The true import of Christmas: God being with Us

 김정호목사 

Dr. Jung-Ho Kim, Pastor 

¹⁸ 예수 그리스도의 나심은 이러하니라 그 모친 마리아가 요셉과 정혼하고 동거하기 전에 성령으로 잉태된 것이 나타났더니  ¹⁹ 그 남편 요셉은 의로운 사람이라 저를 드러내지 아니하고 가만히 끊고자 하여  ²⁰ 이 일을 생각할 때에 주의 사자가 현몽하여 가로되 다윗의 자손 요셉아 네 아내 마리아 데려오기를 무서워 말라 저에게 잉태된 자는 성령으로 된 것이라  ²¹ 아들을 낳으리니 이름을 예수라 하라 이는 그가 자기 백성을 저희 죄에서 구원할 자이심이라 하니라  ²² 이 모든 일의 된 것은 주께서 선지자로 하신 말씀을 이루려 하심이니 가라사대  ²³ 보라 처녀가 잉태하여 아들을 낳을 것이요 그 이름은 임마누엘이라 하리라 하셨으니 이를 번역한즉 하나님이 우리와 함께 계시다 함이라  ²⁴ 요셉이 잠을 깨어 일어나서 주의 사자의 분부대로 행하여 그 아내를 데려 왔으나  ²⁵ 아들을 낳기까지 동침치 아니하더니 낳으매 이름을 예수라 하니라

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³ "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25).

FCF: We tend to celebrate the festivity of Christmas without appreciating its true meaning.

주제: 예수님은 우리와 함께 하시는 하나님이시기에 우리는 성탄절에 임마누엘의 중요성을 묵상해 보아야 한다.

Theme: Because Jesus is our God being with us, we should meditate on the import of Immanuel during Christmas. 

Introduction 

Christmas is around the corner. It is a best time of the year for most of us. Many of us can take a break from daily routines. Students may take rest from their hectic schedules. Small business owners may have a chance to make up for the entire year. At the same time, they also can take a break that they need for the coming year. Mom and Dad may enjoy their children being happy about all the gifts. As Christmas gets near, all of us know that we are coming to the end of this year, hoping for another brand new year. But, if you consider Christmas as a time of exchanging gifts, taking a break, making up for something, etc., you are missing the point of Christmas. I think the whole world, regardless of beliefs, races, countries, wants to enjoy Christmas though much of the world is ignorant of the true meaning of Christmas. I was one of them. I still vividly remember my thrills and expectations of Christmas in my boyhood as Christmas was approaching. I was not a Christian. But, I wanted to be part of all buzzes of the world around Christmas time. One year, it was snowing on Christmas day. It was cold. I didn't get any call from friends to discuss what to do for Christmas. So, I decided to stay home with my dad. There was nothing enjoyable but to watch special Christmas programs on TV. While watching TV, I asked my dad to give me some money so that I could buy bread. I told him it was Christmas and we should do something for fun. So, I was able to get 1000 won from my dad. I went to a village store where I found Ho-Bread that was so good during wintertime. I bought six of them and came back home and ate them with my dad. This was the way I spent one Christmas day. How silly I was! All I was thinking about was to have fun.

On another Christmas, I was little older. I talked to guys in my village to discuss how to spend Christmas. Four of us decided to spend the night in my house. So, early in the evening, we put a lot of pieces of firewood into the fireplace that heated up the floor. We covered the floor with several blankets to keep the floor warm. We went out to meet friends someplace else. Later on, we came to the room and found out it filled with smoke and the vinyl floor almost caught on fire. So, we couldn't use the room for keeping our thrills of Christmas alive. Again, how silly I was! I was not a Christian. I didn't know anything about the meaning of Christmas. A great number of people in the world do not know the true meaning of this holy day. What matters to them is that they want to forget about the passing year filled with sorrows and regrets and indulge themselves in the festive pleasures that this world can offer around Christmas time. What is worse is that even God's people adopt this kind of spirit and disregard the true significance of Christ's birth. Well, what do you need to do? Above all, we need to turn our minds and hearts back to Christ, the true highlight of Christmas. I would like to call your attention to the story of Jesus' birth in Matt. 1:18-25, which of course is the appropriate topic to ponder on Christmas, though December 25 is not the actual day of Jesus' birth. What matters is not whether December 25 is His birthday or not, but in what sense we celebrate it. Some of us already know the true meaning of Christmas. But, do we truly appreciate it? Our problem is not we do not know it like I was, but we do not celebrate Christmas according to its meaning and significance. Well, it is worth reminding ourselves of the true import of Christmas so that we would prepare our hearts and minds for the joyful celebration of Christmas. Well, I have three major points to think about Christmas: (1) Jesus Christ first has come down to us. (2) He has come down to save us from our sin. (3) He has come down to be with us.       

