Uncovering the surprising truth behind a beloved Christmas hymn

In 1719, Isaac Watts published "Joy to the World" as an interpretation of Psalm 98, with references to Psalm 96 and Genesis 3. Somehow, it became a song usually associated with Christmas. But it’s not a Christmas carol or hymn. It’s not about Advent.

By the way, "advent" simply means the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. So "Joy to the World" isn’t about the arrival of Christ in the manger. Instead, it’s about the second Advent. It’s about the Second Coming of Christ.

We cannot isolate the humiliated Christ from the exalted Christ.

The first and second Advents are very different. We sometimes refer to the first coming of Christ as his “humiliation” because he condescended to us. He took on the likeness of sinful flesh. He was born into a lowly condition — a poor family in a tiny village no one cared about.

As Galatians 4 explains, he was made under the law. He experienced all the miseries, pain, and difficulties of this life. He walked much more than a mile in our shoes. He endured the wrath of God and the curse of death on the cross. Then, he was buried and, for a time, continued under the power of death.

Our God did that. The eternal Lord, the maker of all things. It was humiliating — and it would be tragic if the gospel story ended there.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ... If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. ... But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.

Christ didn’t stay in the grave. He was resurrected. This marked the beginning of what we call the exaltation of Christ — his rising from the dead on the third day, his ascending into heaven, his sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and his coming to judge the world at the last day.

Christ is no longer a little baby or a poor peasant. He is the exalted king of the world.

It has been my observation — and the observation of others — that many Christians, especially those of a liberal bent, tend to emphasize the humiliation of Christ: his accessibility, his humanity, his humility, his willingness to wash feet and eat with sinners, his willingness to die and lay down his life.

All those things are good and true when kept in their proper place. But we cannot isolate the humiliated Christ from the exalted Christ.

Unfortunately, that does happen in some circles.

There was a movement called the emerging church (or emergent church) that began in the late 1990s and became largely irrelevant by the mid-2000s. My wife, Emily, and I were loosely involved for a year or two. It questioned the shape of American Christianity, raising some good points. Personally, I was drawn to its critique of churches that prioritized performance over community.

The enthroned king, the coming judge, the one who demands every knee to bow — is not so easily reshaped into a liberal fiction.

But over time, it became clear that the movement was little more than a Trojan horse for liberalism. I remember attending a meeting of local pastors in early 2005 at the now-defunct Cincinnati Bible College. The gathering included Presbyterians, Reformed Baptists, Methodists, Churches of Christ, and others. It was a sort of ecumenical group.

One pastor there — a proponent of the emerging church — was pushing us to work more closely with other religions. Thankfully, no one agreed. The group pushed back hard, affirming that Jesus is the only way to God the Father. It was a good moment.

At one point, this pastor said something like, “You guys only want to talk about the exaltation of Christ, not the incarnation of Christ.” I didn’t fully grasp the significance of that remark until later, when I discussed it with a pastor I respected.

He connected the dots for me. Christ in his humility is easier to treat like a mere man, like an equal. He can be twisted into a “nice guy” who says, “Come as you are,” accepts everyone just as they are, and serves merely as an example of servanthood. But the exalted Christ — the enthroned king, the coming judge, the one who demands every knee to bow — is not so easily reshaped into a liberal fiction.

This pastor wanted to downplay the exaltation of Christ to emphasize a distorted version of his humiliation. But the first and second Advents cannot be separated. They are intrinsic to God’s plan of salvation and essential to the gospel message.

Listen to how Hebrews 4 ties together Christ’s humiliation and exaltation:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

It’s Christ’s humiliation that gives us confidence, he can sympathize with us. It’s Christ’s exaltation that assures us, he can deliver mercy and grace in our time of need.

These truths are inseparable and intertwined in the gospel message.

This connection helps us understand why "Joy to the World" became associated with Christmas. It’s a song celebrating the eventual victory of what began in Bethlehem.

Christmas finds its ultimate fulfillment in all creation singing the praise of the exalted and victorious savior-king.