WHY GOD SENT JESUS
By W. G. Guy
Most believers know that God sent Jesus into the world to provide the atoning sacrifice for sins on the cross. But what was God’s real motive for doing so? It was His love, as stated by Jesus.
John 3:16-17 – For God so loved the world, (Note: the word “world” used here comes from the Greek cosmos which means social order or civilization = mankind), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved, (from the penalty of sin).
However, God’s motive for so doing such an extreme love act goes deeper; and that is what we shall discover as we continue. It all began when God stated His desire to make man, to form a new civilization.
Genesis 1:26-27 – And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God formed man from the dust of the earth, giving him a physical (earthly) body. Then He place part of Himself into His new masterpiece.
Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God put of Himself into this new being which gave man the very image and likeness of God. This occurred when God “breathed” His own life into man. The word breath is the same as the word spirit, so God put His own Spirit into man when He formed living soul into him. Thus man had God’s image and likeness in him which is the very character and nature of God Himself: thus man was a son or child of God. He was originally in the image and likeness of God, as His son.
Note that only two men ever came directly from God: Adam and Jesus, and both had the image and likeness of God; both came from the same source with the same character and nature.
Why did God make Adam like this? Simply because God wanted a being that He could identify and fellowship with: one who could also identify with God in an absolute personal relationship. This image and likeness that Adam had from God was lost due to the entrance of sin. This sin was caused by the subtly of Lucifer, the devil, who was jealous of man having been given his place as having dominion over all the earth.
Now it is time for a little Bible history that few have been taught or have recognized. The Lucifer previously had dominion over the earth with the pre-Adamic civilization that existed in the pre-historic distant past, before God made man in His image.
Isaiah 45:18 – For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it: he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited:
The earth “became” without form and void after God destroyed what Lucifer ruined. This was when Lucifer, (the devil), was “the anointed cherub that covered”: (to cover means assigned to protect God’s creation - earth).
Ezekiel 28:14-17 – Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth: and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God: thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity (rebellion) was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the misdt of thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee. O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
The Bible tells us that there was some form of civilization on earth that Lucifer ruled over, but the humanoid forms at that time was not man as he is today because they did not have the image and likeness of God formed in them, so they were not man as he now exists. Thus, when Lucifer rebelled against God, all those under his dominion also rebelled, were totally corrupted, and had to be removed. Lucifer, later called Satan, lost his position as covering (protecting) cherub of the earth, andr became jealous of man who was given the rule and dominion over the earth in his place.
Isaiah 14:12-14 – How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations (that existed at that time)! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Obviously, Lucifer’s pride led to his fall, and thus his rebellion, along with all those that he previously had rule (covering)
over.
The prophet Jeremiah, had a vision of the civilization of the original earth that had been removed in order to remake it for God’s mankind who was fashioned in His own image.
Jeremiah 4:23-25 – I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and. Lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
This was the time before the original flood that wiped out and destroyed it all and put it in darkness. This is when the earth became without form and void -(Genesis 1:2); and in which later was followed by the six day re-making of the earth for mankind – (Genesis 1:3 onward).
Jeremiah 4:26 – :For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate: yet will I not make a full end. (Which means He has a plan to restore and remake the earth that was made void.)
Now back to why Jesus, the second Adam, the man from God, came. Since the subtly of the devil deceived Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, she instantly died – spiritually, not physically. She lost the spiritual likeness and image of God that she had from Adam. Since Adam had the character and nature of God that was placed in him, when he saw his wife die spiritually, he had a choice to make. He could go back to God and ask for another wife; or he could do an act of love on behalf of his wife and take of the forbidden fruit also. He knew that God already had a plan of redemption, because that plan was established before the foundation of this remade world: and Adam knew of this plan.
Ephesians 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, and:
1 Peter 1:19-20 – but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Consider that it was Eve who was deceived into committing an act of rebellion, but Adam committed an act of love by giving himself for his wife. He had the God kind of love for her. Adam did exactly what God had ordained for him to do. What do you think God would have thought of Adam’s love had he not done so. What if he came back to God and asked for another wife? What would God think of Adam’s love; it would not be the God type that was placed in him!
Thus, Adam was a type of Christ as stated in Romans:
Romans 5:14 – Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Note: we blame Adam for original sin, but it was his wife, Mrs. Adam, that initiated sin, while Adam initiated the sacrifice. (God who also named her Adam, as written in Genesis 5:2. It was Adam who named her Eve.)
1 Timothy 2:14 – And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Jesus did the exact same thing for the church as Adam did for his wife.
Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Adam actually committed and act of love on behalf of his wife. It is God’s plan of love to provide for the total redemption of mankind, and Adam simulated this divine plan. The same character and nature that God put in Adam was also placed in Jesus. Remember, only two men ever came directly from God, and they both had God’s image, character and nature, in them. Adam lost it by taking upon himself the responsibility for Eve’s transgression, but it was Jesus that came to restore what was lost for all of mankind.
What did Jesus come to restore? The image and likeness which is the character nature of God, that which was lost in the Garden due to sin. This likeness and image is individually restored to one’s spirit when a person accepts Jesus as savior and LORD of his life. This acceptance by faith restores God’s character and nature to the believer; it is also known as “Christ in you the hope of glory”.
Colossians 1:26-27 – even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
(Note: the word glory comes from the Greek word doxa which means dignity: one’s dignity is his character and nature.)
When a person accepts God’s love gift, Jesus, he becomes a son of God, just like when God formed Adam in the beginning. It is the Spirit of Christ that is formed in you which is the character and nature of God. This makes you a son of God.
John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
How does this occur? How do we receive the Spirit of Christ into our heart? It is act of faith; simply accepting the offer of His grace and believing it. This is when we accept the Spirit of Christ allowing it to enter into our heart by faith; this is a spiritual operation. Just as when God breathed His Spirit in to Adam in Genesis 2, it is the same as when Jesus breathed His Spirit on His disciples after His resurrection.
John 20:21-22 – Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (The word for breath is the same word for spirit; Jesus breathed His Spirit on them, and npw His spirit was in them.)
So why did God send Jesus? To totally restore His love to us; and that love is to be formed in us, and be shown from us toward God and to others. That is the Great Commandment that Jesus gave; and it is the fulfillment of all of the Law, and the message of the prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
God sent Jesus because of His love for mankind that He created in His own image and likeness. Why did God make man like Himself? Because God wants a people that He can identify with; that He could love and fellowship with: and He also wants those to love and fellowship with Him, identifying with Him. This was His plan from the beginning of mankind! It is all about His LOVE. God looks at us as His children, and He wants us gathered unto Him as His family.
God, our Heavenly Father is a wonderful father to His children and watches over us as a loving, caring father does.
Matthew 7:11 – If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
So it is incumbent on us who believe to be loving as He is loving.
1 John 4:7-11 – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
God sent Jesus to restore what was lost, bringing total redemption, an act of His love for His creation. Isn’t He wonderful? God wants to have His children, His family, close to Him so He can show His love and receive our love along with our thanksgiving and praise.
