Because of Love, He Came...
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The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is one of the great moments in divine history. It is the demonstration of God’s great love; it is the foundation for the Fatherhood of God; it is the moment which predestines the Cross of Christ.
We began this examination by considering the foundational theology which is The Love of God; Christ, the Son of God; and The Cross of Christ. From that theology, we learned these truths: He came because of the love of God.
God came in the flesh as His only begotten Son.
The Savior of the world is God Himself.
He came to redeem sinners and reconcile them to God
.He came to save you and me.
He came to bring light into the darkness of this evil age.
He was rejected, and we esteemed Him not.
He came to die on a cross, reserved for criminals.
In this study of the Incarnation, 30 reasons were presented which provide direct and indirect reasons for the Incarnation.
The direct reasons are based on the 12 statements in which Jesus Christ said: I have come…
.Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matt 5:17)
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' (Matt 10:34-36)
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else — to the nearby villages — so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Mark 1:38)
I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)
I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; (John 5:43)
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38) Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” (John 9:39)
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (John 12:46)
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll —I have come to do your will, O God." (Heb 10:5-7)
In these passages, Christ said: I had come for the following reasons: to witness to God, the Father; to bring the message and means of salvation; to fulfill the Scriptures; and to impact the world for the Kingdom of God.
In addition to these passages, the trial of Jesus Christ before Pilate, the Roman Procurator of Judea, adds an additional reason for His Incarnation. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (John 18:37)
Christ, the King, came to testify to the truth. Now, looking at these 30 reasons, it seemed appropriate to group them into four areas: God, Salvation, the Scriptures, and the World. The combined reasons reveal to the world the love and heart of God. These reasons present us with many great truths, such as the following:
Christ came in His Father’s name and to do the Father’s will.
Christ came to reveal the Father: if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
Christ came to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Christ came to reveal and send another Counselor, the Spirit of God.
Christ came to give glory to His Father.Christ came that we would become the children of God.
Christ came to give us life.
Christ came to save sinners.
Christ came to lay down His life for the sheep.
Christ came to die according to the Scriptures.
Christ came to call sinners to repentance.
Christ came to preach good news to the poor.
Christ came to rescue us from the present evil age.
Christ came to teach us to pray.
Christ came to identify His disciples.
Christ came to make us a new creation.
Christ came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
Christ came to fulfill the Scriptures.
Christ came to be a light in the world.
Christ came to testify to the truth.
Christ came to build His church.
Christ came to equip His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples.
Christ came to bring fire on the earth.
Christ came to bring judgment to the world. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil.
Christ came to warn the world of His second coming and the end of the age.
When we consider the multiple reasons that Christ came into the world, we find that He came to serve God, to provide for our salvation, to fulfill the Scriptures, and to transform this world into the Kingdom of God.
However, the truth expressed in I Corinthians 15:3-4 remains always that of first importance.
For what I [Paul] received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor 15:3-4)
And so we conclude with glorifying and praising God for the Incarnation of His Son.
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About the Book
The gospel of Christ is the most important message in the history of the world. Mankind cannot survive to its highest potential in the absence of the gospel. At the heart of that gospel are the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the crucifixion of Christ.
His birth is one of the most significant moments in divine history, because it sets the stage for the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, and Christ’s second coming.
Christ’s incarnation represents God’s will to save repentant sinners.
Christ came into the world as the Suffering Servant to die for the sins of the world. That is of first importance; it will always remain so.
“For what I [Paul] received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
However, the Scriptures also identify at least thirty reasons for His birth that confirm the reality of God, the reality of the resurrection, and the reality of eternal life. I believe that understanding these additional reasons will increase our understanding of God, as well as our anticipation for the second coming of Christ
.It was the will of God that redemption and reconciliation would be through the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of His only begotten Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Christ is also the perfect witness and example of the love of God; the perfect expression of that love is the cross.
Because of love, He came…
Our Christian life will be richer when the fullness of the incarnation of Christ is more fully understood
.About the Author
William H. Wetmore graduated from Duke University and Lehigh University and had a successful career in engineering science, primarily in teaching and in basic research. He was a member of the faculty of Lehigh University and UCLA before becoming a division director in basic research at the National Science Foundation (NSF). After retiring from NSF, he served as Associate Dean of Engineering at West Virginia University. He is the author of six books: Him We Proclaim; God’s Hidden Treasures: The Parables of Jesus; You Must Be Born Again; Our Father, who art in Heaven; Freedom: The Epistle to the Galatians; and The Gospel: Love Divine.
He teaches bible studies on a wide range of theological subjects.