Learning from God’s Holiness¹

Thomas Boston

1. See the great evil of sin. Sin strikes against God’s holiness, which is His special glory; so it is not only contrary to our own interest but to the very nature of God. All sin aims at the being of God in general, but especially at the holiness of His being. Some sins strike more directly against one divine perfection and some against another; but all sins agree in their enmity against the holiness of God. Hence, when Sennacherib’s sin is emphasised, the Holy Spirit begins at this perfection: “Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? Even against the Holy One of Israel” (2 Ki 19:22). God cannot but hate that which is directly opposite to the glory of His nature, and the lustre of all His other perfections. Now what an horrid evil must that be which is so contrary to the holy nature of God, and which He infinitely abhors!

2. See the excellence of true gospel holiness. Holiness is the glory and beauty of God, and the glory of the heavenly angels; and therefore it must be the glory of men and women, that which makes them truly glorious. In

¹Taken, with editing, from An Illustration of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion, which is based on The Shorter Catechism. This extract comes from Boston’s Works, vol 1.

this respect the King’s daughter is said to be all glorious within. The Church is glorious, because it is holy. Hence Christ sanctifies and cleanses it, that He may present it to Himself a glorious Church (Eph 5:25,26). Holiness in the rational creature is the image of God. The more holy one is, the more he is like God. This is our chief excellence. Man’s original glory and happiness consisted in this, and the excellence of angels above devils lies in this. Holiness has a self-evidencing excellence in it. There is such a beauty and majesty in it as commands an acknowledgment of it from the consciences of all sorts of knowing men.

1. God can have no gracious communion with unholy sinners, “for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14). It is simply impossible for an infinitely holy God to embrace vile, polluted sinners who are not washed from their filthiness. They can have no fellowship with Him here or hereafter. God will not give impure sinners one good look, for He is “of purer eyes than to behold evil”, and cannot “look on iniquity” (Hab 1:13).

All communion is founded on union, and union upon likeness. But what likeness is there between a holy God and vile polluted creatures? Therefore they can never expect to have any communion with Him, unless they are made clean. Hence, that they may have communion with God, they are directed to this: “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (Jas 4:8). “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor 6:17,18).

1. The best of saints – who have attained the highest degrees, and made the greatest improvements, in holiness and purity – may be ashamed in the presence of an infinitely holy God, for they are far short of that holiness which God requires, and all the purity they have attained is sadly tinctured with impurity. It had this effect on the Prophet, when he had a vision of the holy God: “Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Is 6:5).

2. Despisers of holiness are despisers of God. For holiness is the glory of God; it is what He delights in above all things. Therefore for men to despise holiness in the saints, and to mock their holy lives and practices, is high contempt of the holy God, who will highly resent such a great indignity.

3. There is no access to God without a Mediator. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), and our sin has made us as stubble fully dry. He is infinitely pure and holy, and we are vile, filthy creatures; so it is quite imposs-

ible for us to have any access to Him, or communion with Him, on our own account. We all have reason to cry out: “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?” (1 Sam 6:20). There is no standing before Him without a Mediator. The spots and blemishes in our best duties cannot be hidden from His holy eyes. He cannot accept a righteousness lower than that which is in some way suited to the holiness of His nature, but even our highest obedience and best righteousness do not in any degree suit God’s holiness. Therefore they cannot claim any acceptance with Him. The righteousness of Christ – being the righteousness of God, a perfect and unspotted righteousness – is the only righteousness in which the holiness of God can acquiesce. It is the foundation of all access to God and communion with Him.

1. Is God infinitely and necessarily holy, so that He must hate sin? Then how admirable is His patience towards this land and the generation in which we live? How greatly sin and wickedness abound among us? All kinds of sin prevail woefully among all ranks of persons: high and low, rich and poor, noble and ignoble; all have corrupted their way. Sins of a heinous nature, such as defy God, are to be found among us: horrid blasphemies, hideous oaths, vile adulteries, cruel oppressions, contempt of religion, and gross profanation of the Lord’s day. Add to all these the ingratitude, worldliness, pride, and self-conceit among those who are more eminent for profession of religion.

All these are committed under a clear gospel light, after great mercies and deliverances, against the most solemn covenant engagements, personal and national, and against manifold rebukes and warnings from the Word and providence of God. And how these sins are increased and multiplied! Who can number the sins of which one profane wretch is guilty? But what are these to the sins of a whole city? And what are the sins of a whole city to the sins of the whole nation? Who can number the sins which Scotland is guilty of in one day? But what are these to the sins which have been committed for a great many years past? Ah, we are a people deeply laden with iniquity. O what matter of admiration is here, that God bears so long with us! His holiness and purity renders His patience more astonishing. O the riches of His forbearance towards us! Admire it and adore it, and praise and bless Him for it. And beware of abusing it by taking liberty to go on in sin, because of His forbearance. Such amazing patience, if abused, will render our judgement the more severe.

1. Be exhorted to profit suitably from the holiness of God. Flee to Jesus Christ, whose perfect righteousness alone can make you acceptable to God, and whose Spirit can sanctify and cleanse you. And give thanks at the remembrance of God’s holiness, by proclaiming its glory and by learning to be holy in your whole manner of life.