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Response
The term “holy” has two main definitions. Firstly, holiness denotes absolute moral purity and an unparalleled standard of righteousness. God, who is incapable of error, untainted by sin, unrestricted by the laws of nature, and pure in all His ways, is considered holy. Secondly, holiness signifies being set apart from the ordinary for God’s purposes. For instance, the psalmist mentioned God’s “holy” temple in Jerusalem “O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have laid Jerusalem on heaps.”, (Psalm 79:1). The temple was not merely a structure of wood and stone; it was where God’s people gathered for reverent worship. Our Lord Jesus was rightfully angered by greedy merchants who were turning the holy temple into a “den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12-13).
When discussing the holiness of Christ, it is crucial to have a precise understanding of His being and nature. To some, Jesus is only a historical figure— an ancient prophet, a moral teacher, the founder of a major world religion, a martyr, a philosopher, and perhaps even a miracle worker. Islam regards Jesus as a prophet of lower status than Muhammad. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society teaches that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. Mormonism believes Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer. The New Age Movement views Jesus as an avatar or messenger from a lineage of messengers. Liberal theology suggests Jesus is just one of many paths to God. Clearly, there is significant confusion regarding the person and nature of Christ Jesus; to truly understand Him, we must diligently study the Scriptures that speak of Him, as seen in Luke 24:27.
The holiness of Christ is connected to His divinity. Jesus is fully God and fFully man. Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:58; Revelation 1:8,17). Jesus accepted worship (Matthew 2:11; John 12:13). Jesus declared He and His Heavenly Father are of the same divine essence and nature “I and my Father are one.”, (John 10:30). The prophet Isaiah called Him “Mighty God and Everlasting Father” “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”, (Isaiah 9:6). Upon seeing the resurrected Jesus, the disciple Thomas honored Him with the dual title, “My Lord and my God” “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”, (John 20:28). The apostle John opens his gospel account by attesting to the deity of Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3; ESV). Christ Jesus is worthy of our highest adoration and praise, for He is God who clothed Himself in human flesh “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”, (John 1:14). To deny His deity, and thus to deny His holiness, is to deny Him altogether.
In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wr
Note, “I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the truly foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (Macmillan, 1952, pp. 55–56).
Man’s Attraction to and Fear of the Holy
Those who obey Jesus’ commandments may call Him friend «Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. », (John 15:14), but we must never treat Him as an equal. His holiness demands awe and respect. To approach Him in an overly familiar manner or to use His name flippantly or carelessly is shameful. Jesus draws us to Himself, and we find Him altogether lovely, for He is of the same divine essence and nature as God the Father «who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: », (Philippians 2:6). Yet His unparalleled goodness and radiant glory stand in stark contrast to fallen mankind’s depravity. Even the best among us are as lowly worms in His divine presence. The Lord Jesus is deserving of our worship, and the day is approaching when even those who mocked and scorned Him will bow in submission and say, “Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).
Imagine a scenario where a brave young boy overcomes his fear and gathers the courage to ask the most beautiful girl in his class out on a date. Nervously and awkwardly, the boy struggles with his words and acts in a somewhat amusing manner. This situation portrays the conflicting emotions of attraction and apprehension. The young man is attracted to the girl’s beauty, yet it also causes him anxiety. In a simple yet profound manner, this exemplifies the notion of numinous awe. Humanity, tainted by sin, is drawn to God due to His holiness, but the presence of the Holy One instills us with fear and trepidation.
This blend of attraction and fear is evident in Peter’s experience on the Lake of Galilee:
Once, as the crowd pressed in to hear the word of God, Jesus stood by the lake of Gennesaret and noticed two boats at the shore. The fishermen had left their boats and were cleaning their nets. Jesus got into one of the boats, Simon’s, and asked him to push out a little from the land. Sitting down, he taught the people from the boat. After speaking, Jesus told Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they obeyed, they caught a large number of fish, causing their nets to break. They signaled for help from their partners in the other boat, and both boats were filled to the point of sinking. Witnessing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” He and his companions were amazed at the miraculous catch, including James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. Jesus reassured Simon, saying, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” They brought their boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.
He called him (Luke 5:1-11;ESV).