I. The first point we need to mediate on is that Christ has come down to us.

 How did He first come down to us? The answer is that He became like one of us. He became man. He took upon himself the form of a servant. He went through the normal birth process. He borrowed the womb of Virgin Mary and fulfilled the days of pregnancy and came out of it normally. Male sperm was not involved at all in the conception of Jesus. Rather, the Holy Spirit was the One who superintended the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. Because of His supernatural supervision, Jesus was exempt from the original sin and corruption. He was without sin. He was sinless at conception and throughout his lifetime, so that He would be the perfect sacrifice for sinners.

Today, the increasing number of so-called evangelicals tend neither to believe the historicity of Chris’s virgin birth nor to give heed to the importance of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. But, they are seriously mistaken. The incarnation of Jesus Christ and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ are crucial in understanding the doctrine of Christ and salvation. If you deny the doctrines of Christ's incarnation and His virgin birth, you are destroying the whole doctrine of Christ and salvation.

Some say Christ appeared to assume a human body. They argue that Christ didn't have the actual human body because it was vile and corrupt. Others say that Christ prepared a human body in heaven and that so His body was supernatural, not natural. They try to emphasize Christ's body is different from ours. Others utter blasphemy against the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. They say Jesus was born of Mary through Joseph. Joseph was His true father. Or they say Mary was raped by one of the Roman soldiers and conceived Jesus. According to them, Jesus was an illegitimate son of Mary. Liberals, deists, rationalists, unbelieving scientists dispute the verity of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. They say ancient myths and legends are filled with stories like Jesus' birth. So, the early church borrowed their stories and concocted the story of Jesus' birth in order to deify the originator of their religion.

Satan has been trying to destroy these cardinal teachings of the Bible. But, the Word of God is true and trustworthy. The Bible simply affirms Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God, born of Virgin Mary. Pagan myths and legends are corrupt and perverse. They describe the sexual union of gods and humans through which certain figures were born. They tried to deify kings or generals, falsifying the actual history behind them.

But, the virgin birth of Christ was prophesied about 700 ago before He was born (vv. 22-23). He was born according to God's eternal plan. There are several birth stories in the Bible. Abraham got Isaac through his wife Sarah, a ninety years old woman. The story of Samson's birth and the story of Samuel’s birth through Hanna are famous example in the Bible. However, the story of Jesus' birth is unique in that it was the only single event that could not be repeated in human history. In every birth, God's creating agency is involved somehow. Likewise, in Jesus' birth, the Holy Spirit was the Agency who brought the virgin birth of Christ come true. God had prepared for the virgin birth of His eternal Son from all eternity. So, Christ's birth was not by accident, but by design.

Why is it so necessary and important? The necessity of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ: for representative obedience; to be a substitute sacrifice; to be the one mediator between God and men; to fulfill God's original purpose for man to rule over creation; to be our example and pattern in life; to be the pattern for our redeemed bodies; to sympathize as High Priest. The importance of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ: (a) it shows that salvation ultimately must come from the Lord. (b) It made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. (c) It also makes possible Christ's true humanity without inherited sin. From all this, we can conclude that our salvation depends on Christ's incarnation and His miraculous birth, without which we would have neither the Mediator between God and us nor the Sinless sacrifice for the redemption of our sins. In other words, salvation wouldn't be possible for us if there were no Christ's incarnation and His virgin birth.  

