When God says "GOOD" we think we understand what He is saying. When He says "HOLY" we again believe we know what He is saying. Do we? Do we really know what God means by good and holy? God has clearly spelled out in detail what he considers GOOD. We need only look at the Bible. Let's look at this from the Bible's point of view which is God's disclosure of who and what He is to mankind. What are some examples of what God says GOOD and HOLY are?
God created light.
Genesis 1:3-4 "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good"
God made creation.
Genesis 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good"
Jesus laid down His life for our sin.
John 10:11 "I am (ego eimi) the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Sacrifice for others welfare.
Doing good for others.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
Now let us look at what God deems holy.
Leviticus 11:44 "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
One of the clearest depictions of God's holiness is...
Isaiah 6:2-5 "Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Isaiah was convinced that his demise was eminent being in the presence of Holy God...and he was correct. An angel eventually pulled a coal from the alter of the Lord to purify him. Even the Seraphs covered their faces. Additionally, wherever the Bible shows a repetition of words it is drawing particular emphasis on that statement of attribute.
How heavenly creatures worship God.
"Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." That's all these four living creatures did and they seemed fairly content doing it too.
In this lifetime, as humans, can we ever truly understand this kind of holiness? It is difficult for man to understand true holiness let alone attain it. This is evident in the fact that it takes our entire lives from the point of conversion to our deaths to attain glorification in Jesus Christ through and act of sanctification.
Case-in-point: Many people tell me that I am good at painting pictures through words. Then the same folks say that the Psalmists or King Solomon in Proverbs and Song of Solomon was good at painting pictures with words. We are talking about levels of magnitude of difference it these comparisons that are not just absurd, they defy words. Such is the case when God thinks and says, "GOOD" or "HOLY" and when man thinks and says, "good" or "holy" [capital & lowercase letters are intentional]. We will spend eternity trying to understand the Lord's HOLINESS. So, do you think you are good enough? Do you believe you are holy enough? Only Jesus Christ was good enough. The unblemished lamb & sacrifice that stood in our stead to atone for our wretchedness & sin. He was the propitiation for our lack of goodness and holiness. Even at our best, even at our holiest we are a wretched lot. We have an advocate people. The One to take our case to the right hand of the Father and allow the Father to look at us as HOLY and there was nothing we did to earn it. It was solely through God's grace and mercy that this can happen.
Romans 8:7-8 “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God".
John 17:17 "Jesus prayed thus, "Sanctify [make holy] them through thy word: thy word is truth".
If man obeys verses that teach him to maintain certain thoughts, values, and speech, he becomes HOLY (Philippins 4:8; Matthew 6:33) It must be understood that man participates in his holiness, God does not force or directly impart holiness
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."
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