Why did God send Jesus, his one and only Son to live as a man?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? When we truly begin to grasp the magnitude of our sin against God, it is natural to wonder what could possibly motivate God to send his Son Jesus. That sense of wonder only grows as we understand that Jesus lived the life of perfect obedience that we should have lived, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead to conquer sin, death, and the devil. And as if that weren’t enough, he adopted us into his family and sent his Spirit to dwell inside of us!
So why did God send Jesus? The Bible is clear that it wasn’t because of anything lovely in us. In Romans 5:6-8 Paul writes “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” So part of what makes God’s love for us so stunning is that it is directed towards us when we were sinners rebelling against his rule.
Along similar lines, God made it clear that his choice of Israel was not based on them being any better than the nations around them: “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers” (Deut 7:7-8). In other words, God loves his people because he loves them and chose to make a covenant with them. Likewise, God’s love for us is because of His loving nature and not anything we have done to deserve it.
This is the closest to a direct answer the Bible gives to the question, “Why did God send Jesus?” But we can also make some inferences from other biblical truths. Because God’s number one priority is to display his glory, he created human beings in his image to reflect that glory (Gen 1:26-31). But because of our sin, we have fallen short of reflecting God’s glory as we should (Rom 3:23). Therefore God sent his son Jesus as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col 1:15). Through his life of perfect obedience, his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus begins to restore the fullness of God’s image in us. Paul captures this idea well when he writes “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30).
So God’s love for us is at some level rooted in our identity as his image-bearers. By sending his son Jesus to die for our sins, God is working to restore the radiance of his own glory shining in and through us. The apostle John captures this reality well when he writes: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
Pastors are often called on to counsel people who are asking tough questions like, “Why did God send Jesus?” If you’re exploring ministry for the first time, or are looking to deepen your ability to minister to God’s people, the Master of Divinity in Pastoral Counseling is one of several programs to equip you for this important work.
Learn more about Grace Theological Seminary and explore your next steps towards a ministry that leads God’s people both to understand God’s love and share it with one another.
FAQs
By sending his son Jesus to die for our sins, God is working to restore the radiance of his own glory shining in and through us. The apostle John captures this reality well when he writes: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
Why Jesus is enough for us? ›
Colossians 1 says he is all-sufficient, the one who created the world and holds it all together, the one in whom wisdom and knowledge and the “hope of glory” are stored and in whom the fullness of deity dwells. Everything you really want is with him. And he wants to take care of you. He is taking care of you, now.
Why did God promise to send a savior? ›
God wanted to be one with us. He promised to send us a Savior who would unite us to God.
Why did God send Jesus as a baby? ›
Jesus had to come to Earth as the miraculous baby, having been born of a virgin, in order to fulfill all of the many prophetic messages, concerning mankind's Messiah (Savior) in the Word of God.
What was Jesus' main purpose? ›
Jesus was sent into the world in order that people might have life in relationship with God. The goal of his being sent, according to 14:6, is that people might "come" to the Father, which in the immediate context means that they might know and believe in God.
What purpose did God give us? ›
God created us for His own glory.
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11–12).
Why was Jesus chosen to be our Savior? ›
Jesus was able to be Savior because he was fully divine and fully human. As God, he was the only one powerful enough to make up for the offense of the human race. As a human being, he was able to represent us. So Jesus freely took on himself the sins of the world and ransomed us by his sacrifice.
Did God send Jesus to save us? ›
God sent Jesus to save us because God loves each one of us (see John 3:16–17). Jesus prayed for His followers, including us, to be protected from evil and to be one with Him and Heavenly Father (see John 17).
What did God promise Jesus? ›
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.
What are the three reasons Jesus gave his life for us? ›
To show Jesus's own love for us.
The death of Christ is also the supreme expression that he “loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is my sin that cuts me off from God. All I can do is plead for mercy. I see Christ suffering and dying “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
Why did Jesus Christ come to earth? He came to bring salvation to each one of us, eternal life with Him forever and ever.
Why did God want Jesus to be born? ›
There is no other way to become flesh and blood than to be born like all men have been born, as a child. There is no doubt that God's purpose in the birth of Jesus contains Jesus' planned death. Jesus came to die. Jesus was born as an infant so that he could be the perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the world.
What was the purpose of Jesus coming? ›
Why did Jesus Christ come to earth? He came to bring salvation to each one of us, eternal life with Him forever and ever. Perhaps you were brought up in a Christian home and have even gone to church most your life.
What was Jesus' primary purpose while here on earth? ›
An essential part of Jesus' mission was, of course, to die for our sins on the cross and, through repentance and faith in him, open the way for us to experience eternal life with the Father. As Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
What purpose did Jesus serve? ›
In Matthew 20:28, Jesus clearly stated that He came to serve humanity. He came to this earth in the spirit of love and humility with the mission to pay the debt of humanity's sin. He was sent so that all would have the chance at eternal life (see John 3:16).
What was Jesus's message from God? ›
Jesus taught his followers that those who live good lives and follow his teachings will be rewarded with eternal. life in God's kingdom. Jesus also taught that those who commit sins and turn their back on God will receive eternal punishment in Hell.
