"'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was, and is, and is to come." — Revelation 4:8b

Oh God.

You are holy. Not just holy, but holy, holy, holy. Completely pure in every thought, motivation, and action. Holy. Without blemish or stain or shame. Holy. You are not black or gray, only blazing white. Holy. The definition, example, and source of every perfection. Holy. You are necessarily and immeasurably separate from every evil or falsehood or fault. Holy. 

You are necessarily and immeasurably separated from me.

And I know why. I am not holy, I’d even say I’m unholy. But compared to you, I am unholy, unholy, unholy. Where you are pure, I am tainted—in every thought, motivation, and action. Unholy. Where you are unblemished, I am tarnished, stained, and ashamed. Unholy. Not blazing white, but riddled with black like mold. Unholy. Unwholesome, unsound, septic in my soul. Unholy. Necessarily and immeasurably separated from you. Unholy. 

But you did the most radical thing: You pulled me near. 

Wouldn’t I pollute your perfection though?! Remarkably, no. Quite the opposite: you made me holy through your holy Son—“[you] made him who had no sin to be sin for [me], so that in him [I] might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Yes! Even while I was still a sinner, (not holy, not even close) Christ died for me (Romans 5:8). He paid the price for my unholiness with his utterly holy life. Now I wear your blazing white holiness—a holiness I could never attain in my wildest efforts—and your holiness is alive in me! Your Holy Spirit lives in me, enabling me to be holy, just like you are holy (1 Peter 1:16). 

So here’s the wonderful truth I stand on: because of Jesus, I am no longer necessarily and immeasurably separated from you, but forever united with you. And nothing will ever separate me from you. Not death or life. Not angels or demons. Not the present or the future. Not the highest highs or lowest lows. In fact, nothing in all creation will ever separate me from your love for me in Christ Jesus my Lord (Romans 8:38-39). And this leads me to praise with the all the other unholy saints made holy:

Amen.