January 24th, 2023
If you ask Christians why Jesus came to the earth, most will answer, “to die on the cross for our sins.” John 3:16 says,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
This is true and it’s the heart of the gospel, but it isn’t the full picture of why Jesus came to earth. Now, this may seem like a good topic for Christmas, but it’s been on my heart all week. God could have redeemed us in any way He wanted. Couldn’t Jesus have come as a full-grown man and avoided the decency of infancy? Couldn’t He have avoided the years of obscurity and the process of life? Couldn’t He have avoided the pain and suffering of being beaten and hung on the cross? Instead, “for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus became like us, to redeem us! We were the joy set before Him. Hebrews 2:17 says,
“Therefore, He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
So, if Jesus didn’t only come to save our souls from sin, why did He come? The Bible tells us that Jesus accomplished everything the Father sent Him to do (John 17:4, John 6:30) and I want to share just some of the reasons the Word of God gives for His incarnation. See, Jesus came not only to save us from death, but to show us how to live.
1. He came as the light of the world.
2. He came to redeem us.
3. He came to give us the spirit of adoption, as children of God.
4. He came to destroy all the works of the devil.
5. He came to destroy our fear of death.
6. He came to bring righteous judgment.
7. He came to bring peace.
8. He came to bring good news to the poor and set the captives free.
10. He came to heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, and raise the dead.
11. He came to purify a people for Himself.
12. He came that we would have life abundantly, not in heaven, but right now.
There are countless more scriptures expounding on why Jesus came, but these give us a picture of Jesus’ purpose on the earth. James 2:15-16 says,
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Jesus didn’t just come to tell people to repent and then leave them the way they were. He showed them how to live in perfect intimacy with His Father. He only did what He saw the Father doing and said what He heard the Father saying (John 5:19-20). When He began His ministry, He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17). When Jesus came, He didn’t come to redeem us for later, He came to bring heaven—the kingdom and will of His Father—to earth, now. He brought healing, peace, provision, and hope everywhere He went. He took care of people’s eternal souls and healed their earthly bodies. He cared for the widows and foreigners and children, who no one else saw. When He sent His disciples into the world before He ascended, He told them the signs that would accompany the preaching of the gospel. As believers, we are carriers of God’s kingdom and when the Gospel is proclaimed, it carries the same power and love that it did when Jesus proclaimed it, because He is in us!
Let us never be content to live in less than Jesus lived and died for! Every single one of these things is for us. The Bible never separates salvation from everything else that Jesus did because when you receive the gospel, you receive Him. I encourage you to take ahold of these truths today and let them take root in your heart for you, your family, and the people around you! The Kingdom of Heaven is still at hand.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
This is true and it’s the heart of the gospel, but it isn’t the full picture of why Jesus came to earth. Now, this may seem like a good topic for Christmas, but it’s been on my heart all week. God could have redeemed us in any way He wanted. Couldn’t Jesus have come as a full-grown man and avoided the decency of infancy? Couldn’t He have avoided the years of obscurity and the process of life? Couldn’t He have avoided the pain and suffering of being beaten and hung on the cross? Instead, “for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus became like us, to redeem us! We were the joy set before Him. Hebrews 2:17 says,
“Therefore, He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
So, if Jesus didn’t only come to save our souls from sin, why did He come? The Bible tells us that Jesus accomplished everything the Father sent Him to do (John 17:4, John 6:30) and I want to share just some of the reasons the Word of God gives for His incarnation. See, Jesus came not only to save us from death, but to show us how to live.
1. He came as the light of the world.
“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)
2. He came to redeem us.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
3. He came to give us the spirit of adoption, as children of God.
“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons… So, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-5,7)
4. He came to destroy all the works of the devil.
“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
5. He came to destroy our fear of death.
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” (Hebrews 2:14-17)
6. He came to bring righteous judgment.
‘Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”’ (John 9:39)
7. He came to bring peace.
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14)
8. He came to bring good news to the poor and set the captives free.
‘Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
9. He came to bear witness to the truth.
“You say that I am a king. For this purpose, I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37)
10. He came to heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, and raise the dead.
And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. (Luke 7:20-22)
11. He came to purify a people for Himself.
[He] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14)
12. He came that we would have life abundantly, not in heaven, but right now.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
There are countless more scriptures expounding on why Jesus came, but these give us a picture of Jesus’ purpose on the earth. James 2:15-16 says,
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Jesus didn’t just come to tell people to repent and then leave them the way they were. He showed them how to live in perfect intimacy with His Father. He only did what He saw the Father doing and said what He heard the Father saying (John 5:19-20). When He began His ministry, He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17). When Jesus came, He didn’t come to redeem us for later, He came to bring heaven—the kingdom and will of His Father—to earth, now. He brought healing, peace, provision, and hope everywhere He went. He took care of people’s eternal souls and healed their earthly bodies. He cared for the widows and foreigners and children, who no one else saw. When He sent His disciples into the world before He ascended, He told them the signs that would accompany the preaching of the gospel. As believers, we are carriers of God’s kingdom and when the Gospel is proclaimed, it carries the same power and love that it did when Jesus proclaimed it, because He is in us!
Let us never be content to live in less than Jesus lived and died for! Every single one of these things is for us. The Bible never separates salvation from everything else that Jesus did because when you receive the gospel, you receive Him. I encourage you to take ahold of these truths today and let them take root in your heart for you, your family, and the people around you! The Kingdom of Heaven is still at hand.
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