Day 9: God Is Holy, Not Safe, Not Common

Scripture
“And one called to another and said:
 ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; 
the whole earth is full of his glory!’” 
Isaiah 6:3 ESV

“but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
 1 Peter 1:15-16 ESV

Confessional Summary
The Reformers saw holiness as God’s perfect purity and majesty that exposes what is false and restores what is broken. Westminster says God is “most holy,” meaning He is not merely improved goodness, but perfect purity without any shadow or compromise (Westminster Confession of Faith 2.1; Westminster Larger Catechism 7).

The Second Helvetic Confession confesses this same God as “just and true,” and “kind and merciful,” which means He is never morally corrupt, never bought, never casual with sin (Second Helvetic Confession, chapter 3).

The confessions teach that God’s holiness is His absolute moral purity and majesty, so He never compromises with sin, yet His justice and mercy work together to expose evil and cleanse and restore His people.

Reflection

Holiness is not God being the strict parent in the sky, always annoyed, always scolding. Holiness is God being God. He is not like us, and you cannot handle Him like a hobby.

Isaiah is in worship and the first effect is not inspiration, but exposure. Under the “holy, holy, holy,” Isaiah quits polishing himself and starts telling the truth. That is what holiness does. It ends the performance.
That exposure is not cruelty. It is mercy. God does not uncover Isaiah to shame him. God uncovers Isaiah so he can be cleansed. A casual god can only shrug at sin. The holy God can name it, judge it, and wash it away. That is why grace is not tolerance. It is cleansing.

Peter’s call to holiness is not moralism. It is family resemblance. You are being shaped to look like the One who called you.

Application

Treat God as holy today in one place where you have gotten casual. Slow down in prayer and stop filling every silence. Name one sin plainly, no soft language, no vague confession. Then come to Christ without bargaining, because the God who exposes is the God who cleanses.

Prayer
Holy Lord, I confess that I treat You as common. Bring weight back into my worship and purity into my desires. Expose what is false in me, and cleanse what is unclean, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.