Worshiping a Holy God

Worshiping a Holy God is a sermon by R.C. Sproul delivered at the 2001 National Conference on Holiness, which addresses the fundamental purpose of worship and the necessity of reverence for God’s sovereign character. Sproul argues that failing to recognize God’s holiness results in worship that is “beneath the Sovereign of the Universe,” emphasizing that true worship requires awe and reverence for YHWH through His grace.

Key themes of the teaching include:

God-Centeredness: Worship is designed for God’s glory, not human comfort, requiring a proper understanding of who God is.
The Centrality of Holiness: Sproul contends that holiness is the defining attribute of God’s essence, often overlooked in modern evangelicalism.
Acceptable Worship: Reverence and awe are essential components that make worship acceptable to God, contrasting with casual or irreverent practices.

The sermon is part of Sproul’s broader ministry through Ligonier Ministries, which aims to proclaim the holiness of God in all its fullness, a theme central to his classic book The Holiness of God.

Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teachings on the Holiness of God emphasize that understanding God’s absolute purity should fundamentally transform our worship from a casual experience to one of reverence, awe, and godly fear. Below are 10 key KJV verses highlighting this theme.

	Scripture	KJV Text	Sproul’s Perspective on the Verse
1	Isaiah 6:3	“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”	Sproul highlighted this as the only attribute repeated to the third degree in scripture, establishing God’s ultimate transcendence.
2	Psalm 29:2	“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”	Highlights our duty to recognize God’s incomparable worthiness and distinctiveness.
3	Psalm 96:9	“O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.”	Sproul taught that a true glimpse of God’s holiness destroys self-righteousness and compels us to bow.
4	Psalm 99:5	“Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”	Calls for humility and submission, recognizing that the Creator is set apart from His creation.
5	Hebrews 12:28	“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:”	Warns against casual worship; reverence and godly fear are the only acceptable postures before God.
6	John 4:24	“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”	Because God is perfectly pure and a Spirit, our worship must transcend outward rituals to align with the truth.
7	Exodus 15:11	“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”	God’s holiness evokes a “fearful” (awesome and terrifying) praise, revealing He is entirely “other”.
8	Leviticus 10:3	“…I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified…”	Sproul frequently used this to warn against treating God casually; God requires absolute holiness in those who approach Him.
9	Revelation 15:4	“Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy…”	Reflects the ultimate response of heaven: glorifying God because of His exclusive, perfect purity.
10	Habakkuk 2:20	“But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”	Sproul taught that recognizing God’s majesty strips away our pride and silences our self-justification.

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