The fact that Jesus Christ came to this earth 2000 years ago is an incontrovertible fact of human history. All human history is marked by His advent. But the key question is: why did Jesus come? More specifically, why did Jesus become a man? Scripture provides us with answers to these pressing questions.
Jesus became a man to reveal God to men. The Bible says, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). Because God the Father is spirit and cannot be seen, Jesus came in human form to become “the visible image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). By this incarnation, Christ is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3).
Jesus became a man to live under the Law. Adam disobeyed God’s law and forfeited Paradise. Jesus came as the Second Adam, “born under the Law” (Gal. 4:4), to gain back what was lost in Adam (Rom. 5:18-19). Through perfect obedience to the Law, Christ secured the perfect righteousness imputed to us in justification (2 Cor. 5:21).
Jesus became a man to die for our sins. If Jesus was to pay “the wages of sin,” which is “death” (Rom. 6:23), He had to bear our sins in His body and die in our place (1 Pet. 2:24). By becoming a man, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3).
Jesus became a man to be our example in all things. As the Perfect Man, Christ shows us how to live. We “ought to walk in the same way in which He walked” (1 John 2:6). “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21). By His sinless life, Jesus set the perfect pattern for Christian living.
Jesus became a man to be our High Priest. Through His incarnation, Christ “has suffered and been tempted” and “is able to help those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:18; cf.4:15-16). Because Jesus entered the human race, He knows experientially what we suffer and is drawn to come to our aid.
As we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us be mindful why He became a man. Jesus assumed humanity to become: (1) the visible God, (2) the Second Adam, (3) the perfect example, (4) the sinless Savior, and (5) our great High Priest. Let us adore Him this Christmas and always!
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