The Attributes of God: Holiness

We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God's holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God's power and admire his wisdom, but his holiness he cannot even imagine. - A.W. Tozer
We have begun studying the attributes of God on Sunday morning at Brown Corners Church and this week we will look together at the holiness of God. Tozer rightly states that we cannot conceptualize the best person we know and simply think of God as better still. There is no one like our God, infinitely pure and completely separate from all sin.
When men in the Bible like Isaiah, John or Daniel caught just a glimpse of the radiating glory of God's holiness, they completely unravelled. This vision of God is almost completely absent from our lives as 21st century Christians. We love to know that we can call God "Abba" and sing about him being our friend. We feel much more comfortable speaking of God's love, goodness and grace. But such truths become all that more amazing when set against the backdrop of his transcendent holiness.
We would do well to meditate on the "God of Mt. Sinai" and tremble before his majesty. It is only in understanding those aspects of his character that we can truly appreciate the grace of God in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.