God is Holy

Lingqun QuJune 1, 2025

In our communities, we often speak of the love of God and the grace of God—and rightly so. But we have confess that the holiness of God is not mentioned as often. When we study the details of the tabernacle—from the outer court to the holy place and into the Most Holy Place—we see God's holiness woven into every part. Every instruction, every item, points to a holy God.

Yes, our loving Father is also a holy God. He loves us deeply, and he has set us apart to declare to all nations that we belong to him. More than that, we are called to live out a holy and godly life in all we do. When we live this way, we shine as lights in the world. And through that light, we create opportunities to share the gospel.

Therefore, let us mediate the holiness of God, encourage one another to pursue holiness, to live set apart for God—and to become testimonies of Jesus.

His holiness

9Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”

8The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!”

4Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”

7“‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. 8Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.

26You shall be holy to me, for I, the LORD, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.

Praise his holiness

9Exalt the LORD, our God. Worship at his holy hill, for the LORD, our God, is holy!

2The LORD is great in Zion. He is high above all the peoples. 3Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is Holy!

11Who is like you, LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

3But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.

2There is no one as holy as the LORD, for there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.

He commands us to to be holy

44For I am the LORD your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.

15But just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, 16because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1LORD, who shall dwell in your sanctuary? Who shall live on your holy hill? 2He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart;

4Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,

19I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh; for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification. 22But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification and the result of eternal life.

1Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1Having therefore these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

7For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.

10For they indeed for a few days disciplined us as seemed good to them, but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.

14Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,

11Therefore, since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness,

20Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor and some for dishonor. 21If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work.

Illustrations

God commanded the consecration of the tabernacle and priests to show his holiness (Exodus 40:1-16)

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2“On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

3You shall put the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

4You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lamp stand, and light its lamps.

5You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

6“You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

7You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.

8You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

9“You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy.

10You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy.

11You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.

12“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.

13You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

14You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them.

15You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”

16Moses did so. According to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.

Moses at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1–6)

1Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain, to Horeb.

2The LORD’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

4When the LORD saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”

5He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

6Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

God Struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh (1 Samuel 6:19-20)

19He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the LORD’s ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

20The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”

Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name. We praise your holy name, for there is no one holy like you. Today we come before your throne of grace with reverence and awe.

Our Lord Jesus,

Thank you for your great salvation. Because of your perfect sacrifice, we, who were once far away, can draw near to our holy God with confidence and boldness.

Holy Spirit,

Search our hearts and awaken our spirits. Teach us how to live a holy life, worthy of your calling. We do not want to be asleep or conformed to the patterns of this world. Instead, we long to be set apart in all we do—holy unto the Lord.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!