The Holy One
Scripture Reading — Luke 1:30-35
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
—Romans 13:14
The angel told Mary that her child would be “the holy one.” That title identifies Jesus as uniquely qualified to be our Savior. This phrase, “the holy one,” should also describe our lives, but tragically it does not.
God is holy and cannot accept unrighteousness, an offense to his very person as holy God. The rebellion of sin is also an assault on his lordship; sin in our lives declares war against God’s sovereign rule. We must be holy to be right with God. “Good enough” is not good enough. God’s call is “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11:44-45).
But all have sinned; none of us is righteous. So what hope is there? Do we give up in despair and languish in guilt? We have failed, but God has provided. Jesus, “the holy one,” lived the holy life we fail to live.
Jesus is unique and able to save. A bankrupt person cannot pay another person’s debt. Similarly, a sinful person cannot pay the debt of another’s sin. But Christ is without sin. And because Jesus died in our place, God graciously clothes us in Christ’s righteousness. Believing in his power to save us, we are declared holy in Christ, and with the Holy Spirit’s help we are empowered to grow in that new reality.
Don’t give up in despair. Through the power of Jesus Christ, we are holy!
Dear Jesus, we thank you for being the answer to our guilt and shame. Thank you for the gift of your righteousness, and for clothing us in your holiness. Help us to live holy lives. Amen.
About the author — Calvin Aardsma
Calvin Aardsma has been a pastor for more than thirty years. He has served churches in Indiana, Oregon, and the Chicago area. Currently, he is a pastor of Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Lansing, Illinois. He also serves on the board of the Ugandan Orphanage Relief Fund. Cal and his wife, Sandy, have four children and five grandchildren.
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