Main thoughts:
Isaiah tells us that the Messiah will be called Emmanuel or “God with us.” The angel repeats this same name to Joseph. We know that Jesus is God in the flesh. We celebrate His advent or “coming to” this earth. Why? Why did God become a man? Why did He come as a child?
To reveal God to us
Throughout human history debates have raged as to what God is like. Human beings have created many false gods and many ideas about the One True God have been formulated. God revealed Himself in His Word, yet men distorted and rejected Who He had revealed Himself to be. God forever put an end to the mystery of Who He is by becoming flesh and living among us (John 1:14.) God’s true nature and glory have been revealed to us in the person of Jesus. What God values, how He speaks, what He desires of man, who He is, and the totality of His being have been shown to us. To know Jesus is to know God (John 14:7.)
To be a God Who understands us
Throughout human history men have conceived of gods that are far off, aloof, or had limited interactions with man. God has shown us in His Word that He is intimately involved in His creation. God has not given us a single command that He Himself has not submitted to. In the person of Jesus, He has submitted to the entirety of human experience (Hebrews 4:15.) No one can say that God does not understand. There is no experience known to mankind Jesus has not lived. Because of this we can approach a God Who understands.
To save us
Matthew tells us the reason for Jesus becoming man in Matthew 1:21: to save His people from their sins. Jesus came to die bearing the wrath of God for sinners. The Bible speaks strongly of the sin of imputation. That God has chosen to execute His justice through the Covenant Head or Representative. In other words, God has chosen the best mankind has to offer as a representative for all men. Adam was this representative. When Adam sinned, his guilt and sin nature were imputed to all his descendants. Because the first Adam failed, Jesus came as the second Adam. As the Son of God, Jesus was born of a virgin to be the Covenant Head of the New Covenant. All of Christ’s descendants have the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them. He partook of our nature to bear our sin. He rose again from the dead so we might partake of His divine nature. He was made sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21.)
Application:
Will you believe in Jesus Christ today?
Questions
What does Emmanuel mean?
Who prophesied that the Messiah would be called Emmanuel?
Why did Jesus come as a baby?
Why is Jesus the Second Adam?
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