The Holiness of God

I reflect weekly (and perhaps weakly) on the God's holiness. I must confess I don't think I have much of a grasp on it, aside from His being set apart from His creation. I read this command in Leviticus 11:44-45 a few days ago. I believe it is the first time in Scripture where God makes this statement/command. It is interesting, worth noting, and even essential to our understanding as Christians. For how can we be holy as God is holy if we do not know what is meant when He prescribes it? Well, here are some of my thoughts as I have been thinking about God's holiness and praying.

In this passage the Lord is teaching Israel how to be set apart or different from the people of the land of Caanan. Through instructions in all of life, such as dietary laws, health laws, and procedures for offering sacrifices, God is teaching Israel how to live a life separated to Him. It is distinct from the world around them.

The lesson seems clear enough: Live separated unto God. How then is God separate, distinct, or set apart from His creation? This answer is typically answered from a "negative" perspective. In other words, we say things such as God is sinless. He is undefiled, spotless, untainted by evil. We express His holiness as things that He is not. I assume this is because we are what He is not. Therefore, we can best relate to Him through what we are; and therefore through what He is not.

However, I find it more challenging and much more rewarding to describe God's holiness in "positive" terms -- terms that actually attempt to describe Him! For example, we say "God is holy." That is a positive term expressing what He is, not what we are not. I have come up with a few others. As I stated, this has been quite challenging to date. Also, I have not used a Thesaurus to help with synonyms. Obviously, it is time to start researching some other resources to help ascribe to God the glory due His name!

• God is pure
• God is perfect
• God is whole
• God is complete

I really like the picture the words 'pure' and 'perfect' give to our Lord! 'Whole' and 'complete' require a little bit of explanation and are also appropriate. Here are some synonyms from Webster:

• consecrated
• devout
• divine
  
• faithful
• good
• sacred
• virtuous

Well, I am not sure I would take all of those in the same sense as 'perfect' and 'pure,' but they definitely apply with a little clarification.

I do hope that some of the comments would include some other terms, and expressions describing the holiness of God. Also, I hope and pray that the readers would be motivated to a deeper knowledge of His holiness, expressing understanding through prayer. Communicating to God our thoughts of Him when we pray is immeasurable when bringing Him glory!