We’ve made it to the last two life-changing truths about God, but — again — let’s review the previous ones:
- God is CREATOR.
- God is ETERNAL.
- God is SELF-SUFFICIENT and INDEPENDENT.
- God is PRESENT.
- God is ALL-KNOWING. God is OMNISCIENT.
- God is ALMIGHTY. He is OMNIPOTENT.
And now to truths seven and eight…
LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH #7
GOD IS HOLY.
We are sinful.
I’m a sinful, messed-up, broken man. Regardless of how hard I try, I’ll regularly come up short. That’s the truth of Romans 3:23. We all “fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
God is HOLY.
He’s completely separate from sin, imperfection, brokenness and everything else. The word holy implies absolute moral purity and perfection. [1]
God’s in a class all His own. He’s distinct and separate from anything and everything that has ever existed or ever will exist.
Nothing compares to God.
Absolutely nothing.
He exceeds all limitations. He is above and beyond us in every possible way.
In Isaiah 6, Isaiah got a glimpse of the throne of God. It was surrounded by mighty angelic beings called seraphim that each had six wings.
The presence and holiness of God was so overwhelming that even these perfect, superhuman, angelic beings had to cover their faces and cover their feet in humility in the presence of a completely holy God.
But not only did they cover their faces and feet, they also repeatedly called out to one another these words.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
The whole earth is filled with His glory!”
—Isaiah 6:3 NLT
I recently read this explanation for what the angels were saying in Isaiah 6.
Suppose I looked at you and said, “Dude, I was at the Alabama Men’s Basketball game last night and I saw a guy who was huge, huge, huge.”
“Just that description would let you know that what I saw was not your ‘average’ big guy. What I saw was the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.” [2]
When Isaiah describes these angels repeatedly calling out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy” He’s letting us know that the holiness of God is unlike anything we’ve ever imagined! In fact, the angels didn’t stop there. Read the entire song: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The whole earth is filled with His glory.”
In other words, the holiness of God is enough to fill the whole earth! And, what it fills the earth with is God’s glory — His manifest presence.
The holiness and glory of God, and the singing of these seraphim was so powerful that it shook the temple to its foundation and filled the place with smoke (v 4). Isaiah was so overwhelmed, that he cried out, “It’s all over. I’m doomed. I’m a sinful man. I have filthy lips. I live among a group of people with filthy lips” (v5).
In other words, “Anything I have to offer, in comparison to a God like this, is broken, corrupt, polluted and filthy. His holiness reveals just how broken I really am.”
God’s holiness is not an aspect of who He is, it’s the essence of who and what He is.
Here’s the way Paul Tripp describes it:
“Everything God thinks, desires, speaks, and does is utterly holy in every way. He is holy in every attribute and every action. He is holy in justice. He is holy in love. He is holy in mercy. He is holy in power. He is holy in sovereignty. He is holy in wisdom. He is holy in patience. He is holy in anger. He is holy in grace. He is holy in faithfulness. He is holy in compassion. He is even holy in his holiness…” —Paul Tripp [3]
What does God’s holiness mean to you and me?
Once again, Paul Tripp describes it like this:
“The holiness of God decimates our autonomy and self-sufficiency and drives us to the Savior, who alone is able, by His life and death, to unite unholy people with a holy God…” —Paul Tripp [4]
LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH #8
GOD IS SOVEREIGN. GOD IS LARGE AND IN CHARGE.
When the Bible teaches that God is sovereign, it means that God is in absolute control of His world and everything that happens in it — without any gaps, limits, interference or any person or entity preventing the fulfillment of His purpose, plan and will.
The word “sovereign” means “principal, chief or supreme.” It means that God is “sovereign” in his POSITION – there is nobody higher than He is. It also means that God is “sovereign” in His POWER – there is no power greater than His power!
When we say, “God is sovereign,” we’re saying, “He is LARGE and IN CHARGE.
The sovereignty of God means that God’s purpose can’t be blocked, restrained, or stopped. God’s intentions can’t be disrupted. What He purposes will take place without delay, without a hitch, and without fail.
In Isaiah 46:10, God is speaking and He makes this statement about Himself…
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” —Isaiah 46:10 NLT
Because God is sovereign, even when we can’t understand what’s going on in our world, we can trust the truth of Romans 8:28.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. —Romans 8:28 NLT
The MSG reads, “…every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
The sovereignty of God gives us a reason to get up every morning! Regardless of what’s happening with COVID. Regardless of who’s in the White House or the doghouse. Regardless of what political party is currently in “power”. Regardless of what friction, dissonance or distance is present in our marriage or family. Regardless of what challenges we may be facing with our health or with our job. Regardless of what’s taking place between the Ukraine and Russia.
We are not alone. Things are not out of control! This world is ruled by our Sovereign God. He is large and in charge, and He is working everything together for our ultimate good, His great glory and the fulfillment of His redemptive purpose and plan! Everything!
God’s attributes and characteristics aren’t merely a list of facts and features about God. They’re bedrock, foundational TRUTHS that inform belief and inspire FAITH.
God has revealed these truths about Himself in His Word, not for the sake of our knowledge, but for the sake of RELATIONSHIP. He longs for us to know and love Him.
What should our response to the sovereignty of God be?
There’s only one possible response. It’s the same response that a pagan King offered to God when He realized that He wasn’t calling the shots but that God was. He wasn’t large and in charge, but God was.
Nebuchadnezzar’s response is described in Daniel 4.
“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. 35 All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him,‘What do you mean by doing these things?’” —Daniel 4:34-35 NLT
In other words, at some point, there is coming a day, when we will look at the sovereign decisions of God, and in the aftermath of His presence, our first response won’t be, “Why, God?” but, “Wow…God.”
Our first response won’t be,
“Why, God?” but, “Wow…God.”
Our response will be the same as Nebuchadnezzar and Job.
“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.” —Job 40:4 NLT
At that point, our response will be worship.
It will be, “It’s all about YOU. It’s not about me. I choose to trust YOU.”
I began this series of posts with a quote from A.W. Tozer from 1961, where Tozer wrote:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us…” —A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, 1961.
I want to close this post with a quote from C.S. Lewis and his book, The Weight of Glory written in 1961.
“I read in a periodical the other day that the fundamental thing is how we think of God.
“By God Himself, it is not! How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important. Indeed, how we think of Him is of no importance except in so far as it is related to how He thinks of us.” —C. S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory” (1941)
[1] ESV Study Bible Footnote on Isaiah 6:3.
[2] Tripp, Paul, Do You Believe? (p 100). Crossway, Kindle Ed.
[3] Tripp, Paul David. Do You Believe? (p. 102). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
[4] Tripp, Paul David. Do You Believe? (p. 104). Crossway. Kindle Edition.