“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 20: 7)
“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16)
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (I John 4:8)
Basic truth: God is holy in love. He always does what is best for us.
God's holiness has two aspects: He is separate (or set apart) from His creation, and He is morally pure. I John 1:5 states, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
The qualities of God described as holy are His name (Leviticus 22:32), His ways or actions (Psalm 77:13), and His name and dwelling place (Isaiah 57:15).
Because God is holy, He cannot be tempted to do evil, nor does He tempt anyone to do evil (James 1:13).
Qualities of God’s love
God’s love for mankind is an expression of His will and choice: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. ” (Hosea 14:4)
Because God is holy, His love cannot overlook sin. While I John 1: 8 says that God is love, His love is always marked by truth (Psalm 33:5), and justice (Ephesians 4:15).
God's love is sacrificial (John 3:16; 15:13; 1 John 4:9 10).
God's love is unconditional. Romans 5:8 states how God demonstrated His love for sinners by sending His Son to die for them.
God's love is unending (Jeremiah 31:3).
Consequences of God’s holiness for men
Because God is holy, we can see our sinfulness more clearly (Isaiah 6:1 5). We can be holy ourselves (1 Peter 1:15-16). We must fear, glorify, and worship God (Revelation 15:4).
Because of God’s holiness, we must sing to him (Psalm 30:4), exalt and worship Him (Psalm 99:9).
God expresses His love for believers by disciplining them (Hebrews 12:5 8).
The believer expresses his love for God by obeying Him (John 14:15).
We must love others (I John 4:8).
Further study / sermons (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] From Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer: The Holiness of God, and The Love of God
[2] Sermons on 1 Peter 1:16 (a) Called To Be Saints, (b) Holy, Why?; and (c) “Live to be Holy”
[3] For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner
Notes: (1) This blog uses RefTagger. Simply mouse over any verse reference and a popup box will appear with the KJV citation; (2) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (3) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.
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