Why Did My Savior Come to Earth?

INTRODUCTION

I remember the day when two passages of scripture seemed to have entered my mind at the same time. Both of them had to do with a reason the Lord gave for His earthly mission. I began to wonder how many times He said something like that. I further began to wonder about the application(s) that could be made for my life and the lives of others.

This book is the result of some of my wonderings. It is not intended to be a doctrinal or theological book (though I guess doctrine and theology are in it). Rather, the book is intended to be helpful. It is my prayer that it will help all of us have a better understanding of our Lord and His work. It is also my prayer that it will cause us to love Him even more than we do now and to be more dedicated to His cause than might presently be the case.

Chapter One

HE WHO CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN

JOHN 3:13

It appears to have been a private conversation between two men. Whether or not he wore the clothing that evening that would have identified him as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus was, in fact, both.

It will not be our purpose here to add to the speculation about why he may have chosen to come to Jesus at night. Nor shall we speculate as to exactly how much faith he had in Jesus. Our purpose here is to focus on the other party in this conversation. Jesus, the master teacher, was able to answer the unasked question. His mention of the need to be born again brought about a discussion and some important teaching from our Lord. The first eighteen verses of John 3 contain this material.

These verses also record the first time (chronologically) when our Lord gave any hint as to the answer to the question, Why did my Savior come to earth? He would expand upon this first answer during His earthly ministry and would give additional insight into the reason for His incarnation. We hope to explore some of the Lord’s other statements about this in succeeding chapters.

However, what He says in John 3 in the actual statement and its context should give us much to consider and appreciate. The material which follows does not exhaust or touch the hem of the garment of all that could be said about this marvelous passage.

It is hoped that it will cause us to dig a little deeper into God’s Book and love even more deeply His Son. Only three of the many points that could be discussed will be dealt with in this chapter.

HIS ORIGIN

The fact that the word origin is in quotation marks is not an accident. The fact is that He who came down from heaven had no origin.

Every attempt that is used to explain eternity seems to fall woefully short. It is beyond getting one’s brain around the idea that anything or anybody could have no beginning and will have no end. As much as we sometimes hesitate to think of our own departure from this life, we are used to the idea of things having a beginning and an ending. This is true whether we are considering a song, a book, a television show, a theatrical production, a nation’s history, or our own lives.

It seems that, just about the time when we get anywhere near comfortable with the concept that we will exist somewhere forever, we come face to face with another truth; Deity, like us, has no ending, but, unlike us, had no beginning. To state this truth in another way, the Bible teaches that before the beginning, there was God. We might not be able to explain it even to ourselves, but the opening words of God’s grand Book tell of what He did in the beginning (Gen. 1:1).

If the objection would be raised that this wording might mean that He, too, had a beginning, consideration needs to be given to those passages which speak of things in which He was involved before the beginning. For example, the church was part of His eternal purpose (Eph. 3:10-11).

God’s plan for redeeming mankind in Christ was not an afterthought. Consideration should be given to Paul’s inspired words as found in Ephesians 1:3-4: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

There exists the possibility that our Lord may not have needed to exist before the creation in order for the plan to be in place. Peter’s pen seems to answer this question, though, by stating that Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (1 Pet. 1:19-20). It is interesting and important to notice that the Messiah was manifest or that He has appeared (NASU). Nowhere is it taught that the plan existed before the One existed who would implement the plan.

As the beloved apostle John began his inspired account of our Lord’s person and mission, he informed his readers that the Word which was made flesh was in the beginning with God and was God (John 1:1-2, 14). Although this truth is denied by at least one very zealous religious group, the fact remains that the One to whom Nicodemus was speaking in John 3 has no origin.

It is not true, as that group teaches and as they have edited their Bibles to say, that Jesus was a created being. He is not, as their Bible has it, a god, (John 1:1; New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures). It is also not true, as that same Bible states in Colossians 1:16 that "by means of him all other things were created" (emphasis added).

John affirms, and the Bible repeatedly teaches, that the One having that conversation with Nicodemus was, and is, Deity. He was not an angel who left heaven to come to earth. He was and is part of the Godhead! He was the One to whom the Father spoke and referred to as God in Hebrews 1:8! But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.’

