The Bible reveals that the ultimate objective of our triune God in creation, in allowing the fall of man into sin and in the redemption of men and women from the horrific and everlasting consequences of sin, is that the glory of God, the infinite perfections of God’s eternal being, His essential nature and character as well as His infinite wisdom and power would be revealed, enjoyed and delighted in by those whom He created in His image and likeness to know and love and be loved by Him (Genesis 1:26-28) (Isaiah 43:7) (Psalm 32:11).
It appears, particularly from the writings in the New Testament, that God’s glory was to be revealed most clearly and spectacularly in and through the person and work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, who in John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16-17, is revealed as the creator of all that exists in God’s glorious creation (Psalm 19:1-6).
Moreover, we are told in Philippians 2:5-11 that the ultimate and eternal expression of God’s glory is revealed in and through Jesus humbling Himself by taking upon Himself the form of a man, and as a man living a life of perfect obedience to God the Father, even to the point of a horrifying and agonizing death on a Roman cross. This was necessary for rebellious, condemned men and women to, in the ultimate and defining expression of God’s love, be justly forgiven of their sin, forever established in the righteous nature and character of Christ, reconciled to God and granted eternal life, the glorious life and relationship with God for which man was created (John 3:16).
As noted in my previous post, it was through one man’s sin, one man’s rejection of God’s purpose for and rule over his life (that man being Adam), that death, both spiritual and physical, as well as death’s related horrors and miseries, both temporal and eternal, came into God’s good creation. Adam, in believing the devil’s lie that equality with God was a thing to be desired and pursued, disobeys God’s one command, disregarding God’s promise/warning of death for disobedience. He comes under the spiritual influence of the one who he has believed over God, the devil, taking on his sinful nature and passing this condition and the deadly consequences of God’s judgement on sin to all of his descendants (us) (John 8:44) (Romans 5:12). Adam’s sin results in God, in judgement, cursing the earth that man was given dominion over and thus, subjecting all creation to the vanity of life in a sinful world where death is the ultimate destiny of all (Genesis 3:17-19) (Romans 8:20-22).
However, God planned from the foundation of the earth to reveal His glory in and through another man, the man Jesus Christ, who would come into the world to reverse all that resulted from the devil’s lies and by Adam and every one of His descendants believing and acting on those lies (Romans 5:19-21).
Jesus as a man will fulfill the promise of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15, crushing the serpent’s (the devil’s) head, while bruising his heal (suffering) in the process (1 John 3:8). He will fulfill the promise of God to Abraham, that through his seed all of the nations of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:3) (Galatians 3:7-9) (Matthew 1:1), as well as His promise to King David that he will have a descendent who will sit on his throne forever, building a temple where God will dwell in intimate relationship with His people forever (1 Chronicles 17:11-14) (Luke 1:31-33). This king is described for us in Isaiah 9:6-7.
Jesus comes into the world as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14, as a child born of a virgin, as Immanuel, God with us. This is confirmed in Matthew 1:18-24 by the angel’s revelation to Joseph of Mary’s impregnation by the Holy Spirit. He is given the name Jesus, meaning one who will save His people from their sins. Jesus defines His people as those who do the will of God, those who receive Him for who He reveals Himself to be as both Savior and Lord (Luke 8:21) (John 1:12-13).
As a man, Jesus announces His reason for coming into this world in John 10:10, that He has come that we may have life (the life with God for which we were created) and have it abundantly. To this end, He will live the holy and righteous life God requires for a person to live in His immediate presence (Psalm 24:3-5). It will be an obedience that is enabled and empowered by God the Holy Spirit (which is the only way we can truly obey) (John 3:34) (Acts 10:38-39). He willingly and gladly submits Himself to the law and the will of God the Father as we were created to do, living in submission and perfect obedience to His earthly parents, teachers and civil authorities (He paid His taxes) (Matthew 22:15-25) (Psalm 40:7-8). It will be an obedience done not out of duty or for the praise of others, but out of love for His Father and a passion for His glory, and love for His neighbor and compassion for their suffering (John 14:31) (Matthew 9:36). It will be an obedience, as noted in Philippians 2:8, unto death, even death of the cross.
However, leading up to that death, Jesus will, like Adam, be tempted by the devil to act in disobedience, as the devil will propose to Him an alternative, less shameful and agonizing way of accomplishing His mission. Yet Jesus, unlike Adam, rejects these lies, replacing them with truth, truth that Jesus came to bear witness to regarding God and God alone being worthy of man’s worship, of man’s obedience, trust and love (Matthew 4:1-10). This is the only truth that can, as we believe and embrace it, set us free from the lies of the devil that keeps us in bondage to sin and fear of death (John 8:31-34) (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Jesus, throughout His earthly ministry, is focused on proclaiming and displaying through His works of love and compassion and HIs authority over the natural creation, the Kingdom of God, and Him as King (John 18:37). He invites to enter His Kingdom all who will repent of their sins and believe the Gospel, the good news of what He will accomplish though His sinless life and sacrificial death, to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness – wherein Satan, the god of this world/age rules (2 Corinthians 4:4), and qualify us for His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 1:14-15) (Colossians 1:13), a Kingdom that will have no end (Psalm 145:13).
This Kingdom will be established first in our hearts as we submit to Jesus as Lord and will be consummated at His second coming (Luke 17:21) (Romans 14:17) when he makes all things new and glorious (Revelation 21:5).
Yet, this good news is not received with joy and gladness, at least not by the religious leaders. Inspired by the devil and motivated by envy and faith in their own righteousness to save them, they conspire to kill Him (we don’t need no stinkin savior). And they manipulate the people to cry out for and the Roman authorities to authorize the most evil, horrific, shameful and agonizing form of execution ever devised by man, crucifixion (Matthew 27:22-26).
In Hebrews 12:2 we read regarding Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”. Now this did not mean that Jesus was somehow indifferent or immune to the unimaginable pain, shame and torment of body and soul He would suffer under the wrath of God on the cross – by no means. In fact, His anticipation of it in the Garden of Gethsemane caused Him to sweat great drops of blood regarding the horrors he was about to experience, causing Him to momentarily shrink back, but then resolutely proclaim to the Father, not my will but thy will be done (Matthew 26:36-39). His joy was in glorifying the Father by His death for sinners, and the salvation it would provide for all who come to Him in faith to receive it (John 6:38-40).
After an illegal trial and horrific beating, Jesus is nailed to the cross between two career criminals, one of whom gets saved (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus hangs there for six hours, the life blood ebbing from His mortal body. The last three hours there is total darkness as the wrath of God is poured out upon him, the wrath deserved by those men and women he would save (Romans 5:9). This causes Him to cry out, my God my God why have though forsaken me (Matthew 27:45-46). He does so because that is what Hell, the second death is, being forsaken by God to the full penalty and destructiveness of sin (Revelation 21:8).
As Jesus takes his last breath, He proclaims, it is finished, meaning all that was necessary for our redemption (John 19:28-30), all that was necessary for Him to defeat death and grant eternal life to all who will by faith enjoin their lives to Him (Romans 6:23). He is buried in a borrowed tomb and after three days He is resurrected in a glorious body as He demonstrates His defeat of death and the one who incited Adam’s sin that brought death into this world, the devil. (2 Timothy 1:8-10) (Hebrews 2:14) (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).
Just before He was arrested, Jesus, praying to the Father, spoke these words of joy “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know (have personal intimacy with) You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:1-3).
I pray that you who are reading this will know the joy of this relationship, both now and forevermore. Amen.
Grace and Peace ×