Holy, Holy, Holy

Posted by: Megan Sweitzer, Social Media and Podcast Coordinator | Monday, June 23rd, 2025 (12:00am)

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.—Hebrews 12:14

I’m reading a book right now about the character of God. Each chapter dives deeper into a quality of the Lord, like love, patience, and justice. As I was reading I was particularly struck by the chapter on holiness, maybe because I feel like I can’t fully grasp the extent of it.

Throughout Scripture, we see that holiness is a theme repeated often, making it important to note. For example, in Revelation 4:8, it says, “They never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” or in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

We don’t really see another attribute of God emphasized in this way. There’s no verse that says, “Good, good, good is the Lord God Almighty” or “Mercy, mercy, mercy is the Lord of Hosts.” And while those are wonderful attributes of the Lord, holiness stands alone in this kind of repetition. It’s as if Scripture is italicizing it, highlighting it, and bolding it to let us know, “This is important, take note.” This is central to who God is, and His holiness helps us understand everything else about Him.

I think holiness is something we all wrestle with; it’s a mystery, yet something really beautiful at the same time. It’s this distinctive, sacred, consecrated attribute we somewhat understand but can’t fully relate to. Holiness reveals a gap between God and us. God is utterly perfect, full in purity, and so gloriously unlike us, and yet, holiness is a word often thrown around in Christian circles. Statements like, “be set apart” or “be holy as the Lord is holy”, suggest this divine attribute is something we can become. But can we really reflect this aspect of the Lord’s character? What does it look like to be set apart, and why is it important?

Part of this call is to have a heart posture that reflects God’s holiness. To be different in the way we think, speak, and love so that it affects everything we do. Maybe it’s choosing to listen to worship music in place of secular songs. Maybe it’s choosing to be slow to speak with your kids and quick to listen with your husband in hopes of understanding more deeply. Perhaps it’s examining how we treat our neighbors; are you extending grace, gentleness, and patience to people you encounter in the community? It could even be starting your morning in prayer, meditating on the Lord’s character and practicing gratitude for all He has done for you. No matter what form it takes, the Lord empowers us by His grace to pursue this way of life with Him and walk closely with the one who is holy, holy, holy.

Holiness allows us to be close to our Creator while we are on this side of eternity. Our sin and brokenness lead us farther away from God and keeps us there longer than any of us ever intended to stay. When we practice holiness, we are moving closer to what God intended all along; to live a life in deep communion with Him, experiencing freedom under His loving care. So today, choose to walk closely with the holy God; worship Him, fear Him, love Him as your Holy God. Embrace the mystery and the things unknown, and trust that the Holy Spirit is doing the work to make us more like Jesus every day.