Advent (Pt. 1): God Is Holy.
The Christmas story is full of paradox. The one who holds the universe was held in his mother's hand. Bright lights at midnight announcing a king. Lowly shepherds were the first to come and see. But perhaps the greatest paradox — perhaps the greatest mystery of all — is that holy God came to dwell among sinful man. We've heard the story before and know the facts well, but sometimes it's easy to forget how miraculous the Christmas story is. Some have described the Christmas season as magical, but "Infinitely better than the 'magic' of the Christmas season is the miracle of Emmanuel, God with us." [1] He came to dwell with us, but what does that mean exactly?
In the Old Testament, there is a story of a man named Isaiah. He was a prophet, meaning he spoke God's words to God's people. His entire life was spent telling people about God and challenging them to live for God. If ever there was a man considered godly, Isaiah was it. Yet there was a moment in his life when something incredible happened — Isaiah saw a vision of God. That's right. He got to look into heaven and see God ruling and reigning on the throne. What an incredible experience. Isaiah described his experience and said, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple." It's impossible to understand how breathtaking this moment must have been for the prophet. Around the throne, there were angels. Each one had six wings. They used two to cover their feet; with two, they covered their face because the brightness of God's glory was too powerful to see. Each angel called back and forth to one another and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" How do you think Isaiah responded to this incredible vision? What do you think the godly prophet did when he saw a glimpse of God's holiness? The answer isn't what you might expect. You might expect him to worship, lift his hands in praise, or even respond in prayer and thankfulness, but that's not what he did. Isaiah wept. He said, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Through Isaiah's story, we learn something significant about God. We learn that God is holy. He does not conform to any external standard — he is the standard of complete purity and goodness. He is right, pure, and perfect in every way. A.W. Tozer once said, "We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God's holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God's power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine." [2] Understanding God's holiness is hard because we have grown accustomed to unholiness. Our world is broken, and it's easy to live with unholiness as if it were natural. But what does any of that have to do with the Christmas story? Simply put, everything!
The miracle of Christmas is this: the child in the manger was fully human, but he was not merely human. Hebrews says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being." All the glory and holiness that caused Isaiah to fall on his face and cry, "Woe Is me," was veiled in human flesh. Jesus was and is completely holy. Paul tells us that Jesus knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) — he was utterly perfect in every way. The writer of Hebrews says Jesus was "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15)." When the angel announced Jesus' birth, they said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35)."
Someone once said, "A thousand times in history, a baby has become a king. But only once has a king become a baby." And this baby was "Holy, holy, holy." He was and is the Lord of Heaven's armies. There was no worldwide fanfare. No Media. Not even a bed. But heaven knew and sang, "Glory to God in the highness and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" God is holy, and the greatest gift of Christmas is that he chose to dwell among men. That all of heaven's perfection would come near to humanity's brokenness. Jesus is the reason for the season. And every season. And every day and second. "All things were created through him and for him (Col. 1:16)." The great miracle of Christmas is Jesus — all the holiness of God pleased to dwell with sinful men.
[1] Twitter: Bob Kauflin @bkauflin · Dec 23
[2] A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, 58-59.
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