All that God does, decides, and decrees is holy. His thoughts, plans, and promises are all holy. Are these things holy because He does them? Or, does He do them because it is holy? The answer is yes. Like we’ve seen already, God does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3). And all that pleases Him is holy. He is holy in His creation. He is holy in His election. He is holy in His justice. He is holy in His grace. He is holy in His compassion. He is holy in His mercy. He is holy in His judgment. He is holy in His wrath. All of His commands are holy.
As I write this, the United States continues its cultural battle over homosexuality being fully accepted as a norm. Several denominations have already capitulated on this issue and have sought in their minds to be more loving, welcoming, and affirming to the homosexual community. But, anything contrary to God’s Law cannot be beautiful or good. It’s never loving to affirm something God hates. All that God demands is holy. Affirming sin may welcome people into a building and an earthly fellowship, but it pushes them away from a holy God and directly toward the pit of hell. We must not condone or wink at sins which God detests (see Romans 1:32). Of course, conservative evangelicals must allow this truth to hit closer to home. When churches avoid church discipline because it seems “unloving” they are acting in conflict to God’s commands and become participants in unholy actions. Anything we do that is contrary to God’s word is not pure or beautiful, no matter how we may define beauty. Again, the reason being that all that God does, decides, and decrees is holy.
The unblemishable holiness of God means that God is free from culpability in all sin. While He is completely sovereign over the universe, He does not use men as robots forcing them to sin. God’s sovereignty is such that He is able to determine all actions after the counsel of His own will while simultaneously being free from all sin (Ephesians 1:11). We see the supreme example of this with the cross.
In Acts 4:27-28 Luke records the theology of the first Christians as they address God in prayer, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” Some have tried to take these verses and make them say that God predestined the cross and that’s it. The issue is that you don’t have a cross without a crucifixion and you don’t have the crucifixion without the actions of Herod, Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples and leaders of Israel. Acts 4:27-28 is easy to understand. It’s just difficult for prideful men to accept. Many mistakenly argue God’s predestining the actions of men as logically meaning He would have to be the author of sin. In reality, this view of God is too small—as if God can only bring about His intended purposes if He uses men as robots. Instead, Scripture teaches us that God predetermines all things, even the actions of men (Proverbs 16:9), while at the same time being completely and utterly free from the least tinge of sin Himself (and that men have real moral agency).
He is the God of unblemishable holiness. Pilate, Herod, the Gentiles, the Jewish leaders and the peoples of Israel chose to do to Jesus exactly what they most wanted to do, while at the same time they chose to do exactly what God had predestined to take place. God is Sovereign, and man is responsible.
Adapted from Before the Throne: Reflections on God's Holiness by Allen S. Nelson IV
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