Why Christ Came
If you ask a number of people why Christ came, you’ll receive a number of answers. You might hear someone say:
- “He came to bring world peace.”
- “He came to teach us the way.”
- “He came to set up a kingdom.”
- “He came to bring economic justice.”
The list goes on and on and many answers are based on partial truth. But wouldn’t it be better to let Jesus speak for Himself?
Jesus stepped onto the scene and referred to a 400-year-old prophecy to tell us why He came. He quoted Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” What is He saying? It has something to do with good news, with healing hearts, and setting someone free; that much is clear from the text.
Let’s translate this in plain language. Jesus states, “God has sent me on a mission. I have some good news for you. God has sent me to restore and release something – and that something is you. I am here to give you back your heart and set you free.” Christ could have chosen any one of a thousand other passages to explain His life purpose, but He chose this passage above all the others. The heart of His mission is to restore and release you. But release you for what purpose?
One purpose is found in Galatians 5:13-14. It says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
So what do you need to be set free from so that you can genuinely love others? Anger, doubt, fear, thinking you are not worthy of love, insecurities, pride, debt, stress, people pleasing, financial burdens, jealousy, not trusting others, worry, a critical attitude, lack of self control, greed, guilt, selfishness, shame. Here’s the challenge to you and me—let’s make it our goal to live out of our freedom this year to love others!
Good word today. For me for sure. Thank you.
John– thanks for stopping by. You get the honor of posting the first comment in the new year 2013, way to go! This blog probably challenges me more than anyone reading it….for me to make loving people my highest priority this year.
What a powerful message! Thank you!
Karen– thanks for your comments. I was traveling on the rode today for the past 8 hours and I am sorry that I didn’t respond immediately. Once again, thank you and may we all live out of our freedom to love others!
That is wonderful. I love getting this newsletter. It has helped me alot to understand God. I am always telling my mother about you. She has no computor, so I read them to her or print them and mail them to her.. They bring her so much joy.. Thank You for all your hard work.
I hope you have a Happy New Year…
Carolyn
Carolyn–
I am so glad you are enjoying the blogs and they are leading you into a growing relationship with God. Thank you for your comments. Keep coming back!
EACH TIME WHEN I READ YOUR MESSAGES,I REALLY GET INSPIRED.THANK YOU SO MUCH
Samuel–
Thank you for your words of encouragement. Inspiration + Application = Spiritual Growth. That’s what we are all wanting to do, right? Be inspired to spiritaul grow in our relationship with Christ. Keep leaving your comments, we love hearing from you.
Brother,
In your explanation as to why He came, you seemed to left out the most primary reason of all (see the very first prophecy – the Protovangel – Genesis 3:15&16 and following prophecies). The greatest Gift ever given – Salvation!!!
In his Name
and
By His Grace
David
David–
Yes, it’s really amazing that God foretold what is to come in Genesis. When stating why Christ came, I can only use the Scripture that Christ Himself specifically used…In Luke 4, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1 to proclaim why He was sent, “The Spirit of Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Check out this link, it explains the verse thoroughly…You’ll appreciate the emphasis on salvation.
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Luke.4.14-Luke.4.30
Keep coming back and leaving your comments. We love to hear what you are thinking!
Hal