Skip to main content

why he came

Jesus made it clear that he came to our world on a mission.  His incarnation, and his life here, were filled with purpose.   By studying statements he made that are recorded in the gospels we can see the purpose behind his coming.  

 Phrases like, "I came that..." or "I was sent to..." or "for this purpose I..." will help us see what that is.  Below are listed ten statements the Lord made about his purpose for coming to earth.  (Parallel statements from the synoptic gospels are included in the parentheses.)  

 1)  To fulfill the Law and Prophets:  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill 
them."  (Matthew 5:17*)

 2)  To proclaim the good news of the kingdom:  "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for 
this purpose." (Luke 4:43; cf. Mark 1:38)

 3)  To bring division and a sword:  "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."  (Matthew 10:34-35; cf. Luke 12:49-53)

 4)  To call sinners to himself:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."  (Mark 2:17; cf. Matthew 9:13; Luke 5:32)

 5)  To do the will of his Father:  "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me."  (John 6:38) 

 6)  To serve and give his life a ransom:  "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  (Mark 10:45; cf. Matt 20:28)

 7)  To bring abundant life:  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)

 8)  To seek and save the lost:  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  (Luke 19:10)

 9)  To glorify his Father -- and be glorified -- by his death which bears much fruit:  "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ...  But for this purpose I have 
come to this hour.  Father, glorify your name."  (John 12:23-28)

 10)  To bear witness to the truth:  "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."  (John 18:37)

 ______  

 *Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Howard Hendricks on OT books chronology

When I was in seminary, Howard Hendricks (aka "Prof") gave us a little card with the books of the OT chronologically arranged. The scanned copy I have was a bit blurry and I wanted to make something like this available for our church class in OT theology ("Story of Redemption"). A few minor edits and here it is...
2 comments
Read more

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90.  This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3.  Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I.   Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews.  Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews.  Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches.  Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos.  The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90:    CHAPTER 36  ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ,  the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and he
Post a Comment
Read more

one-liners

Here are 25 of my favorite one-liners from comedian Steven Wright:   1)  I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. 2)  Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back. 3)  Half the people you know are below average. 4)  82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot. 5)  A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 6)  All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand. 7)  The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. 8)  OK, so what's the speed of dark? 9)  How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink? 10)  If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. 11)  Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. 12)  When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. 13)  Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now. 14)  I intend to live forever ... So far, so good. 15)  If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? 16)  Eagles may soar, but weasels don'
Post a Comment
Read more