwhelmed by the discovery that He is God, and not man.” Sinclair F.

“Holy, holy, holy.” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8)

God is not holy because He’s loving, He’s loving because He’s holy. 654 times holiness/holy appear in His Word. Nothing compares, diminishes from, or replaces the divine holiness of God. God is who HE says He is and not who we say He is or what sinful man attempts to make the Almighty out to be. That’s why He gave us the Bible.

God is first and foremost holy. Not that we can fully understand that and yet, we are given, by His own Word, to know that this is who He is, above all else. Every other of His attributes comes forth from His holiness, His Holy divine nature.

Holiness is God’s nature and perhaps not His mere attribute. “Holy, holy, holy” is found in His Word not once but twice (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). No other attribute is shown in triplicate even once.

If you don’t think God is holy and will not put up with unholiness, sin, consider the many times in history where God severed, judged, “cut off” those of His own who rebelled, sinned. This is a mere small sampling: Genesis 3: Exodus 32; Joshua 6-7, Numbers 16, 25; Romans 11:20-22; 1 Corinthians 5; 10:1-12; Jude 1. See also the listed soul damning sins in Galatians 5:19-21 and Revelation 21:8, 27, etc.

After warning of the “ungodly men” who would turn “the (saving) grace of God into lasciviousness,” Jude lists created beings once in fellowship with the LORD and now banished for their rebellion… angels and men.

Anyone who believes they can live in sin and remain in Christ, remain Heaven bound, is utterly deceived. God’s grace, His salvation in Christ, did not change His holiness or definition of sin. Beware of grace-perverting false teachers saints (Jude 4).

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1-2 

Anyone who thinks they are going to God’s holy Heaven with sin in their life is self-deceived. Jesus died to “take away” our sins, to remove them from our lives (John 1:29).

“Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.” Psalms 93:5 

The cross is to make you holy and keep you holy! The cross separates the disciple from sin and unto the God who is Holy!

Holiness does not bring us to Jesus. Jesus brings us into holiness.

“We have not a true conception of the holiness of God when we view it as impulsive merely; it bears the sight of evil in confidence of overcoming it. To overcome evil, and turn it into penitence and faith and love, is the object of Him who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity, when He endures the contradiction of sinners against Himself, and holds His peace in presence of unrighteousness.” Pulpit

“But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.” Psalms 4:3

The LORD will damn to the eternal prison of fire all who choose not be holy, that is, set apart to Him. And like Esau, some are on the verge of not being able to repent, even if they seek to.

The correct preaching of the full counsel of God’s WORD creates in us the desire to be set apart to our LORD (holy) and to cease the things, the sins that defile such purity necessary to abide in vital union with our Maker who is our Savior!

God is “Holy, holy, holy.” He’s into it and He is it, and He will have no fellowship, no union, no relationship with any of His created beings that are not holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

The absence of the preaching of the holiness of God is 100% proof of absolute apostasy in that which claims to be Christ’s church today!

The only one of His divine attributes cited in triplicate, not once, but twice is that He is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).

The appearance of the Holiness of God in His Word vs. the appearance of His grace: 654 vs Grace 170 …. grace vs holiness reveals, underscores just how far off we are, how grossly we’ve perverted the original Gospel and doctrine of God. Those who refuse to include the holiness of God in their hearts, minds, doctrine, and body of truth, have perverted the image of God, have crafted and erected the image of a false god in their hearts, and are worshipping “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-9). Ignoring His holiness will not make it go away and doing so only proves one is a self-serving, cross-less, hell bound rebel.

Also, though holiness may include wholeness, that should not be the only perspective we view it from. We are commanded by Christ to fear God who is able to cast us into hell, and to cut off the hand and pluck out the eye that causes us to sin (Luke 12:4-5; Mark 9:43-49). Repenting and confessing all sins, which defile us in His holy eyes, is essential to being with Him – now and forever (Luke 21:34-36; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-10; 21:8, etc.).

If sin doesn’t put one in jeopardy of losing his eternal soul, why did Jesus say things like this….   Luke 21:34-36; Mark 9:43-49 ….. who’s lying, today’s preachers or Jesus?

