Moral Holiness
The Identity and Attributes of God
August 11, 2024
Rev. Dr. Gabe Sylvia
The sermon teaches that God's holiness is not merely the absence of impurity but the overflowing presence of every perfect attribute, making God the unapproachable moral standard that demands human holiness and warns of condemnation if the soul is unprotected.
Summary
Using the sun as an object lesson, the sermon contrasts physical danger from an exposed body with spiritual danger for an unprotected soul, then defines God's moral holiness as both the absence of impurity and the complete, unchangeable fullness of every good attribute—love, mercy, faithfulness, justice, will, and more. This perfection forms the standard for human moral character (echoed in Ephesians 5: 'Be holy, for I am holy'), grounds the whole moral code of Scripture, and implies that approach to God apart from proper means leads to doom; the evening's focus is on pursuing greater holiness in response.
Key Points
- Sun object lesson: like unprotected skin is harmed by the sun, an unprotected soul faces God's condemnation.
- Definition: God's holiness is not only absence of impurity but the full, unchangeable presence of all that is good.
- Attributes: God's moral holiness includes love, mercy, faithfulness, justice, will—each perfectly right all the time.
- Quotation/illustration: Puritan insight—holiness as an overflow/abundance of perfection.
- Warning: There is no natural approach to such a God; coming close without protection brings doom.
- Application: Ephesians 5 ('Be holy, for I am holy') — God's perfection is the moral standard for believers.
- Purpose: The sermon aims to engage listeners in the pursuit of greater holiness.
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