“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  Isaiah 6:3 (NIV)

Revelation 4:8 Each of the four living creatures…. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (NIV)

What’s the definition of holiness?

It’s appropriate that we take a moment and recognize that the holiness definition is built on the holiness of God.  God is holy love, at his core and essence.  In heaven, scenes from the Bible tell us that special creations like angels around the Throne of God call out “Holy, holy, holy,” continually.  This Trinitarian repetition of HOLY is significant, because it’s 3 in 1, and also because it’s the only thing that’s repeated around God’s throne in this way.  He is faithful, he is powerful, he is knowledgeable, but in his essence — he is Holy.  

What is God’s holiness? He is separate, other, not like.  He is untouched by the faults and weakness and dependence of all other things.  He is completely other than His creation.  There are only 2 things in all existence: God & the Creation.  God & everything else.  That utter unique, separate purity is his holiness.  

God’s holiness is the source of his other attributes:

• Everything else is unfaithful eventually, but God is faithfulness unmixed.  
• Everything else is dependent & needy, God is completely un-needy, utterly independent.  
• Everything else has a spot of corruption, but God is purity unmixed.
• Everything else has it’s light and darkness, its “yin and yang” — but God is completely unmixed, completely single and whole,  utterly alone in his degree of perfection.

This holiness is often expressed as incomprehensible, utterly blinding, terrifying light in Scripture.  To be in the complete presence of the holiness of God would literally kill your physical body, as if you had been suddenly transported to 100 miles away from the sun.  You couldn’t physically or spiritually take the glory of his holiness.  

God’s Holiness is “scary good”

I don’t mean to suggest that God’s holiness is a negative thing, as though it was a source of pain and fear.  

On the contrary, the holiness of God is so glorious, so joyful, so explosively brilliant, that it’s beauty and goodness is what is overwhelming. The Bible tells us to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”  Humans have often recognized that there is a place where joy is so overwhelming that it gets close to something like terror. Like the sheer terror as you’re about to descend the world’s tallest, fastest roller coaster, the joyous terror of his holiness would simply overwhelm you in every way, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  

It’s not that it’s so bad it’s scary, it’s that it’s so good it’s marvelously scary.

So where does God get his holiness?

God’s holiness doesn’t COME from anywhere.  It is “underived.”  It isn’t received from anywhere or anything.  God is the fountainhead, the source, the DEFINITION of holiness.  Biblically, the word “holy” only means someone who is rightly related to God in some way.  

• Any holiness in the world — came from God. 
• Any holiness in an item — came from God.
• Any holiness in a person — came from God. 
• If you achieve any holiness — you can be sure you didn’t create it.  It came from God.

So God is holy, He’s the source of all holiness.

And starting today, we’re going to spend 40 days on a discipleship Bible study journeying deep into that holiness, chasing the joy and beauty of His holiness, and letting that seep down into us.

Prayer for Holiness:

Father, you are holy, and I see what that means.  Your goodness, uniqueness, and glory is so pure.  You are unlike anything, you are purity unmixed, and I am in awe of you.  Help me to always have a joyful trembling before the beauty of your holiness.  Just let me know you, and let your holiness soak down into my heart and life all throughout this 40 days.  Amen.

Today’s Meditation Questions on Holiness: 

• What is God’s holiness like?  
• What metaphors for God’s holiness can I think of? 
• How does God’s holiness give joy?

A PDF Bible study on God’s holiness

Pursuing Holiness (www.40daysofholiness.com) is also available as a church-wide campaign, to enable small or large churches and their pastors to pursue holiness together as a means of discipleship and revival. This valuable Bible study on holiness comes with a 120 page workbook, daily sample prayers for holiness, meditation questions about holiness and sanctification, journaling space, and online tools including 40 daily teaching videos about holiness, and guided prayer experiences to help you in seeking holiness.

Holiness isn’t just Pentecostal or Wesleyan

Holiness is not a Pentecostal concern, or one for the Holiness Movement, the Methodist CHurch or Wesleyan/Arminian followers of John Wesley. It isn’t just for holiness churches! It is for all serious Christians, all students of God’s Word, regardless of denomination or background. If you’re wondering what Methodists believe, or what John Wesley’s theology was, you can certainly find out a lot about it in this video series. But holiness isn’t just a theological exercise, it’s a pursuit of God’s heart, and a replication of his character in the human spirit. 

For Darrell Stetler’s other sites, please check out www.newstartdiscipleship.com or www.darrellstetler2.com to find tools for small church pastors, to make their ministry, families and church discipleship more effective.