Why did Jesus come into our world? Why was His coming the best news the world will ever hear?  Sadly, many people, including Christians, are ignorant as to “why.” Sharing with friends and others the biblical truth as to why Jesus came into human history should be a believers passionate, life-long engagement!

A general understanding of the Bible can have us believing that Jesus came into our world… to reveal God to mankind, to teach the truth, to fulfil the requirements of the 10 Commandments, to make us aware of His Kingdom, to show us how to live right, to give us a taste of the Father’s love, to bring peace, to heal the sick, and to cast-out evil spirits. While those reasons are good, they are incidental in comparison to His ultimate purpose for coming into our world.

Although Jesus could have come in the form of an angel to accomplish these wondrous things, His ultimate purpose could not have been accomplished without His incarnation (God becoming flesh). So, what was Jesus’ ultimate purpose for coming into our world? He came to die! 

Jesus’ death, though devised and carried out by men with evil intentions, was in no way a tragedy, but represents the greatest victory over evil the world can ever know. Answers to the question “why wasn’t Jesus’ death a tragedy” can be found in the Book of Hebrews.The writer says…

What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honour.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.I will praise you among your assembled people.” He also said, “I will put my trust in him, “that is, “I and the children God has given me.”

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested (2:9-18).

Friends, there are five good reasons for Jesus coming into our world:

The first reason – He came to die as our Substitute!

In the beginning of life, death was not a part of God’s plan. Adam was warned that if he disobeyed God by touching the forbidden tree he would die (Gen. 2:17). Adam disobeyed God, and by doing so sin and death was introduced to the whole human race, where it has been passed down through the ages to everyone who has ever been born… everyone, with One exception!

“The soul who sins will die” (Ez. 18:4).  “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

As Jesus was not conceived by a human father, He was not contaminated by Adam’s sin-virus, and, was therefore qualified to die for you and me. Jesus is God, and in order to be able to die, in our place, He had to become a human being–a Man–one level lower than the angels, as no angel can ever die.     

Verse 9 of our text says, What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honour.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.

As death is reserved for mortal beings, Jesus had to became one so that He could die in our place. Jesus is our substitute!

The second reason – He came to pioneer our Salvation! 

Verse 10 of our text says … God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

Our Heavenly Father is the author of salvation. ‘Author’ means pioneer, leader, or trail-blazer. Jesus is the One who made salvation a reality. The Scripture is clear in pointing out that there is only one pathway to God, and that Jesus is that pathway… “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Friends, Jesus’ suffering made Him our perfect leader. His death opened the pathway to Heaven – blazed the trail wide-open so that He could bring “many children into glory” (v 10). Jesus could not bring people to God with unpunished sins. That’s why He came to die… to pay for our sins (past, present, and future).

(Continued in “He was born to die! – Part II”)

Bill