|  | |
| WHY DID GOD BECOME
FLESH? |
#106
|
In 1892, James G. Dailey wrote a beautiful hymn which
questioned this fascinating concept. He asked the question this
way, “Why did my Savior come to earth?” His answer was quite
simple . . . “because He loved me so.” In this study we
hope to delve a little deeper into this challenging question. If
indeed there is a God who is our creator, and if Jesus of
Nazareth was in fact “God in the Flesh,” we cannot help but
wonder what reasons God would have to visit us in such a way.
Our answers will come from the Bible. Though someone might be
able to think of other reasons, this study will consider
three.
The first reason why God became flesh is found in Hebrews
4:15. There we read, “For we do not have a high priest who
cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has
been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Under
the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses, the High Priest was the one
who offered a sacrifice of “atonement” for the sins of the
people. He was the mediator, or representative of the people
before God. The Hebrew writer identifies Jesus as holding this
position under the New Covenant (Hebrews 3:1; I Tim 2:5). Here,
in Hebrews 4:15, we are shown why Jesus is qualified for the job
-- He understands our weaknesses; He can sympathize with us; He
knows what it is like to be hot and cold, to be tired and sick
and tempted. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet He did
not sin. If God had not become flesh, He could never have
totally related to His creation; for “God cannot be tempted by
evil” (James 1:13). In Hebrews 2:17-18, the writer emphatically
declares, “He had to be made like His brethren in all
things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest
in things pertaining to God ... for since He Himself was tempted
in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of
those who are tempted.” We should appreciate our creator all the
more when we consider His desire to understand His creation. It
should be a source of great comfort to know that the one who
intercedes on our behalf before the Father (Hebrews 7:25) can
“sympathize” with our weaknesses. That He has experienced and
that He knows, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
(Matthew 26:41)
The second reason why God became flesh is found in I Peter
2:21, which reads, “For you have been called for this purpose,
since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example
for you to follow in His steps . . . .” Jesus came to show
us how to live. As we learned in "WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM
ME?",
this is the essence of the “Discipleship” process. How could we
ever become His disciple if He had not become flesh and left us
an example? Laws written on stone could never convey the concept
of behavior God wants from us. Only a living example could help
us to see how life was intended to be lived. Only a living
example could show us what our heavenly Father is really like,
too. Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John
14:9). In 1 Peter 2, verses 22-23, we are given some examples of
how we should imitate Jesus. We should strive to avoid sin and
deceit in our lives and we should keep entrusting ourselves to
the one who judges righteously. If God had not become flesh, He
could not have modeled a life of such devotions.
The third reason why God became flesh is also found in I
Peter 2. Verse 24 says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on
the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed.” We must remember that God is
both eternal and immortal. As such, it is impossible for God to
die. For some reason, it was important to God that a perfect
life be lived so that a sinless sacrifice could be offered for
sins. If God had not become flesh, He could not have lived that
life, nor could He have died that death. He had to become flesh
so that He could die.
We seem to be able to understand the first two reasons why
God became flesh. We are grateful that God would want to
sympathize with our weaknesses and leave us an example of how to
live. But that third reason is hard to grasp. WHY? Why did a
death have to take place for sins. Why could God not simply say,
“Your sins are forgiven”? This is a question many people
struggle to comprehend, so we shall begin to explain the
necessity of the cross . . . in "IDENTIFYING YOUR BIGGEST
PROBLEM".
| Bible
Probe |
WHY DID GOD
BECOME FLESH? |
106
|
1. What three reasons are given in this study to
explain why God became flesh?
2. Why is Jesus referred to as the “high priest” of our
confession? (Hebrews 3:1; I Timothy 2:5)
3. Why is He qualified for this position? (Hebrews 4:15)
4. Why did the Hebrew writer say, “He had to be made like His
brethren in all things"? (Hebrews 2:17-18; James 1:13; Hebrews
7:25; Matthew 26:41)
5. Peter said that God has called us for what purpose? (I Peter
2:21)
6. What qualities of Jesus’ life do you see which we must learn
to follow? (I Peter 2:22-23)
7. What does “forgiveness of sins” have to do with God becoming
flesh? (I Peter 2:24)
|
| | |
|
Your Bible questions answered here.