A Delight in His Holiness

Jonathan Edwards once said, “A true love of God must begin with a delight in his holiness.” Wow, that might make some folks a bit uneasy by today’s standards. I can’t think of a time when I have had a comfortable conversation with someone about the holiness of God.

For many people the word’s God and holiness conjure up pictures of hard church pews, long liturgies, outdated music, and boring preachers. They are words that are not always used in the most positive manner in today’s culture.

So often when I hear the word God, it is connected to words like love, acceptance, or forgiving. Rarely do I hear God mentioned with words like sin, repentance, or righteousness. Yet I would argue that all the words I have just mentioned can be brought together in the word holiness.

If we are to truly claim we love God, we must also accept and even delight in his holiness as Edwards has stated. We cannot replace God’s holiness with a softer or more socially acceptable word or phrase. For the scriptures remind us that God is holy; and cannot be separated from his holiness for our comfort. When we acknowledge this we are also recognizing his make up, in a sense, the essence of who God is.

Yes, God is accepting, loving and righteous. Yes he forgives our sins and yes he calls us to repentance; but he does all of this from his holiness. It is because God is holy that he cannot tolerate sin, yet sought to save his creation. It is because God is holy that he opened the way of salvation through Jesus his Son. It is by his holiness that we are loved, forgiven, and accepted as heirs to his kingdom.

So let us, like Jonathan Edwards, celebrate our true love for God and take delight in his holiness. 

RefRev