Advent (3) The Purposes of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ (1)

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself  by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Php 2:5-8)
 
Review
One of the most important doctrines in Christianity is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. As we observe the season of Advent, over the past two weeks we have discussed the purpose for which Jesus came into this world in the flesh through the gospel of John chapter 1.
The Bible tells us that in the beginning God created the world through His Word. The apostle John declares that the Word was with God and that the Word was God Himself. He then goes on to explain that this Word became flesh and came into this world, and that this person is Jesus Christ.
Let’s read John 1:14 together. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).
Jesus, who is God and who came into this world in the flesh, was full of grace and truth. This grace and truth explain the two purposes for which Jesus came into the world.
First, grace can be defined as God’s unconditional favor freely given to those who don’t deserve it. We were sinners and God’s enemies who didn’t deserve God’s love and salvation. Yet God loved us and in order to save us from our sins, He sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world.
Jesus bore all our sins and shed His blood as He died on the cross. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus granted us the blessing of salvation. This was given to us freely, by grace. This was the first purpose for which Jesus came into this world in the flesh.
Jesus also came into this world in the flesh in order to reveal the truth to us and to make it known to us. For a fact to be considered truth, four conditions are necessary: objectivity, consistency, universality, and eternality. When we consider these conditions, we come to realize that only God possesses the truth. This is because God alone is true beyond all times and circumstances, unchanging, loving all people without discrimination, and existing eternally by Himself.
However, because God is spirit, we cannot see God, who is truth. This is why Jesus, who is God in His very essence, came into this world in the flesh. Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the radiance of His glory. Through Jesus, we are now able to see God and know and experience who He is.
Moreover, Jesus is the summary of all Scripture, which is the written Word of God’s truth. The Old Testament points forward to the Messiah who was to come, and the New Testament shows us how the messianic prophecies recorded in the Old Testament were fulfilled, while also presenting new promises about the second coming of Jesus Christ.
In this sense, Jesus is the summary of the entire Bible, the center of revelation, and its fulfillment. Therefore, through Jesus, we are able to know the truth that God desires us to know.
Knowing this truth is vital in our lives. We all inevitably pursue something. Those who don’t know the truth live according to empty things, the vain values of this world, and their own desires. That was the life we lived  in ignorance before we met Jesus.
But the truth that Jesus reveals to us enables us to understand what the image of God is in which we were created, what the purpose of our creation is, and what a life lived according to that purpose looks like. This is the second purpose for which Jesus came into this world in the flesh: to lead us to know the truth and to live in the light of that truth.
In this way, the incarnation of Jesus Christ resolved two great problems that came upon humanity because of sin. Sin brought about a broken relationship with God, and that brokenness resulted in two serious consequences: ignorance of God and eternal death.
Yet by coming into this world in the flesh, Jesus made the truth known to us, and through the shedding of His blood and His death on the cross, He reconciled us to God. In doing so, He granted us the grace of salvation and the gift of eternal life. These are the two purposes of Jesus’ incarnation that we see in John 1:14—to give us grace and truth.
 
The Purposes of the Incarnation
This is what we have examined over the past two weeks. However, these are not the only purposes of the incarnation of Jesus. In other passages of the Bible, we discover additional purposes for which Jesus took on flesh.
 
1. To set an example of obedience
First, Jesus came into this world in the flesh was to set before us a model of obedience. Sin and disobedience are essentially synonymous. Saying that we sin against God is the same as saying that we disobey Him.
Sin entered the world through humanity’s first act of disobedience. God created the heavens and the earth, and on the sixth day, He created human beings in His own image. God then entrusted them with the authority to rule over the world He had made.
However, He gave them one single command they were to keep: they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden. This was the one command that preserved their relationship with God. By obeying this command, they continually acknowledged that God was their true King, and within that proper order, they were able to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him.
But this relationship was broken when they disobeyed the one command God had given them, driven by the desire to become like God. Through that act of disobedience, sin entered the world, and as a result, death came upon all humanity.
For this reason, the most important key to living as citizens of the Kingdom of God is obedience. By obeying God’s word, we acknowledge Him as our King and Lord, and within that proper order, we are able to live in intimate fellowship with God and enjoy eternal life in Him.
Yet obeying God’s word is not easy. It requires us to lay down our own will and to surrender our time, resources, talents, and possessions, using them according to God’s will. Therefore, we need a model that shows us what it looks like to fully obey God’s Word. Jesus came into this world in the flesh precisely to show us this model of obedience and to call us to live by following that example.
 
