In 1719, Isaac Watts published Joy to the World as an interpretation of Psalm 98, with references to Psalm 96 and Genesis 3. Somehow, this song has become a song usually associated with Christmas. But it's not a Christmas carol or hymn. It's not an Advent story.
By the way, “Advent'' simply means the arrival of notable people, things, or events. In other words, “Joy to the World” is not a story about Christ's arrival in a manger. Instead, it is about the second Advent. It's a story about the second coming of Christ.
We cannot separate the humiliated Christ from the exalted Christ.
The First Advent and the Second Advent are very different. We sometimes refer to Christ's first coming as “humiliation.” Because he despised us. He took on the form of a sinful body. He was born into a poor family in a small village where no one cared about him.
He was created under the law, as explained in Galatians 4. He experienced all the misery, pain, and hardship of this world. He walked over a mile in our shoes. He endured the wrath of God and the curse of death on the cross. He was then buried and remained under the power of death for some time.
Our God did it. Eternal Lord, Creator of all things. It was humiliating. And it would be tragic if the gospel story ended there.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been resurrected. … And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain. You are still in sin. … If we have hope in Christ only in the things of this world, we are the most worthy of mercy of all men. …But Christ did indeed rise from the dead.
Christ did not remain in the grave. He was resurrected. This marked the beginning of what we call the exaltation of Christ. Christ will rise from the dead on the third day, ascend into heaven, sit at the right hand of God the Father, and come to judge the world on the last day. .
Christ is no longer a child or a poor peasant. He is the exalted king of the world.
In my observation, and the observation of others, many Christians, especially liberal Christians, tend to emphasize the humiliation of Christ: His approachability, humanity, humility, and His feet with sinners. His willingness to wash and eat together, his willingness to die and lay down his life.
All of them are good and true if kept in the right place. But we cannot separate Christ the humiliated from the Christ exalted.
Unfortunately, that happens in some circles.
There was a movement called the Emerging Church (or Emerging Church) that began in the late 1990s and had become largely irrelevant by the mid-2000s. My wife Emily and I were loosely involved for about a year or two. He questioned the state of American Christianity and made some good points. Personally, I was drawn to the critique of churches that prioritize performance over community.
The enthroned king, the coming judge, and the man who demands the knee are not easily recast into liberal fiction.
But over time, it became clear that this movement was nothing more than a Trojan horse for liberalism. I remember attending a meeting of local pastors at the now-defunct Cincinnati Bible College in early 2005. Congregations included Presbyterian, Reformed Baptist, Methodist, and Christian churches. It was a kind of ecumenical group.
One of the pastors there, a supporter of the emerging church, was urging us to work more closely with other faiths. Thankfully, no one agreed. The group reacted violently, insisting that Jesus was the only way to God the Father. It was a good moment.
One time this pastor said something like, “You only want to talk about the exaltation of Christ. You don't want to talk about the incarnation of Christ.” I didn't fully understand the meaning of that statement until I later discussed it with a pastor I respect.
He connected the dots for me. The humble Christ is easy to treat as a mere human being, as an equal. He can be distorted into a “nice guy” who says, “Come as you are,” accepts everyone as they are, and serves simply as an example of service. But the exalted Christ, the enthroned king, the coming judge, the one who demands the bow of the knee, is not so easily transformed into liberal fiction.
This pastor wanted to downplay the exaltation of Christ in order to emphasize a distorted version of His humiliation. But the First Advent and the Second Advent cannot be separated. They are essential to God's plan of salvation and essential to the message of the gospel.
Listen to how Hebrews 4 connects Christ's humiliation and exaltation.
So let us hold fast to our confession because we have a great High Priest who passed through heaven, the Son of God, Jesus. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have a high priest who is tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
It is Christ's humiliation that gives us confidence and allows us to have compassion. The exaltation of Christ assures us that He has mercy and grace in our time of need.
These truths are inseparable and intertwined with the gospel message.
This connection helps us understand why “Joy to the World” has become associated with Christmas. This is a song that celebrates the final victory of what began in Bethlehem.
Christmas brings ultimate fulfillment to all creation as we sing the praises of our noble and victorious Messianic King.
