Last week, we began a series on The Incarnation of Jesus. We pondered an answer to the question, "What is the Incarnation," and learned that the act of God the Son, coming in human flesh, was the simplest way to understand the Incarnation. It was a miraculous act demonstrating God's willingness to do great and mighty things to help humanity. This week, we will consider an answer to the question, "Why did the Incarnation occur?"

Let's take a quick look at the condition of man. The Bible teaches us that we were created in innocence and perfection, with the intention of living in a loving and fulfilling relationship with God. Everything was wonderful for a time. But then man chose to disobey God. That is one way to understand the nature of sin: it is when we decide that we would rather live according to our desires rather than the ways of God. When we live a life of sin (characterized by our rebellion against Him), it means that we may reject God's direction for our lives, and that often brings suffering and misery our way. We aren't typically horrible people, of course, but we live in a way that makes our lives more difficult and tends to hurt those we love. No matter how hard we try, we cannot go back to a sinless life! However, God loves us and wants to help us 'come back' to him so we can live our best lives. God's ultimate solution was the Incarnation! The Incarnation was a miraculous intervention that would enable God to forgive us for our sins, cleanse our lives, and begin the process of re-creating this life on earth.

Let's talk a little about the love of God that brought about this great miracle! In the Old Testament, the love of God was spoken of in one passage like this: "I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." Jonah 4:2 The last words in that verse, "unfailing love," is in many other places translated as "abundant lovingkindness." These words for God's love appear over 180 times in the Old Testament, speaking of God's gracious, unearned, and life-changing love for man! In the New Testament, God's love was spoken of using a different term, "agape love." This is similar in meaning, adding a dimension of God's grace to the understanding. So, when we read the very popular New Testament verse, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever lives and believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life," we see God's 'agape love' in action.

This love of God, spoken of often throughout the scriptures, is the 'why' of the Incarnation! God created us in love with the intention of sharing his blessings and life with us, but our sins separated us from Him. Nothing man could fix this devastating problem, so, in the mind of God, the act of the Incarnation was conceived. God would send his son to this earth in the form of the Christ-child Jesus and ultimately pay the price for our sins. Through this act of love, God would cleanse us from our sins, give us pure hearts, and begin re-creating us in his image. In this precious gift, God would save us from ourselves!

Let me encourage you to consider your place in your relationship with God! if you never asked for the cleansing available through Jesus and would like to have a new and better life, go to God in prayer and receive him into your heart. That will begin a new life for you and can be a source of blessings and joy forever!

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