Isaiah 6:3 reveals a most transcending vision that surpasses anything even our most vivid dreams could fabricate.
It’s a vision of heaven. “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” The earth is full of His glory. Of all of God’s creation, spanning the entire universe, earth is the place where His glory can be seen, heard, touched, and felt.
I feel the warmth of life-giving sun rays on my body. I drink cool water. It quenches. I open my door in the morning to be greeted by a symphony of beautiful bird chirps aunging an anthem to the Glory of God. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalms 24:1).
Yet, we miss the fragrant honeysuckle or rose and replace it with running out the door and driving to work or an appointment.
There is nothing unclean that God made. God is holy, not once, but thrice, and all He thinks, says, and does is righteous as Psalm 19:9 exemplifies: “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”
Yet, sin reigns on earth. We strive under the curse upon creation, implemented in the Garden of Eden.“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Yet, even the curse is holy, as it stems from the holy hand of God’s divine justice.
In Revelation 4:8 the angels in heaven never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Again, it is relentlessly repeated three times ad infinitum, without end. “Holy, holy, holy.” So, God isn’t just holy. He is holy, holy, holy three times holy. This is for extreme ultimate infinite emphasis of the divine atribute of God’s character of perfect holiness. Heaven is pure; holy.
What isn’t Holy?
Just how holy is God? The concept “holy” signifies God’s absolute purity, separation from sin. Habakkuk 1:13 explains “Thy eyes are too pure to behold evil, and thou canst not look on iniquity.” Sin means to miss the mark either by commission or omission. It means we have failed to meet God’s behavioral standard either on purpose or by accident. Things you fail to do when you should or refuse to do are sins of omission. Commission is intentional wrongdoing. If God is that holy, all of our thoughts and actions must fall short.
Indeed, “we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments” (Daniel 9:5). Iniquity is considered a greater degree of moral corruption or depravity, often involving a pattern of wrongdoing and a refusal to repent or acknowledge one’s sin. It’s repeated sin without repentance. The sin of iniquity is represented as a willing lifestyle of reprobation. It can be seen as an evil state of being or wickedness as a characteristic of one’s depraved ungodly character, rather than just a single sinful action.
Consider the universe and everything in it as holy. It isn’t until man, through wilful volition, brings condemnation upon himself. But religious purification just doesn’t cut it when compared to God’s extreme holiness. There is no way we can make ourselves pure enough to spend eternity in heaven, a sinless place. A righteous judge must condemn sin.
Yet, God is merciful, and offers forgiveness; (Isaiah 57:15) “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
It is actually possible to become holy enough to go to heaven. Leviticus 19:2 explains, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” Furthermore, Leviticus 11:44-47 holds the hope of personal holines, “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy.”
So how can mere mortal man achieve such superb holiness while still alive on this earth? Is that actually possible? Is it within our reach? According to the Apostle Peter, it most certainly is. 1 Peter 1:15 – “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy.” And 1 Peter 1:16 – “Because it is written, ‘Be ye holy; for I am holy,'” it is absolutely possible to become holy as He is holy.
But how? Because 1 Samuel 2:2 says “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” Well, the Apostle Paul elaborates in Ephesians 1:4, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Yes we can become “without blame,” holy enough to enter the holy gates of heaven and reside there forever.
There is a call to personal holiness. It is calling from the streets. Proverbs 1:20 challenges us to find salvation from our sin and become holy, “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets.” in order to understand this mystery, you must desire to know the truth. Proverbs 9:10 compells us to find out as “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Incline your heart to be delivered.
This is where Jesus comes in. This is why the cross is so important. This is why the sacrificial system of deliverance from the consequences of sin is so critical. Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate atonement for human sin, offering a way to reconcile with God. Romans 5:1 explains it very clearly; “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Propitiation
The theological conept called “propitiation” presents Jesus’ sacrifice as a payment for your and my sin that satisfies God’s holy divine justice and turns away His wrath from you. You see, (John 3:36) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Jesus takes that wrath of God directed at us upon Himself on the cross. The Blood of Jesus, through His death, is the ultimate propitiation, appeasing God’s righteous anger against our sin.
Substitutionary Atonement
Jesus took the place of all humanity, willingly suffering the penalty for sins of every perso who ever lived or ever will live on Himself.
How could He possibly do that? I can’t pay for your sins because I have my own sins to pay for but Jesus never sinned once in His entire life, so then He could pay for our sins, every one. He took the punishment upon Himself that humans deserve. This substitution allowed God to forgive sins without compromising His justice. He takes our sin and exchanges it for God’s holiness.
But not everyone takes advantage of the free Gift of God in salvation. Only those who repent and turn from their sinful condition to forgiveness from the Savior will be saved. The Bible makesvitcclear thatcin order to be saved. In John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily [truly], verily [truly], I say unto thee, Except [unless] a man be born again, he cannot [even] see the kingdom of God.” In other words, they won’t be in heaven!
Incarnation and Obedience
As both God and man, Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the law through His perfect obedience and life, making atonement possible. Jesus is sinless. He never, ever, sinned. This perfect obedience, along with His death, is the basis for our forgiveness of sins.
Forgiveness of Sins
How many sins did Christ die for? How many sins did He pay for? ALL of them: ALL past, ALL present, and ALL future sins.
Through Jesus’ sacrifice, true believers, who have come to the foot of the cross and laid down their sin burden completely at His feet, can find complete forgiveness of all their sins and have their guilt removed completely in God’s sight through the blood sacrifice and death of Christ.
He takes our sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21) “For He (God the Father) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us (sinners), who (Jesus) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God (holy) in Him (Jesus).” This is the essence of the atonement, enabling believers to approach God without fear of condemnation.
In order to become holy enough to get into heaven, you have to face your sin and make a decision to turn from your wicked ways. We cannot stop sinning and make ourselves holy, but we can sure recognize our sinful condition. BUT IF YOU ARE JUST PRETENDING TO BE SAVED, ALL THIS WON’T COUNT FOR YOU!
When a person receives Christ, they receive His holiness through imputed righteousness. The great exchange of our sinful condition for salvation from the consequences of our sin, hell itself, takes place the moment we invite Christ into our heart. Psalms 96:9 – “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth.”
We should fear the One who will send many to eternal hell fire. Will you be in heaven one day singing Holy, Holy Holy? It’s your choice. What will you do with Jesus? Will you be in heaven one day singing Holy, Holy Holy?
Here are more verses about being saved:
Titus 3:5 – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration [new life, being born again, in Christ], and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Romans 10:9 – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it [salvation] is the gift of God.“
John 14:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”
Acts 4:12 – “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name [Jesus] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
John 6:44 – “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him [God is drawing you to Him right now]: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Acts 16:30-33 – …”Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”
Psalms 3:8 – “Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people.”
Psalms 37:39 – “But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: He is their strength in the time of trouble.”
Psalms 62:1 – “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.”
Acts 28:28 – “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they [we] will hear it.”
Romans 6:14 – “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
John 3:16-18 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should [shall] not perish, but have everlasting life.” God is too holy to lie.
Amen and Amen!!
If you have recieved Christ for salvation, read this wonerful hymn prayerfully…
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL