Why Did Jesus Come? Part 3

Over the last several weeks, I have shared some of the reasons Jesus came to earth. You can check out parts 1 and 2 of this blog series here and here. We’ve focused on the small epistle of 1 John and highlighted the testimony of that ancient apostle relating the insights he penned for those early disciples of Jesus Christ. So, once again I ask the question,"why did Jesus come?" And once again, we listen to the responses of John. Here are three more reasons why the Son of God left the glory of Heaven and came to earth in the form of a human being.

1. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world (4:14). This verse tells us that the Father sent Him. The word "sent" is a perfect tense verb which depicts completed action with continuing results into the present.  It is interesting to note that the word "sent" has the same root as the Bible-word, "apostle" which denotes someone "sent with a message."

 Here, we learn again that Jesus was sent by the Father, not simply with a message, but also with a mission. He was sent to be the Savior of the world! The word "Savior" means one who rescues another from something perilous. Jesus came to rescue us from the penalty, power, and eventually the presence of sin.

Again, Scripture designates that Jesus is the Savior of the "world." By context, this word can only mean the people--lost people--of the world. Jesus is God's designated Savior for each person in the world. Either we come to God through Jesus or we do not come at all! This word "world" is the same word found in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world." John's argument is that Jesus is the Savior sufficient to save anyone and everyone who trusts in Him. So, John tells us that Jesus is the Savior of the world!

2. Jesus came as the reservoir of life (5:11). John tells us that "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." This word tells us that God Himself gave something very important at a particular point in time, past time. He gave His son!

And God gave life, God's own life. This life resides in Jesus! His point? God's life is in Jesus. If we have Him, we have life! In fact, John goes on to explain,"He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."

Life resides in Jesus! He is the reservoir of God's life! When we receive Jesus, we receive the life that  is in Him! There is no other way to obtain God's life!

3. Jesus came as the giver of understanding (5:20). This word, "understanding" is "the faculty of knowing or discerning; it is the ability to reason correctly; it is used especially in Greek philosophy of syllogistic reasoning"( Rienecker 2:450). Yet, it is not just any kind of reasoning or understanding, it is the understanding of who God is. One more reason Jesus came was to help us understand by explaining who God is, to help us grasp what He thinks of us, and what He wants to do for us and in us. Jesus came so we might know the one true God!

These are three more reasons why Jesus came: to be the Savior of the world, to be the reservoir of life, and to give us a personal understanding of who God is! Take a look at my previous two blog posts Why Did Jesus Come Part 1 and Why Did Jesus Come Part 2 to see 6 other reasons Jesus came.