Jesus revealed the purpose of His coming into the world in these words: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17).
In another passage, Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (Jn 4:34).
Jesus came into this world to fulfill the Law and fully obey it. In all His words and actions, there was not a single thing that contradicted God’s will. In doing so, Jesus showed us what it means to live a life of complete obedience to God’s Word.
Jesus’ obedience was not partial but perfect. Even though it brought Him great suffering and hardship, He willingly gave His life in submission to God’s will. We see this in His prayer at Gethsemane before He was arrested.
Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Mt 26:39).
He knew exactly the suffering that awaited Him: the physical agony of the cross, the betrayal of His disciples, the insults of people, the curse and wrath of God, and the spiritual separation from His Father in heaven. Even for Jesus this was an immense burden. So He prayed for the cup of suffering to be taken from Him.
Yet Jesus’ prayer did not end there. He also prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39).
In this way, Jesus fully submitted to God’s will. Even though it brought unimaginable suffering, He still placed God’s will above all else and obeyed completely. By doing so, He showed us what true obedience is and taught us to follow that path.
Hebrews 5:7-9 says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb 5:7-9).
Jesus prayed to God with intense anguish and tears, even to the point that His sweat became like drops of blood, yet He fully obeyed God’s will. His obedience was perfected through suffering, and in this way, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who would obey Him.
 
This is also the model of obedience that we are called to follow. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-8:
"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (Phil 2:5-8)
This passage is one of the representative passages that speak about the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Though Jesus is by nature equal with God, He laid aside all His rights and power and emptied Himself. The Creator took on the form of a creature and became like us. The one who created this world, who is therefore the Lord and King over all creation, came into this world as a suffering servant. And by His obedience even to death on the cross, Jesus showed us the perfect example of complete obedience.
This is one of the purposes for which Jesus came into this world in the flesh. Before Jesus came, no one was able to fully obey God’s Word. But Jesus fully submitted to God’s will even in the midst of suffering. By showing us what it means to obey God and what that obedience looks like, He allowed us who believe in and follow Him to understand and see what obedience to God’s Word truly is, so that we can follow in His footsteps.
Jesus said in John 15:10: "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." (Jn 15:10-12)
What sets Jesus’ obedience apart from all other forms of obedience is that it flows from perfect love for God.
There can be many motives for obedience. Some obey out of fear. They fear that if they don’t keep God’s Word, they will be judged, and this fear becomes their motive for obedience. Some obey out of duty. They feel the responsibility to live as God’s people and, out of that sense of duty, obey God’s Word. Some obey in pursuit of other benefits. They obey God’s Word, expecting that God will bless them even more.
Of course, these three motives can also be good motives for obedience. But they all have limits. Those who obey out of fear only obey enough to avoid punishment. They don’t go beyond that. Such people readily obey commands that say ‘do not,’ but they are often reluctant to follow commands that instruct them to ‘do.’ For example, they may not harm others, but they also don’t love others.
Those who obey out of duty are similar. Outwardly, they may appear to obey, but it is not obedience that comes from the heart. Those who obey for personal benefit also have clear limits. When obedience demands suffering and sacrifice beyond any benefit they expect to gain, they lose the motivation to obey God.
In this respect, the motive for Jesus Christ’s obedience is supreme. The motive for Jesus’ obedience was not fear, duty, or seeking benefit. His perfect obedience arose from both the perfect love of God dwelling in Him and His perfect love for God. He remained in God’s perfect love, and through that love, He carried out everything God desired.
Unlike other forms of obedience, obedience that is rooted in love knows no limits, for love itself is limitless. When we truly love someone, no sacrifice for that person feels too great. That person’s joy becomes our joy, and that person’s benefit becomes our benefit.
This was the key to the perfection of Jesus’ obedience. What brought Jesus the greatest joy was the joy of God. Therefore, what brought Him the greatest satisfaction was doing the will of God. It was for this reason that, despite immense suffering, mockery, and pain, He was able to obey God’s will even to the point of dying on the cross.
This is also the type of obedience that Jesus wants us to follow. He doesn’t want us to obey out of fear or duty. Such obedience brings no joy. God’s commands can feel burdensome. But those who truly experience God’s love and those who truly love God, will fully obey His Word out of great joy.
They obey not because they fear judgment, not because they feel obligated, and not because it brings them benefit, but simply because loving God and pleasing Him is their greatest joy. Only such obedience can transcend sacrifice, suffering, and hardship to become perfect. Jesus came in the flesh to make us aware of that kind of obedience that springs from both God’s perfect love and His love for God, to set the example, and to show us through His own life what it means to fully obey God’s Word.
 
