· The PURPOSE of His humanity.
o The Son of God came to reveal God, John 1:14,18; Heb. 1:1-3. God revealed Himself through the prophets in Old Testament times. But the greatest revelation of God for mankind was when He sent His Son, God the Son, so we could see God up close and personal.
o The Son of God came to be our merciful and faithful High Priest, Heb. 2:16-18. If humanity is to have an effective Priest who can provide an atonement (a covering) for sin, that Priest must be one of us (Heb. 5:1). That is always the case. Further, He must have an effective sacrifice, one that works. What good is it if we die for our own sins, which we will if we reject God’s provision through His Son? We needed one of “us” who had no sin of His own (Heb. 10:12).
o The Son of God came to destroy Satan’s power of death, Heb. 2:14f. This required that the Son become Man, so He could die, so He could then by His resurrection defeat death and bring eternal life to all who believe.
o The Son of God came to be preeminent over creation and the new creation (the Church), Col. 1:18.
o The Son of God came to rule from David’s throne, Isa. 9:6-7; Luke. 1:30-33. He had to become Man in order to be of the house and lineage of David.
o The Son of God came to be our Kinsman-Redeemer, Gal. 4:4; Rom. 8:1-4; Heb. 2:15; Ruth 1-4. The story of Ruth and Boaz reveals what this is about. Naomi had taken Ruth, her daughter in law, under her care. Boaz, a near kin of Naomi’s (and thus of Ruth) bought her out of (redeemed her from) her pitiable situation. The story if doubly powerful in that Boaz was of the house and lineage of David. For Jesus to be our Kinsman-Redeemer He had to be: 1) next of kin, in other words, one of “us,” the ones needing redemption; 2) able to pay the price of redemption, which in His case was a perfect life, not having to pay for His own sins; 3) and willing to pay, which He was because He took on the form of a servant and submitted Himself to the will of His Father.
My friend, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has done this for you! Why do you remain in your sin? Why do you remain subject to the deadly authority of Satan? Receive Jesus as your Savior, your Kinsman-Redeemer, now. Re-read the passage from John in today’s reading. Receive Christ, believe in His name and be born again by a work of God as miraculous as what He did in the Incarnation. You will become a child of God!
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