By Dr. Robert C Crowder
Reading:
Isaiah 6:1-7 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, 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. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Reflection:
Isaiah’s vision of the Lord is one of the most overwhelming encounters with God recorded in Scripture. The prophet saw the Lord “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,” and the seraphim; angelic beings of blazing purity, cried out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” The threefold repetition emphasizes absolute, supreme holiness; God is holy in the superlative degree, utterly set apart from all creation, transcendent in purity, perfection, and moral excellence. The temple shook at the sound of their voices, and smoke filled the house. This is the God whose love sent His Son into the world.
We cannot understand the love of God rightly until we first grasp His holiness. Modern sentimentality has reduced divine love to indulgent affection; a cosmic grandfather who winks at sin, overlooks rebellion, and makes no demands. But the love revealed in Scripture is inseparable from holiness. God does not love us despite His holiness, as if holiness and love were in conflict. Rather, His love flows from His holiness and operates according to it. Holy love does not compromise righteousness to show mercy. It satisfies righteousness in order to extend mercy. This is the love that drove Christ to the cross.
Isaiah’s immediate response to the vision was terror and conviction: “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.” In the presence of absolute holiness, Isaiah became acutely aware of his sinfulness. The Hebrew word translated “undone” means ruined, silenced, brought to nothing. Isaiah felt the weight of his moral guilt before a holy God. This was not low self-esteem or false humility; it was accurate self-assessment in the light of God’s glory. Our sin becomes clearer the closer we get to God’s holiness.
But the story does not end with condemnation. One of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a live coal taken from the altar; a coal representing the fire of God’s judgment and purification. He touched Isaiah’s lips and declared, “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” The unclean was made clean. The guilty was declared forgiven. The coal from the altar pointed forward to the ultimate altar, the cross of Jesus Christ, where God’s holy wrath against sin was satisfied and sinners were purified. This is holy love in action: God does not ignore sin or pretend it doesn’t matter; He deals with it fully and finally through substitutionary atonement.
John 3:16 is perhaps the most famous verse in all of Scripture, yet its depth is often missed because of its familiarity: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The love of God is measured not by emotional feeling but by sacrificial giving. “God so loved.” Not with tepid affection, not with conditional approval, but with a love so profound, so costly, so determined that He gave His only begotten Son. The word “only begotten” (monogenēs) emphasizes the unique, one-of-a-kind relationship between the Father and the Son. There is no other Son like Him. He is eternally begotten, not created. He shares the very essence of deity with the Father. And this is the One God gave.
The cross is where holiness and love meet. God’s holiness demands that sin be punished, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”[1] God’s justice cannot be violated. His character cannot be compromised. Sin must be dealt with, and the penalty must be paid. But God’s love provided the payment. He did not send a mere man, an angel, or a prophet to die in our place. He sent His own Son, equal with Him in glory, to bear the wrath we deserved. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.[2] This is substitutionary atonement; Christ standing in our place, receiving the punishment we earned, satisfying divine justice so that divine mercy could flow freely to all who believe.
Holy love does not lower the standard to accommodate the sinner. It raises the sinner to meet the standard through the righteousness of Christ. God does not declare us righteous while we remain unrighteous. He imputes (credits) to us the righteousness of His Son and imparts (works in us) righteousness through the indwelling Spirit. Justification deals with our legal standing before God; we are declared righteous on the basis of Christ’s finished work. Sanctification deals with our moral condition; we are progressively made righteous by the power of the Holy Spirit. Both are expressions of God’s holy love.
The threefold “holy” of the seraphim also points us to the triune nature of God’s love. The Father loved us and sent the Son.[3] The Son loved us and gave Himself for us.[4] The Spirit loves us and dwells within us, applying the work of Christ to our hearts.[5] This is not three gods or three loves; it is one God in three Persons, working in perfect unity to accomplish our redemption. The love that saved us is Trinitarian, flowing from the eternal communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and drawing us into that communion.
Isaiah’s encounter with God’s holiness led to cleansing and commissioning. After his sin was purged, he heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah’s response was immediate: “Here am I; send me.” Holy love transforms us not only for our own benefit but for the sake of God’s mission in the world. Those who have been loved with the holy love of God become vessels of that love to others. We do not deserve it, we cannot earn it, and we can never repay it. But we can extend it; speaking the truth in love, pursuing holiness without self-righteousness, and calling others to the cross where holy love was fully revealed.
This Advent, let the holiness of God deepen your understanding of His love. The love of God is not weak, indulgent, or compromising. It is fierce, righteous, and unshakable. It does not overlook sin; it conquers it. It does not excuse rebellion; it transforms it. And it does not leave us as we are; it makes us holy, even as He is holy. The God whose holiness terrified Isaiah is the same God whose love redeemed him. And that same holy love has redeemed you.
Prayer:
- Thank God for loving you with a love that is both pure and powerful.
- Ask Him to purge your heart of all that dishonors Him and fill you with His holiness, letting your life reflect the holy love that saved you.
Consider:
Confess one specific area where sin has dulled your love for God or compromised your witness to others. Be honest; not in vague generalities, but by name. Receive God’s forgiveness through the finished work of Christ and ask Him to renew your heart in holiness. Then, identify one practical way you can reflect God’s holy love to someone this week; through truth spoken in kindness, grace extended without compromise, or obedience showed in love.
[1] Ezekiel 18:20
[2] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[3] 1 John 4:10
[4] Galatians 2:20
[5] Romans 5:5
Robert C. Crowder Ministries 
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