THE HOLINESS OF GOD. “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy" (Psalm 99:9).

Scripture gives much attention to God’s holiness. What does this holiness tell us about what God is like and what it means to the plan of salvation?

…we find within the 66 biblical books an extensive recounting of what God is like and how He relates to us as fallen beings whom He longs to redeem.

God s love, Yes. And Yes, God bids us call Him “Father.” And Yes, God is patient, forgiving, and  caring… God’s holiness undergirds His revelation of Himself.

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor of Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org


HIS HOLY NAME.  “God’s house should be free of corruption, worldliness, politics, pride, ostentation, respect of persons, hate and hypocrisy.”

God’s holiness should prevail in our minds and in our hearts. Psalm 99:5 says, “Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”

But how can we recognize God’s holiness if our thoughts are on ourselves rather than on Him?



IT IS WRITTEN. Voltaire quipped: “God made man in His image, and man has returned the compliment.” We may not even realize that we have an incomplete or even false understanding of God.

Thus, we must return to Scripture and compare our thinking about God with what is taught there.

^{Jer.7: 3} This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.

…the phrase “thus says the Lord”… This should remind us that the prophet is not merely speaking for God but that God is speaking for Himself through the prophet.

The whole New Testament corpus finds its theological foundation in the Old. There’s no justification for any radical division between them. All Scripture—both Testaments—is inspired by the Lord (2 Tim. 3:16).

Matthew 4: 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 11: 10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘ Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

Mark 7: 6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘ This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

John 12: 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “ Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
Romans 3: 10 As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one;

1 Peter 1: 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Corinthians 5: 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

2 Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor of Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org

GOD’S HOLINESS  DEMONSTRATED. Job 42: ⁵ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. ⁶ Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

He meant for the Sabbath to be holy throughout all of time and eternity. The holiness of the Sabbath points to the holiness of its Creator.

One thing we can admire about Job was his submission to God even after multiple disasters struck him down. After his time of great suffering, he concluded that he needed God to cleanse him from the many sins he had committed unintentionally.

Isaiah was called by God, and when the call came, Isaiah realized how sinful he really was and how unworthy he was to do God’s bidding.

We have no righteousness of our own, and therefore should never boast about our good works; and only God’s righteousness can lead us to see Him clearly. When God calls us to do something for Him, He will help us do what He has asked of us.

John the Baptist was the one who would prepare the way for His coming. Preparing for something special is special in and of itself. It involves total commitment, and in the case of John, it involved total surrender to a holy God and the holy mission God had for him to perform.

“This demon inside the man knew two facts—that Jesus had indeed come to destroy them (and their power) and that Jesus was the Holy One sent from God. All demons, and Satan himself, knew that Jesus was the Messiah. While the people in the synagogue were astounded at Jesus’ teaching and wondered who this man could be, the demon knew.”

Upon Peter there now dawned, perhaps for the first time, a profound sense of his own spirtual need.” And we could well add, a profound sense of the holiness of Jesus.

Job G. Minasalvas, Collegiate Quarterly, www.cqbiblestudy.org



TO BE SET APART. How significant is the fact that the first thing deemed holy in the Bible is time?  

Genesis 2: 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The seventh day itself is no different from any other 24-hour, sunset-to-sunset period; what makes it different, “holy,” is that God declared it that way. He set it apart from the rest of the week.

The Hebrew word there for “sanctified” means to “make holy” or to “declare holy.” Holiness then implies that something is special about whatever is “holy,” something that sets it apart from what isn’t holy.

God is set apart from anything else in creation. He is transcendently separate, so far above and beyond anything that we can truly grasp. To be holy is to be “other,” to be different in a special way, as with the seventh-day Sabbath.

Exodus 15: 11 “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Psalm 86: 8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Your works. 9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

Psalm 99: 1 The LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! 2 The LORD is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. 3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy.
I
saiah 40: 25 “ To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

God is separate from us, not only because He is the Creator and we are the created but because we are fallen beings. All this should, ideally, help us better understand what Christ has done for us.

Though we are made in the image of God, what are the ways that we differ radically from Him? How do these differences help us understand our need of a Savior?

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor of Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org



REALIZING GOD’S HOLY PRESENCE. Moses..(Exod. 3:1–5)… “saw a bush in flames, branches, foliage, and trunk, all burning, yet seeming not to be consumed. He drew near to view the wonderful sight, when a voice from out of the flame called him by name. With trembling lips he answered, ‘Here am I.’..: ‘Put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. . . . I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ It was He who, as the Angel of the covenant, had revealed Himself to the fathers in ages past. ‘And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.’

…all who truly realize His presence will bow in humility before Him, and, like Jacob beholding the vision of God, they will cry out, ‘How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ ”*

Ellen G. White cited by Connie DeVries, Collegiate Quarterly, www.cqbiblestudy.org



TO REPENT IN DUST AND ASHES. “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5, 6).

^{Ez.1: 28} Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

^{Gen 28: 16} When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Ex.34:  ⁸ Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.

^{Dan.10: 5} I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.

In their own way, these passages hint at the need of a Savior, a Substitute, Someone to bridge the gap between a Holy God and fallen sinful creatures like ourselves. Thanks to the Lord, we have that bridge in Jesus.

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor of Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org 

THE MESSENGER OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY. Matthieu 11: ¹⁰Car c'est celui dont il est écrit: Voici, j'envoie mon messager devant ta face, Pour préparer ton chemin devant toi.

