Why did Jesus come?
Dear Friends,
I belong to a ‘preaching group’. Half a dozen of us meet every six weeks or so to encourage one another in our preaching. The method is simple: we take it in turns to give a brief sermon outline, which is then lovingly mauled by the brethren (affectionately known as the ‘wolves’). Actually, it is consistently one of the most encouraging things I go to. And this month’s meeting was no exception.
One of the preachers turned us to 1 John 4 and gave us ‘three reasons for Christmas’ – three reasons why God sent his Son into the world. Three! I find it’s all too easy to become one-dimensional in my explanations – to find one way of saying something and to stick to that – when the Bible is frequently multi-dimensional and says things in many different ways. I should want to be as rich and deep as God himself is in Scripture.
So, next time you’re stuck for a fresh way to understand why Jesus came – or, better still, to say why God sent his Son, since it was a joint activity and not a solo mission by the Son – try one of these: “[God] sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him … he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins … the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:8,10,14 (NIV), my italics). Those are three of God’s reasons for Christmas, and three reasons for us to celebrate.
Yours in Christ,
Chris Hobbs