The Character of God Part 1

God is "holy, yet loving; the love not interfering with the holiness, nor the holiness with the love." --- Horatius Bonar

I used to say something to the effect, "holiness is one of my favorite attributes of God." I was wrong in stating it thus. Holiness is not merely an attribute of God, but encompasses all His attributes. His love is a holy love; His mercy a holy mercy; His justice a holy justice; His wrath a holy wrath. Holiness is something which, truly, is beyond human comprehension. If we look in the Scriptures at the instances when God truly begins to reveal His holiness to His servants we see a recurring theme. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees God in his brilliant, holy splendor and replies in verse 5, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." In Luke 5 as Jesus, showing His power on the boat with Simon Peter, commands them to "put out into the deep water" after a night of catching no fish, the crew, including Peter, pulls in a catch that nearly sinks the boat. Peter, after witnessing the holy power of God manifested in Jesus Christ falls at Christ's feet and utters the words, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" In Matthew 17, as Jesus leads Peter, James and John up on a high mountain, Jesus is "transfigured before them." As Peter contemplates building tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, signifying for all the importance of Jesus in history, a voice booms from the heavens proclaiming, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" At this the disciples fall face down to the ground and are terrified." God's holiness is powerful. It illuminates all that is dark around us. It sheds light on the sin and iniquity in our hearts. It brings to the light the deceitfulness and uncleanness of our tongue. It is God in all that He is; His awesome power! When I merely begin to understand His holiness it is then that I am overwhelmed by His love! God is Holy! But God is love! These two, seemingly contradictory, attributes are but a taste of the glory of God and the depths of His riches and wisdom! It is quite sobering and humbling to me that this thrice-holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present God has an interest in "little-old me." This Great Creator and Powerful God is still a personal God that we can know intimately through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. What a high and holy honor to be called a child of God!