What did Jesus teach about eternal punishment?  In Mark 9, Jesus repeatedly uses the term – “their worm dieth not” – “worm” here is an idiom for consciousness which He says will never end. Lost souls will suffer unending torment. Annihilation is a lie. Here Jesus is warning us to get rid of all sin lest we be cast into hell, separated eternally from He who is “Holy, holy, holy” and commanded us to “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 4:8)

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into THE FIRE THAT NEVER SHALL BE QUENCHED: 44 Where THEIR WORM (consciousness) DIETH NOT, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into THE FIRE THAT NEVER SHALL BE QUENCHED: 46 Where THEIR WORM (conscious feelings) DIETH NOT, and THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, and THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire (preserved in suffering), and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” Mark 9:43-49

“salted with fire” refers to preservation. This further exposes the annihilation lie. Notice how these cultists are amateurishly obvious in their selective, seductive theology as they seek to do away with the plainly stated eternal, unending divine retribution that is coming on all wicked souls. Is salt not obviously a preservative? Well, is Jesus not confirming and reiterating the rest of what He is saying here with the obvious truth that all sacrifices in hell will be salted to preserve them from being annihilated so they can be tormented consciously as a just reward for rejecting the very precious blood of Jesus? The Father didn’t send His only begotten Son to die in vain.

In light of this Mark 9 passage: Jesus, the only Savior, preached hell and commanded His people to preach hell in order to warn men to not go there. Hell is the justice of a holy God and is a vital component of the original Gospel message preached by Jesus and is a manifestation of God’s love. Only wolves in sheep’s clothing leave it out of their messages!

The Scriptures themselves define holiness many times and the necessity for it (Ezekiel 18:30; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14-17, etc.).

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” Ezekiel 18:30

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Hebrews 12:14-17 

Set apart to God…. If I am set apart to Him presently, I am not living in sin (1 John 3:1-10). Thank God we are invited to come boldy to the throne of grace to obtain His mercy afresh (Hebrews 4:16) and praise Him that His compassions fail not but are new every morning, right? Lamentation 3:22-23

“DEPART FROM ME”

The “depart from me” declaration is clear proof that God has not changed and will damn the eternal souls of all who do not comply with Him – beginning with true repentance.

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: DEPART FROM ME, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, DEPART FROM ME, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41

“But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; DEPART FROM ME, all ye workers of iniquity.” Luke 13:27

False worship, false preachers…. always deny the holiness of God and make concession for sin (Jude 4). Read that sentence again please. Is this not exactly what the Holy Spirit specifically forewarned us of in Jude 3-4?

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

Sin is not characteristic of God’s people and has never nor ever will be allowed. Think biblical history – Lucifer and a third of the angels ejected from Heaven, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Noah’s flood, the rebellion of Korah where God’s own people dropped down straight into hell (Numbers 16; Jude 11), the sin of God’s people in Baal worship and with the Midianites (Numbers, 25), etc. Read the book of Jude which warns us New Testament saints to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints,” against “ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ,” who intentionally ignore, are ignorant of the many times God severed from His presence and rejected created beings of His creation due to their sin.

“Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot (sin) of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.” Deuteronomy 32:3-5 

Is sin okay with God? If so, why then did He bother sending His only begotten Son to be crucified for our sins? Was it simply so He could forgive us and then we could go back to that sin, to living in sin, and still be covered?

In the Garden God told the man that if he disobeyed, if he sinned, he would die which means to die spiritually and be separated from God (Genesis 2:17). Then Satan countered with:

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall NOT surely die:” Genesis 3:4

What People is Jesus Returning for?

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶ that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. ⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ⁹ And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” Revelation 19:7-9a

Who is Jesus returning for? And, why then do we hear so many false prophets guaranteeing eternal security to people living in sin? The whole of Scripture testifies against this evil.

Only false prophets make people comfortable in their sins. See Jeremiah 23:17; Amos 9:10, etc.

Satan is the author of making people think God won’t cut them off when they sin against Him. See Genesis 2:17; 3:4.

Holiness in Marriage

How does the holiness of God relate to the married couple? The closer a man gets to Christ the more he will be moved to cherish and love his wife as Christ does His beloved church (Ephesians 5:25-31). Jesus gave His very life to purchase His church. The more a woman truly worships God, the more she will be conformed to the image of Christ, crucified with Him, and submitting to, loving and serving her husband as God has commanded (Titus 2:3-5; 1 Peter 3:1-7, etc.). If you are married or wish to be – be encouraged right now to begin prayerfully reading Philippians 2:3-5 each and every morning from this day till you are with Jesus! The God-given and Bless-ed ROLE of the Man, of the Woman! God is all-wise and has a plan to BLESS! | The God Ordained Roles of Men and Women

The Holiness of God | Support | STORE | | Podcasts |

The Truth about Holiness [podcast]

Grace vs Holiness [podcast]

The Holiness of God’s House [podcast]

TWICE Dead, Plucked up by the Roots