2. To Show Us the Example of Life Lived in God’s Image
The perfect obedience of Jesus is closely connected to another purpose of the incarnation. Jesus came into this world in the flesh to show us the full, true humanity living according to God’s image, so that we could follow His example and live accordingly.
As we learned last week, Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Through His life, we can see what it means for a person to live as one created in God’s image.
As we briefly noted earlier, the Bible says that God created us in His image. This doesn’t mean that God has a physical form like ours. Being made in God’s image means that we were created to reflect God’s character. Our ability to reason and think, to love and show compassion, to have a conscience that discerns right from wrong, and to worship and commune with God—all of these are expressions of the image of God we were made in.
God gave us these abilities so that we could care for the world He created according to His will, just as He saw it to be good. We were created in God’s image to live with the purpose of loving God, loving ourselves as God created us, loving others, and caring for the world God made, all within God’s love.
 
However, all four of these relationships were broken when sin entered the world. Sin brought a rupture in our relationship with God, which in turn caused ruptures in all other relationships.
Instead of loving God and obeying His commands, we seek to exalt ourselves above Him, trying to take His place as King. Instead of loving ourselves as God created us in His image, we diminish ourselves in comparison with others and lost our self-worth. Instead of seeing other people as God’s masterpieces and loving them as they are, we envy and hate them. Instead of preserving God’s creation as beautiful, we exploit, destroy, and pollute it.
 This is the result of losing God’s image because of sin. As a result, we lost the purpose and meaning of life and lived in ignorance.
But God sent Jesus Christ into this world so that we could see and experience true humanity living in God’s image. Jesus fully loved God and obeyed His commands. He was not shaken by the opinions of others but maintained His identity as God’s beloved Son. He showed compassion to people, sometimes touching their wounds to heal them, proclaiming the good news to them, and loving them even to the point of death on the cross.
By showing us the invisible image of God, Jesus allowed us to see the example and follow it.
Jesus said in John 13:15: "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (Jn 13:15)
Peter also wrote: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Pet 2:21)
 
