Have you ever paused to consider the profound question: Why Did God Send Jesus, His only Son, to walk the earth as a man? As we come to understand the weight of our transgressions against a holy God, it’s natural to contemplate the immense love that would compel Him to send His Son, Jesus Christ. This wonder deepens as we reflect on Jesus’ perfect life, a stark contrast to our own imperfections, and His sacrificial death – a payment for sins not His own. His resurrection, conquering sin and death, further amplifies the mystery of this divine act. Moreover, we are adopted into God’s family and gifted with the Holy Spirit. This series of miraculous events begs the question: Why did God orchestrate such a profound plan?
The scriptures offer clarity, revealing that God’s motivation was not rooted in any merit within us. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 5:6-8, eloquently states, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This passage underscores a crucial aspect of divine love: it is extended to us not in our perfection, but in our flawed, sinful state, rebelling against God’s righteous dominion.
Similarly, in the Old Testament, God’s selection of Israel is explicitly stated as not being based on any inherent superiority. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 clarifies, “The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your ancestors that He brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” God’s love, therefore, is not a response to our worthiness, but a reflection of His intrinsic loving nature and His sovereign choice to enter into a covenant relationship. Likewise, God’s love for humanity, demonstrated in sending Jesus, stems from His inherent love, not from any deserving quality within us.
This understanding provides the most direct biblical answer to the question, “Why did God send Jesus?”. However, we can further explore this question by considering other fundamental biblical truths. God’s paramount purpose is to manifest His glory. Humanity was created in His image (Genesis 1:26-31) to reflect this glory. However, sin has marred this reflection, causing us to fall short of glorifying God as intended (Romans 3:23). Therefore, God sent Jesus, who is described as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Through Jesus’ life of perfect obedience, His sacrificial death to atone for our sins, and His triumphant resurrection, the process of restoring God’s image within us begins. Paul encapsulates this redemptive work in Romans 8:29-30, writing, “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”
Thus, God’s profound love for us is intrinsically linked to our identity as His image-bearers. By sending Jesus to die for our sins, God is actively working to restore the radiance of His glory, both within us and through us. The apostle John beautifully captures this transformative love in 1 John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” This passage highlights the incredible nature of God’s love, a love that not only redeems but also elevates us to the status of children of God, transforming us to ultimately reflect His likeness.
