12 Days of Christmas: Day #11 Jesus is HOLY

Holy. Exalted. Worthy of complete devotion. One who is perfect in goodness and righteousness. This is Jesus.

Because He is God, He is exalted and worthy of complete devotion. He is worthy of our praise. 

He is the only One who has ever been perfect in goodness and righteousness.

As we consider the holiness of Jesus, we may wonder what that means. We likely know that when something is holy it is special, but we may ask ourselves why it matters that Jesus is holy. Why, beyond being “special” (we all get that Jesus is special, right?)  is this important? 

It’s important because without Jesus’ holiness–His being one who was perfect in goodness and righteousness–we could not be saved. If Jesus was not holy (but only “good”), then His sacrifice for us would not be complete. His sacrifice could not cover our sins and render us forgiven and free.

Hebrews 7:26-27 states (about Jesus): For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

The high priests were “good” men, but they were not perfect in goodness and righteousness. Only Jesus was. The priests had to continually offer up sacrifices to cover their own sins and the sins of their people, while Jesus only needed to offer Himself as a sacrifice once to cover the sins of all the people. This is only possible because of His being holy.

This holiness was key to the salvation plan all along. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reminds us that “for our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” We are made righteous through the holy, blameless, righteousness of Jesus being offered up on our behalf. 

What a gift we have been offered through the holiness of Jesus! 

And because He is holy, and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can live our lives as holy as well. 1 Peter 1:15 says, “He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” His being holy calls us to be holy as well, as we grow in Christ-like character and reflect Him to the world. 

We will never measure up in being wholly holy, being perfect in goodness and righteousness in our own merit; but, by the grace of God, we can be seen as good and righteous through God’s eyes, through the lens of Jesus. And, by God’s grace and help, we can continue to grow up in Christ, and grow in our own holiness.

Throughout the Christmas season, you likely heard the Christmas hymn “O Holy Night.” Take a moment to pause and consider that Holy One born on that holy night. The angel Gabriel told Mary that “The child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). And, indeed, He was and still is today. 

How does Jesus being holy affect you today? 

How do you respond to His holiness?

How can you reflect His holiness in your life?  

Take a moment to pray. Thank God for the holiness of Jesus. Thank Him for His perfect plan in offering up His holy Son–One perfect in goodness and righteousness–to purchase your salvation. Confess any ways you have failed to remember His holiness. Confess any ways you have neglected to pursue holiness in your own life. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for His help in growing in personal holiness in the coming year, as you seek to better reflect Jesus to others. Thank Him that He is always at work in revealing His holiness and provision. Look up O Holy Night on your favorite web player app or in your CDs or vinyls and worship the holy One–the child that was born, who grew into a man, to die for our salvation–through song.