John did not allow the world to influence him. He wore simple clothes, walked barefoot, and ate only wild food (locust pods and honey). He had no desire for wealth, self-exaltation, or power. Because he was clearly a holy man, many Jewish people in Israel paid attention to what he had to say.

John’s work was a fulfillment of prophecy. As such, he was sent by God specifically to pave the way for Jesus’ ministry and His kingdom. John showed the people the path that leads to the Savior.

As God’s holy people, we also should live a life of simplicity. Our main objective is to show people the path to Jesus Christ and His holiness. We are to help people focus on the Savior, rather than on ourselves. As John said, “He [Jesus Christ] must increase, but I [John] must decrease” (John 3:30).

Justice Love C. Francisco-Diaz, Collegiate Quarterly, www.cqbiblestudy.org



 DEPART FROM ME. Luke 5: ⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Peter’s response, though…was much like those of the Old Testament characters who encountered the Lord.

The presence of divinity revealed his own unholiness. Love for his Master, shame for his own unbelief, gratitude for the condescension of Christ, above all, the sense of his uncleanness in the presence of infinite purity, overwhelmed him. While his companions were securing the contents of the net, Peter fell at the Saviour’s feet, exclaiming, ‘Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ ” Ellen G. White

Whenever a human being truly encounters the living God, there is the initial horror of finally seeing the true depth of one’s own sinfulness.

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor of Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org 



WHOLLY HOLY. In Le­viticus 11:44, God says to the Israelites, “ ‘I am the Lord your God; con­secrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy’ ” (NIV).

Be distinct from the world (1 Peter 2:9). In 1 Peter 2:9, the word peculiar (KJV) means “ ‘a people that belongs to God.’ ”

Be morally pure (Ps. 24:3, 4). Habakkuk 1:13 describes God as having eyes too pure to look upon evil and as being unable to tolerate that which is wrong. Psalm 24:3, 4 explains it well: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”

Spend quality time with God every day. Holiness comes as the result of our continued day-to-day relationship with God and having faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Michael John J. Diaz, Collegiate Quarterly, www.cqbiblestudy.org




WHEN DEMONS SPEAK. Luke 4: ³³ In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ³⁴ “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  ³⁵ “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. ³⁶ All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”

It must be that, so full of sin, even demons fear before the presence of God’s holiness, somewhat in the same manner that sinful humans do.

^{Rev.1: 16} In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

Isaih 6: ¹ 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. ² 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. ³ And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

^{Rev. 4: 8} Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:  “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’^[a] who was, and is, and is to come.”

Though all heaven is involved in the ministry of God’s love and salvation to this world, heavenly beings around the throne of God day and night praise the holiness of God. As sinless beings, they are awed by His holiness, but they don’t hide in fear of it, as do fallen beings.

In all the human encounters of the divine as depicted in Scripture… human beings finally see themselves for who they really are. And that is scary. In Scripture, when people truly encounter the God of heaven…there is abject personal repentance… How different our words, our lives, and our actions would be were we all to live with the constant sense, not only of God’s presence but of His holiness, as well.

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor of Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org

ARE WE DOING THE WILL OF GOD ? Lev.19: ² “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

Being holy is to completely surrender to God’s will. It is walking by faith rather than by sight. It is relying on God with confidence and resting in His love. Living with Him helps us to be holy. “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14, NKJV).

There are two aspects to holiness: (1) accepting Christ as our personal Savior, and (2) following His example of self-denial. We are His spiritual children, born again and renewed in righ­teousness and true holiness.

Glee-Zeal Regua, Collegiate Quarterly, www.cqbiblestudy.org

FURTHER STUDY. As Christ stands before the trafficking crowd in the temple, “the confusion is hushed. The sound of traffic and bargaining has ceased. The silence becomes painful. A sense of awe overpowers the assembly. It is as if they were arraigned before the tribunal of God to answer for their deeds. Looking upon Christ, they behold divinity flash through the garb of humanity. The Majesty of heaven stands as the Judge will stand at the last day . . . with the same power to read the soul. His eye sweeps over the multitude, taking in every individual. His form seems to rise above them in commanding dignity, and a divine light illuminates His countenance. He speaks, and His clear, ringing voice—the same that upon Mount Sinai proclaimed the law that priests and rulers are transgressing—is heard echoing through the arches of the temple: ‘Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise.’

“Slowly descending the steps, and raising the scourge of cords gathered up on entering the enclosure, He bids the bargaining company depart from the precincts of the temple. With a zeal and severity He has never before manifested, He overthrows the tables of the money-changers. . . . None presume to question His authority. . . . Jesus does not smite them with the whip of cords, but in His hand that simple scourge seems terrible as a flaming sword. Officers of the temple, speculating priests, brokers and cattle traders, with their sheep and oxen, rush from the place, with the one thought of escaping from the condemnation of His presence.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 158.

Given what we have looked at this week, why is it so much easier to see why self-righteousness and self-satisfaction, especially about one’s own spiritual state, is a very dangerous deception?


HOLY, HOLY, HOLY… we must never lose sight of the fact that He is our Creator and we are His creatures.
Céleste Perrino-Walker, Collegiate Quarterly, www.cqbiblestudy.org

SUMMARY. It might be much nicer to focus only on God’s love instead of His holiness, but that would be to distort the truth. We need to encounter God's searing holiness until we tremble before Him. Understanding God’s holiness, and our sinfulness in contrast, is crucial to helping us to understand what the atonement is all about, why it is so desperately needed, and why it had to cost so much.  

Jo Ann Davidson, Professor Theology, Andrews University, www.ssnet.org