God’s attribute of holiness may be considered the glory of all His attributes. He is “the Holy One”—and thus incomparable (Isa. 40:25), but He is also “the Holy One of Israel”—the faithful Lord of His covenant people (Isa. 1:2–4). Holiness thus summarizes both the majesty and moral excellence—the greatness and goodness—of the divine nature. It also sets the experiential tone of reverential fear by which we should approach all God’s attributes and works, and yet with the hope of His holy nearness to the contrite in heart (Isa. 57:15).
Meditating upon God’s attributes leads us to the knowledge of God, yet on a human level, for we cannot penetrate the infinite depths of His glory or fully trace out His ways (Rom. 11:33). However, the Bible’s statements do reveal truly who God is: “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24); “God is light” (1 John 1:5); “God is love” (4:8), and so on. Since these are words from God, we must believe them to be meaningful and true. Herman Bavinck said, “As God reveals himself, so he is.” [Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2003–20080, 2:111.]
It is impossible to overstate the importance of making God’s attributes the focus of our attention, affection, and admiration. Charles Spurgeon said, The word, the character, and the actions of God should be evermore before our eyes; we should learn, consider, and reverence them. Men forget what they do not wish to remember, but the excellent attributes of the Most High are objects of the believer’s affectionate and delighted admiration…. This inner love to the right must be the main spring of Christian integrity in our public walk.
Praise God that in Christ Jesus all the attributes of God have taken human form and have been directed toward our redemption, our re-creation in God’s image, and the consummation of His kingdom!
Book Excerpt from
None Else: 31 Meditations on God’s Character and Attributes
By Beeke & Cosby
