Why Did Jesus Come?
Into God's perfect and happy
creation, sin was introduced, and its
accompanying sorrows and death resulted. God's most brilliant and trusted
angel, the light-bearer, submitted before the intelligent universe his ways of
self-gratification as a superior alternative to God's law of self-sacrificing
love.
God knew that sin destroys the sinner. Self-seeking, the
core of sin, ultimately results in death. If he had allowed Satan and his followers
to reap the natural consequences of their actions, they would have perished,
but the onlooking universe would have possibly thought Satan was right- perhaps
God had simply eliminated his competition. Therefore, God allowed this
"war" on his character to continue, even though this would cause the
eternal perdition of many, in order to eternally secure the freedom of the
universe. The all-wise God of liberty allowed sin to run its course that all
might see the natural consequences of rebellion.
But the God of love did not ask any of us to
prove the truthfulness of his words in declaring that sin results in death,
even though we deserved it. he himself would suffer the consequences for our
sins, and would in the process redeem mankind from the fall. And in his
wonderful plan no one needs perish, for any who so desire can find healing and
salvation in it.
What is this plan? How did he
accomplish this? We read in Matthew 1:21 that Christ was to be named
"Jesus," because he would "save his people from their sins.”
1. What did Jesus send his disciples to tell "everyone
everywhere"?
He said to them, "Go throughout the whole world and
preach the gospel to all people. Mark
Christ…
sent me to tell the Good News. I Corinthians
Note:
“Gospel” is Old English for “good news.”
2. There are many churches "preaching the gospel". How did Jesus
qualify it?
And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached
through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
Note:
Jesus did not say, "a gospel," but rather, "this gospel.” He
referred to a very specific and definite gospel.
3. What can this good news do?
I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to
save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. Romans 1:16
Note:
The gospel is so powerful, it can save anyone who believes it!
4. What happens to people when they teach and believe a false version of
the gospel?
I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting
the one who called you by the grace of Christ, and are accepting another
gospel. Actually, there is no "other gospel," but I say this because
there are some people who are upsetting you and trying to change the gospel of
Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel
that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell!
We have said it before, and now I say it again: if anyone preaches to you a
gospel that is different from the one you accepted, may he be condemned to
hell! Galatians 1:6-9
I am
afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full
and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the
snake's clever lies. For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and
preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit
and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received
from us! 2
Corinthians 11:3-4
Note:
It is a matter of life or death to believe and teach the true gospel.
5. What is the good news about?
For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with
himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says,
"The person who is put right with God through faith shall live." Romans 1:17
Note:
The good news is about God. John called it "the everlasting" or
"eternal" good news (Revelation 14:6). Jesus (Who is God himself)
said the good news was that he would rule the universe for eternity (Matthew
28:18-19). The good news is that God always has and always will
("eternal") run his universe this way. he has always been the gentle,
loving, gracious Person he showed himself to be while on earth.
6. When the human family chose to believe the enemy's lies and became
slaves to sin, God promised to do something about it (Genesis
In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The Word became a human being and, full of grace and
truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the
Father's only Son. John 1:1,14
Note:
The infinite, all-powerful Creator, the One before whom mighty angels veil
their faces, consented to become a human being!
7. What did God actually consent to do?
The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus
had: He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he
should try to remain equal with God. Instead of this, of his own free will he
gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human
being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of
obedience all the way to death— his death on the cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Note: To
become an angel would be an infinite condescension on behalf of the Almighty.
But in order to set us right, he consented to become a member of the fallen
human race, and to die the worst possible death; to be considered by onlookers
to be condemned even by God— “But by becoming a curse
for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the
scripture says, ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God's curse.’ ” Galatians
8. How
does the Apostle Paul speak of Christ's becoming a man?
For then he would have had to suffer many times ever since
the creation of the world. Instead, now when all ages of time are nearing the
end, he has appeared once and for all, to remove sin through the sacrifice of
himself. Hebrews 9:26
Your
life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for
us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God. Ephesians 5:2
He is
not like other high priests; he does not need to offer sacrifices every day for
his own sins first and then for the sins of the people. He offered one
sacrifice, once and for all, when he offered himself. Hebrews 7:27
Christ,
however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever,
and then he sat down at the right side of God. Hebrews 10:12
9. How
did Jesus illustrate the necessity of his sacrifice?
