Heaven Celebrates

The grace which our Incarnate God has shown, is His perfect work in redemption, in being God’s Sacrificial Lamb. It is He who paid the price with His own dear, precious Blood, a ransom for sin. 

He did it to draw sinners back to God and save us all from hell, for the wages of sin is death. Mr. Wesley has stated that we, sinners, who have been redeemed, should render in thanks, our lives to God, for His redeeming grace.

However, he does not stop with earth. His praising and raising of God’s life-giving grace in His Only Begotten Son, is also proclaimed by angelic voices. 

The grace to sinners shown,

Ye heavenly choirs proclaim.

When I read about the heavenly choirs, my mind went directly to the heavenly hosts who came to earth and were praising God on Jesus’ First Advent. I listened again to their jubilant lyrics. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! Luke 2: 14. I thought to myself that those words were not directly proclaiming the grace to sinners shown. What do you see and hear in their words? If like me, you thought that they were not celebrating as we ransomed humans do, think of these things along with whatever else you are shown by the Spirit.

In leaving heaven to come to earth to sing their heavenly praises, shows the fullness of the grace of God. You see, had Incarnate God not left the highest place, position and power, and come down to the lowest place, position and power, the heavenly hosts would never have come down at that time with those lyrics. Indeed, they are praising God for His grace to us. They do not know this grace, as they do not need this grace, since they are not in need of salvation. O yes, there are celestial beings whose worship is second to none. They offer perfect praise, adoration, glory, honour, might and merit to God, but they do not know the grace of salvation as we do. 

In his hymn of redemption, Johnson Oatman captures this theme beautifully, simply and most expressively in his hymn and chorus. Here are the preciously honest, and passionately deep, praising words of the chorus.

Holy, holy, is what the angels sing,

And I expect to help them make

The courts of heaven ring;

But when I sing redemption’s story,

They will fold their wings,

For angels never felt the joys

That our salvation brings.

All that we are acknowledging is that although angels lift Incarnate God high, in His Holiness and Sovereignty as God, they cannot praise Incarnate God as our lives praise, adore and give thanks to Him. Indeed, we are made a little lower than the angels. Nevertheless, as Peter makes clear to the believers, the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1: 2. He is speaking about the things that have been made known to us through those who have preached the Gospel message, through the Holy Spirit, sent from heaven. Then he went on to say that they were, things which angels desire to look into. 1 Peter 1: 12b.

Again, we hear Jesus saying in His ever refreshing, revitalizing and never-ending teaching parables, about the heavenly response to our Incarnate God’s bountiful grace to sinners on earth.  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15: 10. Ever thought of this? God’s angels in heaven do not need to repent. They can only celebrate repentance.

Think on it!