Holy, Holy, Holy

During a recent Sunday worship, I enjoyed hearing – and singing – one of my all-time favorite hymns: Holy, Holy, Holy. You are probably familiar with the words, which begin with:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty
Early in the morning my song shall rise to thee
Holy. holy, holy, Merciful and mighty
God in three persons, blessed Trinity*

After singing, I asked myself why I found that hymn so satisfying. Part of the reason is that I’ve been hearing it my whole life; it just says, “Church” to me (especially with words like “thee” in it). Part is the tune, which is melodious and easy to sing – even for me. But what I really find satisfying is its theology; it speaks of God’s greatness and his nature. Unlike many contemporary songs which dwell on my feelings and problems, which are changeable and self-focused, this great hymn lifts up the eternal, unchanging nature of God. It is about him.

It’s in a group of classic hymns which praise God for who he is, including: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise; Praise to the Lord, the Almighty; Crown Him With Many Crowns; and of course, How Great Thou Art.

As the next verse of Holy, Holy, Holy proclaims: “Lord, only Thou art holy.” But that raises two questions: First, what does it mean to be holy?  And second, what is it about God that makes him holy?

First, what is holiness? The basic meaning of holiness is to be sacred and separate from the world. It means to be above any commonness or crudeness. It means to be righteous, pure, perfect, separate and set apart; and therefore to be worthy of awe, reverence and fear.

In the Bible, there are two words that convey God’s holiness. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for holy is kavod, which carries the meaning of “heavy, weighty,” and therefore, importance. It demands awe and respect, as well as beauty, radiance, and glory. The New Testament Greek word is hagios, denoting separateness from the world, and sacredness.

God is holy, not a part of creation, but above and beyond it. Before anything is, he was. He is all-important and righteous in all he does and is.  And when we say God is holy, we are talking about the entire Trinity being holy: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This three-fold holiness of God is reflected in both Old and New Testaments, where revelations of heaven show the heavenly beings praising God with three-fold blessings:

Old Testament: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'” (Isaiah 6:1-3).

New Testament: “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'” (Revelation 4:8).

Hence the three-fold praise of our hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy. When we sing that, we are joining the eternal, heavenly praises of our God.

Only God is truly holy, but there are things we call holy which are associated with him and therefore derive their holiness from God and their service to him. For example, the Scriptures speak of the holy Temple (Psalm 5:7), the holy place (1 Kings 7:50), holy angels (Mark 8:38), God’s holy words (Jeremiah 23:9), and the holy church (Ephesians 5:27). And in that holy church, we speak of the Holy Gospel, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion; all holy because they come from God.

We even speak of holiness in people, meaning they act or live in obedience to God, reflecting his holy image. But such holiness is derived only from God, as the moon’s light reflects more dimly the light of the sun. It is not from some innate goodness in ourselves. It is possible only by the Holy Spirit working in a person. Only by such working can Paul say, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

When I was in Bible Study Fellowship, we had group prayer times which followed a specific order. Before offering petitions for healing, etc., and even before thanking God for all he has done, we would always begin with prayers of praise to God for who he was, for his awesomeness, love, power, and holiness. May we remember to do the same in our prayers. For God is God, greater than we can even imagine. Truly we should join the eternal chorus of heaven itself, crying out,

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Psalm 30:4; Psalm 99:2-5; Luke 1:49.

*by Reginald Heber, 1826, in the Public Domain