The Big Picture of the Bible: Chapter 04 God Is Holy

4 GOD IS HOLY All Biblical understanding must begin and end with a knowledge (as much as possible) of God. The character or nature of God is defined by the characteristic of holiness-the pure absence of any evil-“You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell” (Psa 5.4). John says, “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1.5). John is telling us that God is completely free from any moral evil: He is the essence of moral purity and goodness. The holiness of God is the very foundation for His plan of redemption. It is God’s holiness that perfects His attributes of omnipotence (infinite power), omniscience (perfect knowledge), and omnipresence (present everywhere). Imagine that you or someone you know had the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Would you love them? Or worship them? Not necessarily. What if they were evil-a Hitler or a Darth Vader? It is precisely God’s nature of holiness that makes all of His attributes perfectly good. It is His holiness that makes Him worthy of our praise, love, and devotion. I observe His holiness in His interaction with His creation. Consequently, it creates within me a love and reverence for God and a desire to serve Him, and to be forever with Him as my spiritual Father in heaven. Continued by book author Kenneth W. Craig