I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more
than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does
die, then it produces many grains. Those who love their own life will lose it;
those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for life eternal.
Whoever wants to serve me must follow me, so that my servant will be with me
where I am. And my Father will honor anyone who serves me. John 12:23-26
10. What did Jesus associate his death with?
And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man,
who came down from heaven." As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole
in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that
everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:13-15
Note:
The complete rendering of this story is found in Numbers 21:6-10.
11. What does the serpent, symbol of Satan and sin, have to do with
the necessity of Jesus' incarnation
(becoming human)?
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could
not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal
with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh Romans 8:3 NRS
Note:
The holy angels proclaim that God is more holy than we could ever imagine
(Isaiah 6:3). The Lord hates sin (Psalm 45:7a, Habakkuk 1:13a), yet God "made him [Jesus] to be sin for us.” 2
Corinthians 5:21. Jesus took all our guilt and sin on himself, even though he
had never sinned by even a thought (Isaiah 53:4-6,10).
The terrible weight of this guilt crushed Jesus. The
physical suffering Christ endured for us was intense. Death on the cross was so
painful that the Latins coined the word "excruciatus," which means
"out of the cross"- from which we get our word "excruciating.”
(see supplement at the end of this study entitled "The Trial and
Crucifixion" for details on Christ's physical suffering).
But the mental and emotional agony was so great that his
physical pain was hardly felt. his heart was pierced with a sorrow that can
never be fully understood by men.
12. What did Jesus say his being lifted on
Through
the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God
made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself
all things, both on earth and in heaven. At one time you were far away from God
and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now,
by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in
order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence. Colossians 1:20-22
Note:
Right here in John chapter 12 Jesus summarizes the entire Great Controversy and
the Plan of Redemption:
a) He states
that the reason he came was to reveal the truth about God (Glorify his name and
character)— “Now my heart is troubled—and what shall I
say? Shall I say, ‘Father, do not let this hour come upon me’? But that is why
I came—so that I might go through this hour of suffering. Father, bring glory
to your name!” Then a voice spoke from heaven, “I have brought glory to it, and
I will do so again.” verses 27-28
b) At the cross,
the entire universe could see God and Satan's characters contrasted:
selflessness and selfishness; love and hate; life and death were utterly
contrasted. They could now make a final, intelligent decision based on the
evidence, seeing God's righteousness and condemn Satan— Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world
will be overthrown. Verse 31
c) The end
result would be the destruction of Satan and sin, and the salvation of mankind— Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler
of this world will be overthrown. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will
draw everyone to me. verses 31,32
13. What had God warned Adam and Eve would be the natural result of sin?
He told him, "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the
garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.
You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same
day." Genesis 2:16,17
For the wages of
sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Romans
Note:
In order to protect your child from being burnt, you lovingly warn him of the
natural result of touching fire: "If you touch the fire, you are going to
get burned.” This parent is not threatening to burn the child as punishment, if
he should touch the flame. On the contrary, it is because you love your child
that you warn him not to do it.
Notice that God did not say, "If you sin, I will
torture you for eternity," nor even "If you sin, I will kill you.” He
was simply warning them that the natural result of sin was death. It is God's
enemy who has endeavored to make us misunderstand God's loving warning as angry
threats.
14. What did Satan tell them?
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely
die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:4, 5
Note: Not
only did he tell them that sin would not result in death, but rather benefit;
but he also took advantage to malign God and portray him as vengeful,
unforgiving and severe.
15. What happened to Adam and Eve after they had sinned?
That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden,
and they hid from him among the trees. But the Lord God called out to the man,
"Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden; I was
afraid and hid from you, because I was naked." Genesis 3:10
Note:
Notice that God did not change; sin changed Adam and Eve. They became afraid of
God.
