Music swelled within the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. The sweet melody of “Once in Royal David’s City” echoed from the arches high above the heads of over one thousand listeners. Christmas greenery adorned the towering marble columns. The Joy of Christmas concert featured exceptional instrumentalists, choirs, and composers.

However, about halfway through the concert, the planners seem to have forgotten it was a Christmas concert. The sounds of Christmas faded into nondescript choral works. Then, an original piece debuted. The two movements of “Stardust” attempted to capture the enormity and chaos of the cosmos with a vague similarity to “Saturn” from Gustav Holst’s work, “The Planets.” With the dissonance of the music and complete absence of any Christian themes in the lyrics, the concert completely veered off topic. Christmas had faded into the horizon.

Then, an Italian version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” brought the sound of Christmas back, but the foreign language obscured the vital message. “The Little Drummer Boy” returned a traditional nod to the Christmas events. Finally, the concert ended with two masterpieces of Christmas music and Christian truth: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Silent Night.”

These carols proclaim bold truths about the person and work of Christ that most carolers do not even realize as they sing the familiar lines. Let’s walk through the lyrics of “Silent Night” and discover what doctrines and Scripture passages Joseph Mohr referenced throughout his beloved Christmas carol.

1. Jesus’ Birth Was Unique.

(1) 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.

Virgins do not give birth. Infants are never holy. But the hymnwriter, Joseph Mohr, immediately points to these key factors in his idyllic description of the first Christmas. His lyrics allude to Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Only God could cause a virgin to conceive. Only God could enter the world holy because everyone else has sinned (Romans 3:23). And only God could fulfill this prophecy hundred of years after it was given.

2. Jesus’ Birth Was Significant.

(2) Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from heaven afar; Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Saviour is born! Christ the Saviour is born!

Angels do not announce unimportant events. When they appear, they strike fear into all who see them. Their message comes from God Himself. On the first Christmas, they proclaimed the birth of the promised Savior. Mohr paraphrases their words in Luke 2:11: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

3. Jesus’ Birth Began a New Era.

(3) Silent night, Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord at thy birth; Jesus Lord at thy birth.

With Jesus birth came the dawn of redeeming grace bought on the cross some thirty years later (John 1:17). Jesus is the Son of God, divine just as His Heavenly Father is. Jesus is a perfect blend of love and holiness. In love, He died for all. In holy purity, He met God’s perfect standard, making justification possible (Romans 3:24; 5:1). Jesus Christ offers grace and salvation to all (Titus 2:11).

The Theology of Silent Night

Set to the quiet melody of Franz Gruber in 1818, “Silent Night” is a simple testimony to biblical theology. In these short stanzas, Mohr teaches deep truths about the person of Christ (Christology) and salvation (soteriology). Along the way, this carol heralds the hope of salvation to the many lost souls who sing these truths without fully grasping how important they are (Acts 4:12). May the truth that so sweetly enters their ears one day penetrate their hearts, resulting in saving faith in the Savior born that night so long ago (1 John 4:14; John 3:16).