February 01, 2022
by Rick Combs
GOD IS HOLY! GOD IS RIGHTEOUS!
These two statements about God are covered extensively in the Bible. The word holy appears 492 times in the Old Testament and 233 times in the New Testament. Although we do not have the original Greek or Hebrew languages, the best and most reliable texts from the Traditional Text Line indicate that the word holy is qodes in the Hebrew and hagios in the Greek. Both carry the meaning of being “set apart” or “separated”.
Isaiah 6:1-3 “…I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory”.
What a scene!
Exodus 15:11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders”?
There is no one like Him. God is wholly separate and unique from all else.
God is absolute perfection in every way. His moral character is flawless and without any hint of justified accusation.
God is set apart from sin. Habakkuk 1:13 tells us, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor”.
A.W. Tozer summarizes holiness well:
“Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard.
He IS the standard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible
fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is.”
Because God is holy, everything He does is Righteous. The base word of Righteous is Right. Everything that God does, and thinks is thoroughly Right and full of wisdom. The One who is Holy behaves Righteously. Therefore, His Law is holy and righteous.
Isaiah 5:16 “But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified (set apart) in righteousness”.
So, God is Holy and Righteous. He shows us that He is holy in His Righteousness. That is, in what He does and how He does it. God’s holiness is displayed in His Righteousness. There is no fault in Him.
Revelation 15:4 “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments (righteous acts) are made manifest”.
All of God’s judgments are right with wisdom and perfection. His final judgments of the earth and the heavens upon the Lord’s Return will be perfect and accomplished with Wisdom.
Psalms 119:137 “Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments”.
Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he”.
We could say so much more. But, for now we will conclude with the above thoughts.
In our next few posts, we’ll find out that God surrounds Himself in Light and fire goes before Him. These are some exciting things to discover about our God who is HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS.
Until then, the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen!