The first question we need to answer is this: Why did Jesus come to the earth in the first place? Jesus answered that question when He was talking to the tax collector Zacchaeus in Luke 19:10, "to seek and save those who are lost." Jesus also told Nicodemus that the Father so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but will have eternal life (John 3:16).
So for the love of God toward His
creation is why Jesus was sent. Jesus was sent by God to rescue us from our
sins (Matthew 1:21). To this very minute that message is lost to most of the world. In other
words, they may be hearing the message, but they are not listening to it and
allowing it to transform their lives - it's mental assent[i]
at best, and downright rejection of gospel truth at the worst.
The first thing Jesus did was He
identified with sinners. How? He was baptized by John. When John was baptizing
in the Jordan River, people were publicly confessing their sins. John explains
the reason for this: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He
who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to
carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
To baptize means to dip or
immerse. Water baptism is symbolic. When one is placed under water that
signifies death and burial. When one is taken out of the water that signifies
resurrection life. Today when a person is baptized, it is not nor has it ever
been for the purpose of salvation, but one is declaring publicly that they are
identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some have
called water baptism an outward sign of an inward grace. We get baptized
because we are saved, not to get saved. It is a sacrament of the Church along
with communion.
For another insight on baptism,
click on the link below.[ii]
After Jesus’ temptation in the
wilderness by the devil, He immediately begins to preach the gospel of
repentance in Galilee. In Matthew 4:17 He commands everyone to repent for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus is fulfilling the mission of why He was
sent by the Father.
Jesus goes deeper into how we are
to conduct ourselves toward God and one another when He preaches in depth on
the sermon on the mountain in Matthew chapters 5-7.
Jesus had compassion on all
sinners
A major element of Jesus’
ministry was healing and performing miraculous signs. This was so he could
prove He was sent from the Father God. He healed the sick. He cast out demons.
He raised the dead. He fed the multitudes with a few loaves and fish. He walked
on water. He commanded the stormy seas to be quiet and be at peace and they
obeyed. He escaped death numerous times. The one thing that people did not see
but heard was that He forgave their sins. This caused great controversy with
the religious leaders because they knew only God could forgive sins (Mark
2:5-6). They were never going to believe and accept that Jesus was God in the
flesh. He didn’t come from a noble birth. As far as they were concerned, He was
the son of Joseph a carpenter from Nazareth (Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3).
You see Jesus never avoided
talking about our sins, but at the same time because of His unfailing love, He
forgives all who genuinely repents of them. In John 6:37 Jesus says, “All that
the Father gives to Me will come to Me, and the one that comes to Me I will by
no means cast out.” The clear implication here is those that come to Christ
have acknowledged their unworthiness and are placing their lives at the throne
of His mercy. In Hebrews 4:16 we read these powerful words, “Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need.”
There is NOT a moment in our
lives where we do not need the Lord’s mercy and grace.
The idea that God incarnate would
dwell with sinful mankind for any length of time is mind boggling to the
writer; and He did it for three years! This speaks to the transcendent love of
our Lord for His creation who is hopelessly lost without Him. Our sin state is
so depraved, that God the Father punished His Son instead of us. Why (Isaiah 53:5;2 Cor 5:21)?
That was the predetermined plan
before the beginning of time. The Bible says that Jesus is the lamb slain
before the world began (Revelation 13:8). That is predestination language,
God’s love language. It was always in the plan of God to save those who would
repent and believe in the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. In
order for man to inherit eternal life, Jesus had to die.
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
Romans 5:20-21 says where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God’s grace is infinitely greater than man’s sin. But this grace is only available to those who repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ, alone.
Jesus loves sinners
Many have asked the question why
would God create man if He knew we would fall into sin? This is a valid
question. The easy answer is to say that "we do not know" why God created us since He knew in advance it man would sin. The more complex answer that I believe is Biblically supported is that God ordained all things ultimately for His own glory - even the moral fall of mankind. Think about it, if man never fell into sin, we never know and experience the love and grace of God the Father in Christ Jesus to forgive sins when one repents. When anyone stops being a slave to sin and becomes a slave to righteousness, that gives glory to God. There are many things about God we do not understand; we are finite.
God is infinite. God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our
thoughts. God's ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). So it seemed to serve God’s glory best to allow
man the choice to choose good or evil, to obey or disobey. Adam and Eve chose
to disobey and plunge the human race into ruin.
We cannot lay the blame of man's sin at God's doorstep because He made us. God made mankind perfect (Genesis 1:26-31). We all are free moral agents and we know right from wrong even at a very young age. The person that crashes their car into a light pole because they were driving to fast and drunk cannot rightfully blame the manufacturer or the dealership for their accident. They have to take responsibility for their actions. Can the person who dies of lung cancer after smoking cigarettes for 50 years family members blame and sue the tobacco company when the smoker knew the risks? Can the murderer who kills an old lady with a gun blame and take the gun manufacturer to court although he pulled the trigger of his own free will?
We all know the answers to these questions.
So by allowing sin to exist, God
demonstrated the wonders of His grace in a way He never would have been able to
had man never sinned. Please understand me, that does not mean God wanted sin
to occur; He commands us not to sin. But the Lord knowing our evil nature
provided the only way for us to conquer our sins. through the shed blood of
Christ. This way, God glorifies Himself in His love toward us. Jesus said to
His disciples, “No greater love is there than this, that one would lay down His
life for His friends” (John 15:13).
The lengths the Lord has gone
through to secure our salvation should humble any heart and cause us to lift
our hands and praise God in private and public. To reject His love is the
ultimate blasphemy against the Lord. When one rejects God’s love, the only
thing left for that person is God’s just wrath.
The Lord Jesus’ arms are still
stretched out wide to receive all who genuinely come to Him. Think about it?
With all the rising evil in our world today, why would anyone refuse to come to
Jesus? If your life is a mess, repent of your sins today, trust in what He did
for your sins on the cross, so that your soul is saved. Receiving Jesus does
not necessarily mean your life here on earth will get better, it may get worse naturally speaking. So now one may be asking, “Then why trust in Christ if my life will not
improve?” The fact that you are saved and your sins and are forgiven is ultimate victory. We do not have long to be here. This world is passing away so don’t
focus on the here and now to the point that it paralyses you with fear. If you become very wealthy, to do not let that lull you to sleep that you are ineffective for the kingdom. We as believers are looking toward a new heavens and earth where
righteousness dwells forever (2 Peter 3:13). We must focus on the eternal, not
the temporal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Stay vigilant! You're an ambassador for Christ now. Run your race with joy.
You must be willing to lose this world and have your soul saved rather than gain this world and lose your soul (Matthew 16:26).
Faith, forgiveness of sins, salvation, peace, the afterlife and so much more are the blessings children of God enjoy now and forever.
This is all because of the love
of God in Christ Jesus. Everyone wants peace in their lives. Jesus Christ is
the only way to that peace (John 14:27).
“Behold, now is the accepted
time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
“Today, if you will hear His
voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews
3:15).
[i] Mental assent refers to the intellectual agreement with or acceptance of certain beliefs or truths, particularly in a religious context, without allowing those beliefs to impact one's heart or actions. It is often seen as a superficial understanding of faith, lacking the transformative power that genuine faith can bring.