16. What was God's purpose in sending Christ?
Our message is that God was making all human beings his
friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has
given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends. Here we are,
then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through
us. We plead on Christ's behalf: let God change you from enemies into his
friends! Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in
order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:19-21
Note:
God knew that the only way to set man right and keep him right was to reveal to
them the truth about himself. By demonstrating the truth about God, Jesus
"tasted death for every man" and made it possible for us to be
restored to a right relationship with God as his children.
17. Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost (Luke
I have shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work
you gave me to do. I have made you known to those you gave me out of the world.
John 17:4,6a
18. What, then, did Jesus say gives men eternal life and salvation?
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3 NKJV
Note:
Knowing God and Jesus—in an intimate sense, having a relationship with them as
with a trusted friend brings us salvation. The picture of God that Satan
portrays brings fear and separation from God, and thus death. But when we know
the truth about God, it brings healing to our broken relationship with him.
19. How did God seek to convince us?
Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance,
and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to
repentance? Romans 2:4 NKJV
We
are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for
everyone, which means that they all share in his death. 2 Corinthians 5:14
The
Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an
everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV
20. Acts
No
one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the
Father's side, he has made him known. John 1:18
My Father
has given me all things. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one
knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal
him. Matthew 11:27
No
one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.
John 3:13
Note:
We learned in study #4 about the war between Christ and Satan over the
trustworthiness of God. The questions Satan raised were about God—not about an
angel or any other created being. Therefore, only God himself could answer the
accusations. Only Jesus could reveal the complete truth about the Father.
Jesus said, "I
am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," and "I
am come that they might have life.” (John 14:6, John 10:10).
Satan has filled the world with darkness
through misapprehension of God. By revealing God to us, Jesus brought salvation
to any who accept his gift of love.
Jesus said, "henceforth
I call you not servants,... but I have called you friends.” John 15:15.
Do you accept his invitation to be
friends?
My response to Christ
is:______________________________
Jesus was punched in the face by one of the High Priest's
attendants. Later, they dressed him in royal robes to make fun of "the
King.” They jammed a "crown" made of 1 to 6 inch thorns on his head.
They covered his head with a cloth and struck him, then removed it and said,
"Tell us, prophet: who hit you?”
THE SCOURGING
By order of Pontius Pilate, Jesus was scourged. The victim
was usually stripped. his hands were tied to an overhead beam.
The leather whip usually had pieces of steel, balls of lead
and sharp stones attached.
As the sharp bones and metal in the whip tore away the
flesh, muscles were sliced wide open. As blood vessels were hit, blood would
spurt out. Most victims died from the beating alone.
THE VIA DOLOROSA
he had not slept in two days, and was not allowed food and
probably no water. his flesh is hanging in ribbons as he is ordered to carry a
cross weighing over 100 pounds approximately 650 yards to the place of
execution. The rough wood gouged into his torn back. he was dehydrated by now.
The angry mob, incited by Satan and his army of demons,
join in the torture of the Son of God. "I gave my
back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not
my face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6. his visage was so marred more
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.” Isaiah 52:14.
THE CRUCIFIXION
The rusty, germ-laden twelve-inch spikes were driven
between the carpal bones of the wrists instead of the palms, because the weight
of his body would have ripped away the flesh between his fingers (in
The flaming pain caused by the spikes hitting the median
nerve in the wrists exploded up his arms, into his brain and down his spine.
The spike burning through the nerves between the metatarsal
bones of the feet would jerk his body erect, then the leg muscles would
convulse and drive his body downward, beating him against the cross.
In order to breathe, he had to support himself. Air would be
sucked in, but could not be exhaled until the buildup of carbon dioxide in the
lungs and blood stream would stimulate breathing to relieve the cramps.
Exhaustion, shock, dehydration and paralysis would destroy
the victim. The heart would barely be able to pump the thick blood as each of
his billions of cells die one at a time.
Yet he refused even the mild pain-reliever they offered
him, because he wanted to be in full control of his faculties.
(Medical views by Dr.
Bradley, MD—see "The Gift" Chick Publications)