Since John affirms the Deity of Jesus, it should not surprise us to learn some of the other things we find in chapter one of his gospel. Along with His creative power, John mentions, among other things, the truth that life is to be found in Him (v. 4); that He is full of grace and truth (v. 14); and that He makes the Father known (v. 18).

There is a very intriguing passage found in Hebrews 10. In a sense, the curtain is lifted on a conversation that took place before our Savior came to earth. In verses 5-10, we learn that it is not true, as one song suggests, that they searched through heaven and found a savior. Rather, our Lord willingly left the glory he had with His Father before the world existed (cf. John 17:5) in order to come to earth to offer the ultimate and only adequate sacrifice for sin.

In the inspired words of the apostle Paul found in Philippians 2:6, He is described as both being in the form of God and being equal with God. With amazement and appreciation, we read the following verses which inform us that He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (vv. 7-8).

Think of it! On that dark day so very long ago, the One being cruelly executed between two common criminals was the most uncommon of all who have ever walked the earth. Thomas spoke the truth when he bowed to Jesus and said, My Lord and My God (John 20:28).

HIS NATURE

It is worth noting that Jesus often referred to Himself in the third person. On five occasions, He referred to Himself as the Son of God. However, He was more apt to call Himself the Son of Man. In fact, we find Him using the expression Son of Man over eighty times in the Gospels, while referring to Himself as the Son of God only five times.

The fact that Jesus is the Son of Man, of course, has reference to a prophecy that is almost as old as the human race. In Genesis 3:15, God said that the seed of woman would ultimately defeat Satan.

When all of the debate about Isaiah 7:14 dies down, the fact remains that it is predicted that a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Matthew’s gospel connects this to the birth of Jesus and adds the information that Immanuel is translated, God with us (Matt. 1:23).

The fulfillment of prophecies is an exciting and rewarding study. Some have made a life’s work of studying all of the prophecies that were (and are) fulfilled by our Lord. It is also rewarding to consider that we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). When we sing the song that asks and answers the question, Does Jesus Care? we can be sure that He does. We can be sure of that, in part, because it is He who came down from heaven (John 3:13).

We have already briefly considered the passage found in Philippians 2 which affirms that the Messiah came in the likeness of men (v. 7) and was found in appearance as a man (v. 8). Some might object, or at least wonder, if these two expressions would leave room for the idea that Jesus never really was a man, but that He just appeared to be a man.

This idea might even seem to find support in Hebrews 2:14 where it is stated that He took part in flesh and blood. Maybe, some might reason or wonder, He never really became man. That same verse destroys that notion when it teaches that all of mankind are partakers of flesh and blood. Jesus was just as much human as you and I are.

However, that fact, at least to this author, is not the most amazing truth to be learned from Hebrews 2. In verse 11, we are told that Jesus and His followers are all of one. We are not just considering our Lord’s desire that all of us would be one (cf. John 17:21). Hebrews 2:11 states that "He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one" (emphasis added). We have the same Father!

Does that amaze and humble you at the same time? If so, consider the rest of that verse wherein we learn that Christ is not ashamed to call them (us) brethren. It is nothing short of amazing that, because He has been one of us, He can and does understand more than we can imagine and can actually refer to us as brethren.

This is especially true when we remember that He is not just one of us. He is also the Son of God. One of the fascinating features of the exchange between Jesus and the Jewish high priest as recorded in Matthew 26:63-64 is the connection that Jesus made between the two concepts of His being both the Son of God (v. 63) and the Son of Man (v. 64). He accepted the first title and made reference to Himself with the second.

In His conversation with Nicodemus, He referred to Himself as both the Son of Man and the Son of God (vv. 14, 18). Both of these appellations refer to His nature and both of them refer to the reason why He…came down from heaven (John 3:13).

HIS MISSION

To turn this discussion into a study of our Lord’s mission while on earth would be a worthy (but extremely lengthy) effort. To try to tie together all the prophecies, fulfillments, works of our Lord,