The Holy One

During the quiet moments of this Christmas Eve night, I have pondered on the holiness of the infant born on the holy night about which we sing:

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining.
          It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.

          Silent night! Holy night!
          All is calm, all is bright
          Round yon virgin mother and Child.
          Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
          Sleep in heavenly peace;
          Sleep in heavenly peace.

That Holy Infant, Jesus Christ, was the promised Messiah—the Great Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament—whose birth, life and mission had long been prophesied.

Some of the greatest prophecies of the Savior’s birth were given through Isaiah, the prophet of the Old Testament:

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Another name by which Isaiah frequently referred to the Savior is the Holy One of Israel. According to the LDS Bible Dictionary, “Holy One of Israel” is a name for the Savior that was used 34 times in the Old Testament—28 of those times by Isaiah.

The name “Holy One of Israel” is also used frequently in the Book of Mormon, especially by Nephi and his brother Jacob. (For Nephi's references, see 1 Nephi 19:14-15; 22:5, 18, 21, 24, 26, 28; 2 Nephi 25:29; 30:2. For Jacob's references, see 2 Nephi 2:10; 6:9,10,15; 9:11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26, 40, 41, 51.)

I have wondered why Nephi, Jacob and Isaiah used the term “Holy One of Israel” so often to refer to the Savior. Maybe Nephi and Jacob referred to the Savior as the Holy One of Israel simply because they had often read the words of Isaiah, who referred to the Savior by that name. Nephi and Jacob had also heard their father, Lehi, refer to the Savior as the Holy One of Israel (see 2 Nephi 1:10; 3:2). However, as I have pondered on this question, I remembered that Nephi mentioned something significant that he, Isaiah and Jacob all had in common:

And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.

And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.

(2 Nephi 11:2-3; emphasis added.)

I believe Nephi is telling the truth – Isaiah and Jacob saw our Redeemer as Nephi did. (For that matter, so did Lehi, in a vision; see 1 Nephi 1:8-9.) The Spirit also whispers to me that when Isaiah, Nephi and Jacob each saw the Lord, one thing they understood very clearly was that the Savior is holy – and also that we are not. Perhaps that is why each of them so often and so reverently referred to the Lord as the “Holy One of Israel.”

As I have studied other scriptures on this topic, I have learned that holiness is a prime attribute of godliness. In Moses 6:57, the Lord tells Adam:

Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

(Emphasis added.) Thus, in the language of Adam, the very name of our Father in Heaven is “Man of Holiness,” and the name of his Only Begotten Son is “Son of Man” (i.e., “Son of Man of Holiness”).

The scriptures also make clear that although God’s children are not holy, God wants us to be sanctified and be made holy like He is, through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 11:44 says (emphasis mine):

For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 echoes and renews this Old Testament injunction:

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

As we prepare to start a new year, I will be thinking about holiness. Thinking about the holiness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ increases my desire to become more like them and strengthens my resolve to choose well. As I focus more and more on the holiness of God, it becomes easier for me to discern and choose things that are holy (virtuous, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy) instead of things that are unholy (profane, unclean, worldly, prideful). Pondering on the holiness of God inspires me to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, to enter into and keep covenants with the Lord, and to draw upon the comforting, cleansing, healing, enabling and strengthening powers of his Atonement.

The words of another Book of Mormon prophet named Amaleki, recorded in Omni 1:26, express the desire of my heart:

And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

                            *   *   *   *   *

Carol F. McConkie, "The Beauty of Holiness," Ensign, May 2017.

D. Todd Christofferson, "The Living Bread Which Came Down from Heaven," Ensign, Nov. 2017.