Christ's incarnation and virgin birth tell us that He first has come down to us. Christ's incarnation is the pinnacle of God's revelation and visitation to His own. If you trace sacred history in the Bible, you will easily understand this point. When Adam and Eve fell, did God first come to them or did they seek God first? It was God who came and visited Adam and Eve who tried to hide themselves from the presence of God. It was God who revealed His plan of a flood judgment on the entire globe to Noah and his family. It was God who visited Abraham and chose him as the father of the faithful. It was God who first came to visit Moses in exile. It was God who heard the cries of the Israelites in Egypt and visited them with the outstretched arm and brought them out of it. It was God who visited them sometimes with blessings and other times with punishments in the wilderness. It was God who visited David through His prophet Nathan after David committed adultery, murder, and deception. It was God who spoke to the rebellious people through His prophets, warning them against their idolatry and wooing them to come back to him. It was God who constantly visited His wandering wife Israel committing spiritual whoredom, which is well illustrated in the relationship between Hosea and his wife Gomer. It was God who visited His exile remnants in Babylon and allowed them the second exodus from the captivity. It was God who broke the silence of four hundred years during the inter-testamental period and shone the light of hope and salvation to the Jews under the Roman oppression. It was God who decided to come down in person to His people under the foreign dominion. Christ's incarnation is the most vivid and concrete God's revelation and visitation to His people on earth.

In many respects, Christ’s incarnation is revolutionary by nature from our point of view. It goes against the stereotypical way of thinking.  First, Christ's incarnation shatters the popular conception of religion: man first should come back to God through his religious-ethical efforts. This tells us that God is more interested in us than we are interested in Him. This also explains that God loved us first, not we loved him first. It is God who still seeks His own people. We all know that God has sought us first so that we could be saved. Second, Christ's incarnation shatters the popular conception of creation order: the creatures should first come to the Creator to worship. God broke the creation order and humbled himself to be found in the form of a servant for the benefits of His creatures, both animate and inanimate creatures. He chose to be part of His creation. The Creator chose to be created in the womb of a woman. The creator of time and space chose to be limited by time and space. Third, Christ's incarnation shatters the popular conception of social decorum: the lowly and poor first should seek the high and rich for help. The highest and richest Being is God. But God reversed the social order when he took upon himself the human body. He doesn't need anything to enrich and benefit Himself from the lowly beings. But, He has come down to the lowly to help them. Fourth, Christ's incarnation shatters the popular conception of law: the offender first should come to the offended to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. God was the Offended because people broke His law all the time. But, He came down to them in Christ in order to bring about reconciliation and forgiveness.

Christ's incarnation is an act of humiliation on the part of God. It is also an act of self-revelation. It helps us to remove all our misunderstandings about God. Some of you may think, "God will never come to me. I am nobody. No one cares about me. No one even knows of my existence here on earth." Remember God first has come to you in Christ and receive you as you are. Some of you may say, "I need to fix myself first so that I can come to God." Please, look at Christ the incarnate Word of God. He has come to you first. Or some of you may think, "I am too poor to give anything to God." Please, look at Christ. The richest Creator has come to you to enrich you with all spiritual blessings in heaven.

As we remember Christ's incarnation, what are we to do? First, we need to humble ourselves before God. God is great as He is. In a way, God is greater in Christ's incarnation. Second, we need to worship such a great God. He has shown us a greater way, which is the way of servant-hood. Third, we need to serve others as shown in the principles revealed in Christ's incarnation. We need to practice coming down to our neighbors. Let's drop off our pride and come to the people by whom we are offended. Let's not avoid people who need our help. As much as we learn the principle of humility from Christ's incarnation, we can enjoy better relationships with both God and neighbors.            

II. Second, we need to pay attention to the purpose of His incarnation that Christ has come down to save us from our sin.

In v. 21, the angel reveals Christ's incarnation was designed to bring salvation to God's people, both Jews and Gentiles. God gave Christ a personal name Jesus. It is a Hebrew name, meaning "God saves." Joshua, Jehoshua are Hebrew names. In the ancient world, name meant not only a way of identification, but also character and destiny. Here God named His Son Jesus. The purpose of God's sending His Son down to earth is to save people from their sins. This is the purpose of Christ's incarnation.

