December 26, 2001
Reading
“That Holy One who is
to be born” (35)
Before Mary had conceived she knew more about the baby she was to give birth to than the vast majority of mankind since that day; she knew His name, His social stature, His title, and His accomplishments. She also knew how this miracle would be achieved – “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (35). The holiness of this yet to be conceived baby was established from the very beginning. He was to be the creation of holiness and the angel referred to Him as “that Holy One who is to be born. He was to be called the “Son of the Highest” (32) and the “Son of God” (35). He who has been Holy from eternity past did not lay aside His holiness when He became a man. Although His preferred title for Himself was the “Son of Man”, He never laid aside His holiness neither did He cease from being God.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” Phil 2:5-8.
Of late I have spoken with those who do not believe Jesus to be God but rather a Good Man or a Prophet. They do not deny He came from God but His holiness and Godliness they do not accept. I was told that Jesus became holy at His baptism when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. One purported that He was especially endowed with holiness on the Mount of Transfiguration. But the Bible tells me very clearly that Jesus was holy from His conception. He did not lay aside His Godhood to become a man. He was the God-Man and will remain so for ever.
The ramification of the Holiness of
Jesus is that we who have been born again by the same Holy Spirit must be holy
also: “but as He who called you is holy, you also be
holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy”
1 Peter
The goal of every Christian must be
holiness and we are called upon to yield to and not resist this process:
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in
its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to
sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness to God” Rom 6:12-13. Blessed indeed are
we who have as our great example the Son of God Himself: “For whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the firstborn among many brethren” Rom
What better time than now to commit ourselves to the journey of holiness. All of us need to learn to cooperate with God instead of resisting Him for His mission will be accomplished and life will be a lot easier.