In the English language when we want to call attention to something that’s particularly important, to give it emphasis, there are different ways that we can do that in print. We can underline words, or italicize them, put them in bold face type, put little quotation marks or brackets around them or fill the page with exclamation points.

That’s what we do with emphasis. Well the Jews did the same thing. They did all of that, underline, bold face, italicize, but they had another technique to call attention to some thing’s particular importance, and it was a simple technique of verbal repetition.

I think, for example, of the apostle Paul when he is writing to the Galatians and warning them of the dangers of departing from the gospel that they have received from Paul. Then he said, “I say unto you that if anybody preaches unto any other gospel than that which you have received, even if it’s an angel from Heaven, let him be anathema. Anathema (a-na-they-ma). Let him be damned.

That’s a strong statement that comes from the pen of the apostle Paul. But he doesn’t stop there. He immediately goes on to say, “Again I say to you that if anyone preaches unto you any other gospel than that which you have received, let him be anathema.”

Jesus was fond of using this device of repetition to make his points. Now, every teaching that ever came from the lips of Jesus Christ was important. But even our Lord took time to call attention to things that he regarded as being super-important. And whenever He would come to a point like that, that He wanted to make sure His disciples never missed, He would preface His teaching by saying two words. He would say, “Truly, truly, I say unto you.” Or the older translation, “Verily, verily.” Actually what He said was “Amen, amen (a-mein) I say unto you.” You recognize that word, it comes directly into english. And we say, “All the people said what? Amen.” But we say Amen after the teacher teaches or after the preacher preaches, that means it is true, we believe it, and so on. Jesus didn’t wait for His disciples to confirm the truthfulness of what He was saying. He started His sermon by saying, “Amen, amen!” That’s like the captain of a ship getting on the intercom and saying, “Now hear this! This is the captain speaking.” When Jesus repeated that word, saying it twice, He was underscoring it’s importance.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is only one attribute of God that is ever raised to the third degree of repetition in Scripture. There is only one characteristic of God that is communicated in the superlative degree. From the mouths of angels where the Bible does not simply say that God is holy, or even that He’s “Holy! Holy!”, but that He is “Holy! Holy! Holy!” The Bible does not say that God is “mercy, mercy, mercy”, or “love, love, love”, or “justice, justice, justice”, or “wrath, wrath, wrath.” But that He is Holy, Holy, Holy.

This is a dimension of God that consumes His very essence. And when it is manifest to Isaiah we read that at the sound of the voices of the Seraphims, the doorposts, the thresholds of the temple itself shook and began to tremble.

Do you hear that? Inanimate, lifeless, unintelligible, parts of creation, in the presence of the manifestation of the holiness of God had the good sense to be moved.

How can we, made in His image, be indifferent or apathetic to His majesty?

God alone is Holy.

—R.C. Sproul