There are two Joshuas in the OT, who typify Christ Jesus. The first is Joshua who led the Israelites into the Promised Land and apportioned the land to each tribe. He led the campaign of the conquest. He was the military general. The second one is the high priest named Joshua in the time of Jerubbabel among the returnees after the Babylonian exile. Christ is God's Anointed One. Here we partly find Christ's threefold office: King (the descendant of King David), prophet, and high priest.

Jews back then was waiting for the Messiah who would deliver Israel from Roman imperialism. What they were envisaging was the military Messiah who would conquer all the foreign forces and bring Israel victory. They couldn't imagine the suffering of the Messiah through which God would bring about spiritual-ethical salvation. What Matthew is saying in v. 21 is salvation from the oppression of sin, not from the oppression of Rome.

The message of Christ's birth is the good news of salvation to those who are under sin and misery. Our needs in a way determine whether certain news is either good or bad. Let's say you are in desperate financial need. If you hear someone donate you a million dollars, you will never forget this news throughout your life. Let's say you are struggling with your school works. When you hear that you get all A’s, then you will take it as good news. If there is anything that meets your current needs, you will take it as good news.

Now, let me ask you this question. What is the greatest need of the world and of yours? You may say, "It is money." It may be understandable under this present economic crisis. Or you may say, "It is peace, knowledge, education, environment, etc." Yes, we need them all pretty much. Driving poverty, disease, war, out of this world is important. Fighting for peace and environment is in demand. We need to educate both ourselves and others. But we have to realize we will fail to achieve these noble ends because there is the greatest and the most fundamental need that is yet unfulfilled. What is it? That is sin. All the problems we see and suffer are rooted in sin. In the worldwide level, sin has ravaged every sector of human living: AIDS, natural disasters, regional conflicts, genocide, nuclear weapon, terrorism, racism, favoritism, inequality, massacre, etc. You name it. All these are the consequences of sin in the human heart. Unless we deal with this first, we will never effectively get rid of any evil in the world. Look at the world, your country, or community. You can easily find the sinfulness of the world. Sin is universal. You may try to see sin outside yourselves. But, look within yourselves. What you find therein is rebellion, hatred, fornication, lies, murder, jealousy, envy, prejudice, etc. You heart is the den or factory of all evil. Then, what is your greatest problem? Yes, it is sin. What is the greatest need? Yes, it is to be freedom from the bondage of sin. How? Now, I can tell you the answer to this universal problem. Jesus Christ is the Answer to the most fundamental problem of all humans.

Those of you who still think one of these, money, fame, pleasure, marriage, or recognition, or happiness are your greatest need, please, listen carefully. Your greatest problem is sin in your heart. You can find the solution to it only in Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Christmas is a time to celebrate the Savior Jesus who has come to this world to give us salvation. If you are saved, you should rejoice over it time and time again. If someone has offended you, please, remember the fact that Christ has forgiven you of your sins. Make this Christmas a time of mutual forgiveness and reconciliation through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. If you are unsaved, it is time to see Jesus Christ who has come to you in order to save you from your greatest problem, sin in your heart. The way you can be saved from your sin is faith in Christ and repentance. Please, look around and look within so that you find yourself sinful. Cast yourself to the everlasting arm of Jesus Christ by whom you can have peace with God and freedom from sin through His Holy Spirit. 

III. Third, we should meditate on the reality of God's incarnation that God has come down to be with us.

Look at v. 23. It says, 보라 처녀가 잉태하여 아들을 낳을 것이요 그 이름은 임마누엘이라 하리라 하셨으니 이를 번역한즉 하나님이 우리와 함께 계시다 함이라. "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).” Matthew quotes this from Isaiah 7:14. The historical background is that Ahaz, evil king of Judah, sought help from the Assyrians to fight Pekah (the king of the Northern kingdom Israel) and Rezin (the king of Syria). Isaiah gave this sign that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, whose name shall be called "Immanuel." Ahaz didn't understand this prophecy. So, he didn't believe it. What Isaiah was saying is that God would protect the line of David from which the future Messiah would come. The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Jesus Christ, who is God's embodiment among His people. He Himself was "God being with us." This refers to God's presence among people.

