Why did God send Jesus?

Answer

The Bible teaches that the Father sent the Son into the world (John 5:37; John 6:44, 57; 8:16, 18; 12:49; 20:21; Galatians 4:4; 1 John 4:14). In other words, God sent Jesus. The Bible also tells us why God sent Jesus into the world—reasons that contribute to His glory and our eternal benefit. We will explore four of the reasons God sent Jesus:

Why God Sent Jesus: To Reveal the Father

In creation, we gain insight into the Creator, such as “his eternal power and divine nature” “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”, (Romans 1:20). But what is God truly like? Is it possible to have a personal relationship with Him?

In the Old Testament, God began to reveal Himself as the Creator, Lawgiver, Judge, and Redeemer of His people. Then came Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus revealed God in a way that truly captured our attention.

Without Jesus, we would not be able to perceive God. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”, (John 1:18). Jesus is, in fact, “the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence” “who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word.

Of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; », (Hebrews 1:3, AMP). That is, if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father «Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? », (John 14:9).

Without Jesus, we would doubt God’s love. But in the works that He did and the death that He died, Jesus revealed God’s love «But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. », (Romans 5:8). Without Jesus, we would question God’s goodness and care. But Jesus revealed God’s knowledge of our needs and His desire to meet them «Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. », (Matthew 6:8). Without Jesus, we might consider God unfair. But in His interactions with people of all backgrounds, Jesus revealed God’s impartiality.

Without Jesus, we would be forever fatherless. But Jesus showed us that we can approach God as a child approaches his or her father see Matthew 6:9. There’s a relationship not just based on creation, the law, or judgment; there is a family relationship (see Matthew 12:49-50). As J. I. Packer wrote, “If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. . . . Everything that Christ taught . . . is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. Father is the Christ.”I Am” Name for God” (Knowing God, InterVarsity Press, 1973, p. 201).

Jesus spoke God’s words, thought God’s thoughts, felt and expressed God’s emotions, and did God’s works. God sent Jesus into the world to reveal the Father to us.

Reason Why God Sent Jesus: To Eliminate Sin

Hebrews 9:26 states, “He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to eliminate sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

The offerings of the old Levitical system were inadequate to remove sin. However, Jesus presented the flawless sacrifice, once for all time. Through the shedding of His blood on the cross, animals would never again need to die as our substitute. When God sent Jesus into the world, the Son of God took on human form and offered a superior sacrifice for sin and a superior covenant with God’s people.

God sent Jesus not to deny the reality of sin or help us ignore our sin. Denials and cover-ups were not His intention. God aimed to eliminate sin once and for all. In Christ, God pardoned sin and freed us from its consequences. By believing in the Son, we receive complete liberation from guilt. Moreover, we are freed from the grip of sin itself, genuine salvation, and true peace with God. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” « There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. », (Romans 8:1).

Our religious deeds cannot eradicate sin. Nor can remorse, self-denial, or righteous living. Even our demise cannot eliminate sin. Sin is a blemish on our soul, a mark on the fabric of our existence that can only be cleansed by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Jesus alone can remove our sin «who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. », (1 Peter 2:24). It is one of the reasons God sent Him.

Why God Sent Jesus: To Destroy the Works of the Devil

Another biblical reason that God sent Jesus into the world is explained in 1 John 3:8: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” It was a divine mission, carried out with the precision of a well-planned military operation. Two thousand years ago, the Son of God arrived on foreign soil, behind enemy lines, with a mission to dismantle something, and He achieved His goal. He dismantled all that the devil had been doing.

The devil has been working to establish a kingdom for himself, and Jesus came to dismantle the structure, rendering everything Satan has ever done futile. The devil had built his sandcastle, and Jesus was the tide.

The devil’s works that Jesus destroyed include deception (Jesus is the Truth); sin (Jesus is our Righteousness); and death (Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life). Jesus accomplished His dismantling of Satan’s work through His holiness (Matthew 4:1-11;John 14:30), the excellence of His sacrifice (John 12:31;Colossians 2:15;Hebrews 2:14-15;1 John 2:2), and the impact of His grace (Ephesians 2:1;Colossians 3:4;Romans 16:20).

The devil had a plan for Lazarus, and it did not involve his resurrection from the dead (John 11). The devil had a plan for Saul of Tarsus, and it did not include his transformation into a missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 9). The devil had a plan for the Philippian jailer, and it did not involve him surviving the night and being saved and baptized with his entire family (Acts 16). Satan’s plans have failed,And they will continue to do so as God’s will is accomplished in and through us. As for the devil’s future, he will eventually be sent to the place of torture he dreads (Matthew 8:28-29; Revelation 20:10).

Why God Sent Jesus: To Provide an Example of a Holy Life

In the context of suffering for righteousness’ sake, Peter tells us that Christ has left us “an example, that [we] should follow in his steps” «For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: », (1 Peter 2:21). All those who follow Christ ought to conduct themselves just as Jesus conducted Himself «He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. », (1 John 2:6). We are to be holy as God is holy «because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. », (1 Peter 1:16), and Jesus is our example.

Jesus handled temptation, and He did so without sin (Luke 4:1-13; Hebrews 4:15). Jesus lived blamelessly, being holy in word (John 8:45-46) and holy in deed (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 7:26). Jesus nurtured a prayer life «And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. », (Luke 5:16), and He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit «And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, »

, (Luke 4:1,14) «And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. », (Luke 4:1,14).

God sent Jesus into the world, and we praise Him for it. We are eternally grateful to our Lord who, at the end of His ministry, was able to look to heaven and say, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” «I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. », (John 17:4). Mission accomplished.