Several days ago, in our broadcast we began talking about a biblical worldview and what that looks like. There are various surveys and so forth that have asked people a few questions to see if they have a biblical worldview. That is usually a very truncated idea of what a biblical worldview is. We are looking at it in more detail. I believe that to have a worldview that is in line with Scripture there are certain cardinal, non-negotiable teachings and understandings that must be ours.
We began by looking at Scripture and our view of God’s Word as being inspired, inherent, infallible, and the sufficient Word of God. Then we began to talk about God Himself. You cannot have a biblical worldview and have a wrong view of God. Scripture tells us what God is like. That is what we are looking at. Of course, we are only focusing on a few things in particular. We could go on for weeks upon weeks talking about God and all that Scripture says about Him, but we are picking out some essentials. These are things that certainly cannot be negotiated beyond.
One of those things is holiness. God is holy. I don’t think it is a good idea to say that one attribute of God is more important or more essential than another. Some would look at God and say God is love and that is His essence and highest attribute. Or they may pick a different one. Some would go to holiness and say that holiness is the highest attribute of God. I think we have to be careful there and not parcel God up in that way. He is not like us. All the attributes of God, though we think of them as main characteristics, are part of who God is in essence, not just characteristics. All of these are vital to understanding Him.
Some have looked to holiness as the key that unlocks all of them. If God is not holy, then we have a real problem with who God is. That does not mean holiness is the highest of all attributes, it is just part of His nature. It is who God is. Yet Scripture talks so often about His holiness. In Isaiah 6:3, remember Isaiah is in the temple of the Lord and the Lord gives him a vision of the essence of Himself, the greatness of Himself. The angels are there and are flying around the Lord’s throne that Isaiah gets to witness, and the angels cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” It’s the only place in the Old Testament when any of His attributes are spoken of three times back-to-back. The only place where the world “holy” is used like that, three times back-to-back.
Then we come to the New Testament, and we have a worship scene in heaven with the angels. John is witnessing this one in Revelation 4:8, it says, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’” One other time in Scripture here we have this worship of God as being holy. Once again, it is the angels saying three times, “holy, holy, holy.” This is such a vital part of who God is. It really nails down His holiness.