The entire OT teaches God's presence among His people. Especially, the tabernacle is the type of God's special presence in the middle of the camp of Israel. The pillars of fire and cloud are signs of God's guiding and protecting presence. Yahweh, the personal name of Israel's God, also suggests the idea of God's covenantal presence. The temple is the type of God's presence. The Shekinah glory in the temple is the sign of God's presence. God always demonstrated His special presence through His kings, priests, and prophets. He ruled His people through His chosen vassal kings. He taught them about the way of the Lord and warned them against apostasy through His prophets, the mouthpieces of His messages. He also blessed them, accepted their worship, and forgave them through His mediators-priests. Though Adam lost original righteousness and holiness through his rebellion, whereby he lost fellowship with God, Christ was incarnated to restore the broken fellowship. Though not in full, but in part, God demonstrated His glorious presence through a variety of figures and types in the OT. The final and ultimate manifestation of God's presence is Christ's incarnation. Christ is the physical embodiment of God’s presence. God indeed chose to be among and with His people in Christ. Christ dwelt among His people as God Himself. So, what He said and did reveals His presence among people. To understanding "God being with us," we just read the gospels and find what He did and said among His people.

First, Christ taught multitudes about God, sin, forgiveness, the kingdom of God, the way of happiness, the way of salvation, discipleship, or the last days. He was God who taught among His people. So, we may call this Christ's teaching presence among people. Second, Christ fellowshipped with people. He visited social outcasts such as publicans, prostitutes, lepers, etc. He came to them first and dined and drank with them. His fellowship was not hindered by race, class, or religion. He saw them as the lost. He had fellowship with people publicly and privately. He fellowshipped with them, not because they were transformed, but because they needed Him as the Savior and Lord. He was God who fellowshipped among people. So, we may call this Christ's fellowshipping presence. Third, Christ healed the sick and restored the crippled. Much of the gospels are devoted to describing His healing ministry. Wherever He went, He laid His hands on the sick and restored them. He touched the lepers and cleansed them. He opened the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. He restored the paralyzed one for 38 years. He was God who healed and restored among people. So, we may call this Christ's healing presence. Fourth, Christ forgave sinners their sin. Once he said, "Your sins are forgiven to the paralytic who was brought down from the ceiling." The religious officials tried to accuse Him of blasphemy. But, He was God who had a prerogative to forgive people their sin. We call this Christ's forgiving presence among people. Fifth, Christ cast out the devils and calmed down storms. This reveals His power over devils and nature. He also conquered the death of Lazarus and gave him life. He is the Prince of life over death. We call this Christ's reigning presence among people.

Sixth, Christ empowered His disciples when He sent them out to mission fields. He equipped them with power over devils and diseases. He shared His power with His disciples. We may call this Christ's empowering presence. Seventh, Christ was with the disciples under fear. He promised them the Holy Spirit, who is also called Comforter. After He rose from the dead, He visited His disciples and assured them of His peace. We can call this Christ's comforting presence. Eighth, Christ changed people with His presence. Peter experienced this after he failed to catch fish. He said, "Depart from me. I am unworthy of you." He sensed God's awe before the presence of Christ. Whoever met Jesus experienced change in their hearts and lives. Christ accepted them as they were. But He didn't allow them to stay where they were. Christ transformed the fisherman Peter into the great preacher Peter. Peter also remembered the divine glory of Christ when He was transformed on the mount. Ninth, Christ suffered and died on the Cross so that His people would be saved from their sins. Against the popular expectations of Jews concerning the Messianic work, He experienced a vicarious death for our salvation. He came to the suffering people and shared their suffering. He experienced temptations in every way. He knows those of us who suffer temptations here on earth. He sympathizes with us as our High Priest. He chose to suffer and die so that they would be ultimately delivered from their suffering and sin to His glorious presence in heaven. We may call this Christ’s suffering presence. Tenth, Christ is with His church through His Spirit. After He completed His redemptive work on earth, He ascended to heaven, promising the disciples the Holy Spirit. Though He was not with His people physically, He continued to work among them through His Spirit. This is His spiritual presence. He still does all these mentioned above through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit. He spiritually resides in every believer’s heart, continuing His work through His Holy Agency.

