God is Holy, God is Love
God’s holiness reveals His love, and His love reveals His holiness.
We cannot understand the revelation of God’s love without first understanding His holiness. To say that God is holy means He is set apart from His creation. He is without sin, He is all light, and He is glorious. Sin has no dwelling place in His presence. His holiness is a consuming fire, and His presence burns away sin. He is so unlike His creation that it is impossible for Him to sin. Unlike us, He cannot sin because His nature as God does not even allow Him to have a sinful thought. He can never go against His holy nature. Though He has free will, He is love itself, and love never harms, never fails.
God’s holiness is a wonder because, as humans, we are galaxies away from such perfection. Our minds cannot fully grasp just how holy God is. As a holy God, He must be a righteous judge. He has to judge sin, and sin must be punished—eternally separated from the Most High and His chosen children. Knowing this, He offered Himself as a substitute for our penalty of sin, which is eternal death.
As beings created in God’s image, we are eternal because God is eternal. This is why, no matter what atheists say, there is an innate awareness of an afterlife within them. They may never admit it, but deep down, they cannot fully accept that life ends in nothingness. God gave humans free will, and unfortunately, Adam and Eve were deceived and fell away from His presence. God is not a dictator, and we are not robots.
Understanding the holiness of God makes us echo Isaiah’s words: “Woe to me, a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips.” In His presence, we become acutely aware of our sinful nature before absolute, sinless perfection. God’s light penetrates the deepest crevices of our hearts, exposing the sin lodged within us. It is only then that we truly realize we deserve hell for offending such a holy God.
Yet, it is in this realization that we behold the saving love of God. Instead of letting us perish for our disobedience, His character of love, through Jesus, stepped in to take the punishment for our sins. “No greater love has this, that someone should lay down their life for his friends.” God did not have to save mankind—but why did He? The answer is love. Out of His love, His mercy shone through. Out of His love, grace burst forth.
The nature of love is that it must be fully expressed and fully received. God is a wonder because He has always existed—He has no beginning and no end. Our human minds cannot comprehend this; it is a truth that must be spiritually discerned. In His infinite glory, God has the right to showcase His beautiful characteristics—His holiness, love, grace, and mercy.
Free will led to humanity’s fall. God is so glorious that even some of His creation became envious and chose to rebel, seeking His glory and worship for themselves. If God were not love, He would not have immediately promised His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins in the Garden of Eden. He cannot help but love—He didn’t save mankind because we are deserving, but because He is a Savior who loves us fiercely.
True love is sacrificial and selfless, always looking out for the beloved. True love gives—even to the point of death and beyond. Love cannot be killed, no matter how evil the world becomes. True love endures forever. God’s love is healing. Love cannot be bought, begged for, or manipulated; it is simply and freely given. Even when rejected, it never stops pursuing, never stops pouring out. Love never fails. It does not grow weary. Love is a miracle—the greatest miracle of all. No wonder God is described as love.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God exhibits holy love, and love is meant to be received fully. Unfortunately, those whose hearts are hardened by pride take the love God has poured into His children and manipulate it to cause pain. Love never harms—it brings joy and peace. All the fruits of the Holy Spirit flow from love. Pure evil is when people continually reject God’s love and then twist it for their selfish gain. They are truly anti-Christ. The absence of love is evil. They pervert God’s beautiful love and cause suffering. Oh, how it grieves the heart of God!
Because of His love, the Maker of the galaxies condescended to become a lowly, fragile human, living among us and dying for our sins so that we might be made clean and spotless before God. God the Son sacrificed Himself on a wretched cross, suffering like a criminal to redeem us from sin’s penalty. Oh, the self-control and humility He displayed at Calvary!
God had to reveal His great love to me through His Son Jesus to free me from bondage. One night, He led me to write out His laws in Deuteronomy, and I couldn’t even keep up. I was terrified. He told me not to break any of His laws, but the very next morning, I failed. The dread that overcame me was indescribable. Just when I was hopeless—when I had been judged guilty—just when the horrific reality of eternal damnation dawned on me, Jesus’ light shone into my despair. Oh, the inexplicable joy and hope that flooded my heart!
He reminded me, “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” He told me He had cast my sin as far as the east is from the west. His presence was a healing balm to my restless soul. I had never felt such gratitude and awe! Jesus saved me from the eternal lake of fire that I deserved for offending a holy God beyond human comprehension. It was then that I truly grasped the value of my salvation. My heart broke, realizing that my sin required such a torturous death to atone for it—yet Jesus willingly chose the cross because love perseveres and endures all things.
Jesus told me, “You were worth dying for.” I wept like a child. It was on that day—December 25, 2022—that I decided to leave my abusive, loveless marriage. I finally understood what true love was, and I recognized that I had never experienced it in the demonic covenant I was in. My heart was forever changed. I had encountered the Savior of the world, and my life would never be the same.
That very night, I left my ring, my home, and everything I had. There was no turning back after that revelation. How could I? How could I stay in a sinful covenant that was only driving the nails deeper into my Savior’s hands and feet? Many Christians do not realize the unspeakable value of salvation. Jesus saved us from eternal damnation! Love was the driving force!
God’s love triumphed when His justice had to be fulfilled. His justice is part of His character—sin must be punished. Yet, instead of punishing us, He poured out His wrath upon His only Son, who bore the sin of the world. Love sacrificed itself to satisfy the righteous justice of God.
Love is the greatest gift in the universe. It is eternal. Love is God’s light felt. Love is God’s heart manifested. God’s love is pure, holy, and powerful enough to save humanity. It is humble and healing. “By His stripes, we are healed.” Love always wins. It conquers all. It is resilient, persistent, and faithful. Love endures forever.
But love cannot be forced. If it did, it would not be love. People who end up in hell refused God’s love—the only thing that could save them—over and over. Jesus is the love of God made manifest.
Once the Holy Spirit softened my heart to receive this love, my life was forever transformed. I had never felt such overwhelming love—a love that knew me from childhood and still loved me to the point of death. It brought me to my knees in humility and thanksgiving.
Eternity will never be enough to praise and worship my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for what He has done.
Glory to God forever and always!!
