The attributes or characteristics of God can deeply impress people. For instance, people have stood in awe because of God's power, His knowledge, or His existence from eternity. Such an impression is in itself a good thing. But it is a great mistake to conclude that because of these impressions, you are a true believer and have a saving share in the Lord Jesus Christ. Being impressed by some of God's attributes do not make one a true believer. In Scripture there are many examples of people who were impressed by God's power and strength, but who were not true believers. We can think for example of men such as Balaam, king Saul, and the Israelites in the wilderness. Nebuchadnezzar recognized God's authority and Belshazzar acknowledged God as Judge. Darius, the Mede, was impressed by God's power. The multitudes that followed the Lord Jesus marvelled at His miracles, but ended up rejecting Him. How is that possible? Because with all these impressions of God's goodness, power and greatness, they had never learned to love one of the most important attributes of God: His holiness.

Holiness Inspires Love and Awe⤒🔗

It is precisely the holiness of God that caus­es God's people to love and honour Him. God's holiness colours His whole being. Because of God's holiness, all His other attributes are seen as beautiful and awe inspiring. It is the glory of God that His wisdom is holy wisdom and not wicked wis­dom. His majesty is lovely because it is a holy majesty. The glory of God's power is that it is a holy power. His power is holy because it is used to magnify that which is pure, good and perfect. God is good and righteous because He is holy. God's holiness is the reason why God's children love and adore Him.

This same holiness causes the devils to be afraid of Him. They know a holy God will punish sin. The demons see Jesus coming to them and they recoil and cry out: "'I know who Thou art, the Holy One of God."

God's Holiness Displays Beauty←⤒🔗

God's holiness displays His beauty. Angels are characterized by a certain strength and knowledge, but their glory is that they are holy and dedicated to God. The fallen angels, the devils also have power and knowledge, but they are loathsome, because they are not holy and they are not dedicated to God. They love iniquity; they are degraded beings.

Holiness inspires true beauty. If God would not be holy, His people would not esteem Him and could not love Him. God's children delight in God precisely because He is holy.

This explains the difference between a true believer and a false believer. A hypocrite can be impressed by some of God's attributes and can even confess to believe in God, but he is not a true believer. Such a person does not love God's rebukes and hatred of sin. In Scripture, there were people who marvelled at the power of Christ, but at the same time they hated His holiness. They cast Him away and crucified Him. That is where false faith leads. At the end of the day such people say: "Away with Him. I do not want His rule." The natural man can be impressed by all God's attributes, except His holiness. He cannot bear God's holiness. He is an enemy of God and His holiness because his heart is knit to sin.

Holiness is God's Essential Character←⤒🔗

God's people love and adore Him precisely because of His holiness. His holiness is the essential characteristic of God. That is why the angels rejoice: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts." God is devoted to Himself, for God is good. Jesus is beautiful and the church sings of Him, that He is altogether lovely because He is holy.

The church exalts the holiness of Christ. The apostles rebuked the Sanhedrin in Acts 3:14 because they had denied the Holy One. In Revelation 3:7 Christ is portrayed as holy and true. The spiritual beauty of His human nature — His meekness, lowliness, patience, heavenliness, love to God, love to men, His condescension to the low and the vile and His compassion for the miserable — are all summed up in the character of His holiness. It is because of His holiness that the children of God love the Lord, His Word and all His dealings. For "He is holy in all His ways and works."

God's Holiness Convicts←⤒🔗

God's children love that which is holy because their nature has been changed. The natural man has no sense of the excellence of holy things. He still delights in iniquity. But God's children have discovered the beauty of holiness. God's Spirit has shown them. Here we have the touchstone that distinguishes between true faith and false faith.

Do you say that you love the Lord? Or is your love dependent on the gifts God grants you and the blessings He confers upon you, or the advantages you have received from Him? Is your love inspired by a desire for holiness? Do you delight in God because He is pure and holy? Only when you see something of God's holiness, will your heart melt and will you be humbled. A sense of God's holiness will wean you away from the world, draw you to God, and effectually change you.

When God's Spirit uncovers you to the terrors of punishment and the guilt of sin, you will be so impressed that you cry out to Him for mercy. Unless you see God's holiness, you will not see your real need for Christ, because you do not realize the heinousness of sin against the purity of God's holiness.

Have your eyes been opened to see the beauty of God's holiness? Do you adore Him because He is perfect and hates sin? When He points out the sin in your life, do you love Him for that? Is your response: "Lord uncover me and try me"? Do you bow your head in shame, confessing: "Lord, I am a sinful man, I have no right to be Thy child." Then you confess your sins and you will lay your corrupt life down before Him.

That is because you have learned to love His holiness. You want Him to cleanse you and make you holy.

The life-long quest of a child of God will be to be made holy, to be led into the ways of God's holiness, to love that which is good and to hate that which is evil. Then you see the beauty of holiness.

God's Children Want to be Holy←⤒🔗

The Lord says in his Word: "Be holy for I am holy." All God's children have a desire after holiness. The Spirit leads them into the life of sanctification. How? By showing them more of the will of God and by daily renewing their hearts. Then they begin to walk in the ways of the Lord. They become a holy people who walk in every good work, prepared for them that they may walk in them.

The more exposed you are to God's purity and holiness, the lower you will bow down before Him. You will think little of yourself. Many times you will be downcast because you do not love Him as you should. But you have a good hope that He who began a good work in you will continue that work until the day of His coming. He has given you to love His holiness and He will continue this work in you. He will lead you all the way to where there is no more sin, to be with Him. There you will rejoice forever in His holiness. There you will also be holy, fully dedicated to God, without spot or stain of sin.

Self-Examination←⤒🔗

But if you do not love His holiness — what then? Then you are outside of Christ. You may honour God for His power or for the blessings He gives, but you do not love Him because He is holy.

How can you tell if you do not love His holiness? By several things. You will enjoy sin. Do you like watching sinful things, reading about it and talking about it? Do you resist uncovering preaching? Do you resist when you are admon­ished? Do you turn away when God's Word sharply goes against you? Are you never deeply ashamed and disgusted because you do not love God as you should? Do you never ask, "Lord do whatever is necessary to cause me to walk before Thee in holiness? By nature no one likes holiness.

Many professing Christians do not like holiness either. They can be very religious, very active, even loudly proclaim their Christian profession, but they don't want to be a poor sinner before God. They think too highly of themselves. They want to go to heaven, but they do not love God's holiness. Such people do not know the riches of Christ either. Should those who know Christ not be filled with delight like those who have found a great treasure? Will they be interested in some worthless pebbles? There are many who call themselves by the name of Christ, but they are excited about the "pebbles" of this world. They are excited about a sports game or their hobby, but you never hear them speaking in excitement about Christ. It shows they do not know Him, His treasures, or His holiness.

If you are like that, do not go on living like this. You must repent and become honest before God. For how can you meet God? His holiness will devour you because God is a consuming fire. You are safe only in the blood of Jesus. God sent His Holy Child to save sinners from their unholy lives. Cry out for God's grace to save you.