If we study His ministry, we will see His manifold presence. Christ was "God being with us." In fact, Christ promised His disciples, "I will be with you forever." Christ is still with His people through the power and presence of His Spirit in the church, continuing His variegated ministry. We need to recover our sense of Christ's presence among us. Not only should we depend upon the spiritual presence of Christ daily, but also we should practice, represent, manifest or become His spiritual presence with our body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We as His disciples should continue what Christ did and taught for this sin-trampled world. When it comes to Christmas, one more thing in my past stuck to my memory. I was a Christian when I experienced this. After having held a special event in Career Group meeting on one Christmas Eve, we as a group went out to visit police officers who were unable to spend Christ with their families because they had to work for public safety. The closest police station was about 10 minutes away from our church. We went into the station and greeted them in Jesus’ name. We sang carols before them and gave little gifts to them. We left the place, thanking them for their service. After we got out of the station, we were walking toward another station. We were walking along the street, forming a long line. One of us found a man who was heavily drunken and fast asleep on the concrete pavement just beside the police station. It was freezing cold, as I recall.

So, we tried to wake him up. But, he didn’t budge a bit. We thought he might have already been frozen to death. Fortunately, he was still alive. So, we took him up and guided him inside the police station, asking the officers to let him stay there for the night. We also encouraged him to receive Christ as his Savior. As we continued to take a walk for caroling after this, I thought to myself. He was one of the guys who spent Christmas in a mire of sin without knowing the meaning of Christmas. He could have died due to freezing cold. By the grace of God, one of us spotted him right there near the police station. Ironically, he was dying right beside the police station that symbolizes the institution of promoting and keeping people’s lives. You know the church symbolizes the earthly presence of Jesus Christ. For differing reasons, people are dying around the church, the earthly embodiment of Christ’s presence. It is a sobering reality. We need to practice Christ’s presence in this world. If you have the Holy Spirit within you, no matter where you go, Christ is with you. So, we can appropriate this doctrine of Christ’s presence for our godliness and salvation of unbelievers. Without doubt, not only do we need all manifestations of Christ's presence, but also we need to represent Christ’s presence to the world. We need Christ’s presence more than anything else. 

Conclusion

Jesus Christ, "God being with Us." has come to us for salvation. This is the central message of Christmas. How shall we celebrate Christmas without saturating ourselves with this message? Some of you still may doubt the historicity and theology of Christmas, saying, "It is impossible for a virgin to bear a son from medical or scientific standpoints." Now, we have to turn our attention to Joseph. How did he accept the news of his wife's pregnancy? He might have rejected the news of virgin birth of Jesus. Or in his anger, he might have exposed Mary into public disgrace, jeopardizing the safe delivery of Mary. When he received the angelic confirmation of the virgin birth of Jesus, he received it and obeyed his instructions exactly. His discernment and obedience in relation to Jesus' virgin birth should lead all of us to accept the doctrine of His virgin birth, because we have fuller revelation as to Christ’ birth. As we approach the day of Christmas, let's remind ourselves of its message: Christ has come down to us in our form to save from our sin and to be with us. This message exhorts us to first reach out to the lost in the world, to experience and practice forgiveness, and to enjoy “God being with us” and represent God’s presence to our neighbors.  Let’s refresh ourselves with this message of Christmas so that we may fully enjoy Christmas and make Christmas enjoyable for others, too.  

Benediction  

능히 너희를 보호하사 거침이 없게 하시고 너희로 그 영광 앞에 흠이 없이 즐거움으로 서게 하실자 ²⁵ 곧 우리 구주 홀로 하나이신 하나님께 우리 주 예수 그리스도로 말미암아 영광과 위엄과 권력과 권세가 만고 전부터 이제와 세세에 있을지어다 아멘. ²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jud 1:24-25)