Why Did Jesus Come to Earth? Seven Reasons for Our Hope!

There are many reasons why the Son of God left Heaven, came to earth, and was incarnated in the flesh to live among us.  

Reasons for Hope* Jesus’  Top Seven Reasons Jesus Came to Earth

1. Jesus Came to Fulfill Prophecy

In the Garden, God promised a Rescuer who would come and defeat the serpent (Gen 3:15). Through the prophets, God revealed and promised a coming Messiah for the nation of Israel who would save His people.  Jesus was that Messiah. Chapter one of Matthew proclaimed His legal standing as Messiah through the bloodline of David and proclaims, “all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet” (Matt 1:22).  His birth, life, ministry, and death was the fulfillment of that which God foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:27; John 5:39).

2. Jesus Came to Reveal God

Jesus asked a man, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” The man answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”(John 9:35-36).  And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” (John 9:37)

The man then responded in faith:  “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. (John 9:38)   Only God is worthy of worship and Jesus received the man’s worship for He and the Father are One. Jesus confirmed this when He said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). 

3. Jesus Came to Do the Works the Father Gave Him to do.

Jesus began His earthly ministry by giving a definitive answer to why He came.  Teaching in a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus quoted from the prophet Isaiah and revealed His six-fold ministry about to begin.

Luke 4:18-19  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 

1. He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; 
2. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
3. to preach deliverance to the captives, 
4. and recovering of sight to the blind,
5. to set at liberty them that are bruised,
6. to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

4. Jesus Came to Defeat Satan

Satan’s rebellion against God was, and still is, sin.  Yet, there is no redemption for him.  Jesus came to pay the penalty for man’s sins, not for the sins of fallen angels.  Throughout the Old Testament, we read of Satan’s working to separate man from His Creator and to sin against Him.  He knew a Saviour was promised and did all he could to stop His coming.  On the cross, Jesus paid for man’s sins, and established the New Covenant, opening the way for man to come by faith and receive His saving grace and, thereby, defeating Satan’s power. Under the New Covenant, born-agains believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Satan has no power to accuse them. He has been defeated.

1 John 3:8  … For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

5. Jesus Came to Win Victory Over Death

When Adam and Eve sinned, God declared that their disobedience would be judged and that the penalty for sin is death (Genesis 2:17).  But God, in His love and mercy, also promised a Rescuer (Gen 3:15) and Jesus gave His life, rose from the grave, and conquered death, so man could live.  (John 10:10, 1 Cor 15:22, 26) 

6.  Jesus Came to Pay the Penalty for the Sins of Man

Jesus was born to die. God had provided His people a merciful system of atonement by the shedding of blood in animal sacrifice.  But animal blood, could not fully pay for human sins.  Only pure and sinless human blood could make full atonement.  But no man was ever worthy.  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).  So God sent His Son to be the perfect, pure, sinless sacrificial Lamb who would be put on the altar and shed His blood to pay the penalty of mankind’s sins.

1 Pet 1:18-19  …you were not redeemed with corruptible things…

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 1:29, Rev 5:6).

​7. Jesus Came Once So He Could Come Again

The Bible tells of two advents (comings) of Jesus.  His first advent, when He was born of a woman, He came as the Lamb of God and paid for the sins of the world. In His second advent, when Jesus will come as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, He will judge the world of sin. There can’t be a second advent without the first.  Jesus had to come first as the Lamb before He could come again as the Lion.  Why?  Because God is merciful and gracious. Covered by the blood of the Lamb, we are forgiven of sins and saved from the judgment of God that the Lion will bring. 

No one knows exactly when Jesus will return. But as Christians, we know His second advent will usher in His perfect Kingdom on earth — His Kingdom of peace and righteousness for 1,000 years.  And then God will make all things new (Rev 21:1,5)  and usher in the eternal state that will be forevermore.  

Rev 21:3-4  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 22:5, 21  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever… The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

The Reasons Behind All the Other Reasons

Jesus came for a lot of reasons. But there’s one reason He came that is a part of all the others reasons:  LOVE!

John 3:16-17  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Christmas should be a reminder of God’s great love for the world. And because He first loved us, we are able to love others. We should live, always remembering that the Law of Christ is the Law of Love.  For He has commanded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Mat 22:37-38).

At Christmas and all throughout the year, “If you fulfill the royal law [the law of our King] according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.” (James 2:8)

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Mat 4:19  …Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.