This is the image of God that we are to restore and in which we are to grow. That image has been fully revealed and demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:29
“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.” (Rom 8:29)
Here, the statement that Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers and sisters signifies that God’s will is for us to be transformed into the same image as His Son. One of the purposes for which God has saved us is here. It is that we now put off our "own image" in which we once lived in sin and ignorance, restore the image of God revealed through Jesus Christ, and grow until we reach the fullness of that image.
Paul said in Colossians 3, "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Col 3:6-8)
To believe in Jesus means to be spiritually reborn. It signifies that our sinful habits and former ways of living are nailed to the cross, and that we are born anew to grow into the image that God desires for us. God wants us to restore and reflect His image. To show us that image, Jesus Christ came to this earth.
Let us read this passage together one last time. Ephesians 4:13-15 says, “We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph 4:13-15)
This is God’s will for us today. He desires that we’re united in believing in and knowing Christ, so that we may grow into the fullness of Him together. God wants us to grow into His image as revealed in Jesus Christ. But, how can we achieve this?
First and foremost, we must draw near to God’s truth in His Word and be nourished spiritually through it. Just as our physical bodies cannot function or grow without food, so too our faith cannot grow without spiritual nourishment. No matter how long someone has attended church, if they don’t stay close to God’s Word daily and receive sustenance from it, they will not grow spiritually. Therefore, we must continually stay close to God’s Word.
We are currently undertaking the 365-day Bible reading challenge. Many people started together at the beginning, but not many have continued consistently until now. Therefore, I want to once again emphasize the importance of reading the Bible and encourage you to return to it.
To live as a Christian without reading the Bible is like giving up on growing spiritually. It is like giving up on living according to God’s will. So return to the Bible. If you have fallen behind and feel burdened by the unread portions, you can start simply with the daily readings according to the schedule. What matters most is not how much you read, but whether you are communing with God daily through His Word and receiving spiritual nourishment from it.
So if you love God, desire to know Him, and want to grow to resemble Jesus in intimate fellowship with Him, then open your Bible again, read, and meditate on it.
 
However, the goal of a Christian’s life is not Bible reading itself. The purpose of reading the Bible is to obey it. No matter how much food we consume, if we don’t use that energy properly, our bodies will not grow well.
Imagine eating three full meals a day but staying in bed all day. What would happen? Your body would weaken drastically. The same is true for our spiritual lives. The spiritual nourishment supplied through God’s Word works correctly and produces growth only when we obey it. Reading the Word and obeying it—that is the key to growing into the fullness of Christ.
 
Now, I want to conclude today’s message. Today, we have looked at two of the purposes of Jesus’ incarnation. Jesus came in the flesh to show us a perfect example of obedience to God’s Word, grounded in love, and also to reveal to us the full and complete image of God.
So, if we are grateful that Jesus came to us and confess that we have received salvation through Him, we must remember the purposes for which He came and strive to live according to them. Just as Jesus loved God and fully obeyed His Word, we too must do the same. We must endeavor to grow into the fullness of the mature image of God as revealed in Christ. This is possible by drawing near to God’s Word daily, listening to His voice through that Word, and obeying the will of God as He makes it known to us.
Today, I pray that these purposes will be restored and take root in our lives. May God give us a new heart, a renewed passion, fresh motivation, and a new longing so that we may desire to become more like Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that each of you may live a blessed life, growing little by little each day into the image of Christ, shaped by God’s grace and love. Let’s pray.
 

<Closing  prayer>
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us the purposes of Jesus’ incarnation. We praise You for sending Your Son, who came in the flesh to show us perfect obedience rooted in love and to reveal the full image of God for us to follow.
Lord, we confess that without Your help, we cannot grow into the fullness of Your image. We ask You to work in our hearts, renewing our passion, our motivation, and our desire to be more like Christ. Help us to draw near to Your Word daily, to listen for Your voice, and to obey Your will in every area of our lives.
May the truths we have learned today take root in our hearts. Transform us, Lord, that we may grow little by little into the image of Your Son. Let our lives reflect Jesus’ perfect obedience and the beauty of Your image in us.
We offer ourselves afresh to You, Lord. May You be glorified in all that we think, speak, and do. Keep our hearts fixed on Jesus, our Savior, and may our lives bear fruit that brings honor to Your name.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
 
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. How does understanding that Jesus’ obedience flowed from perfect love for God and love of God change the way you view your own obedience? Are there areas in your life where obedience feels burdensome? How can your love for God transform your approach to those areas?
 
2. In what ways does sin obscure the image of God in your own life or in your relationships with others? What practical steps can you take this week to grow in Christ and reflect God’s image in your life?
 
3. Jesus came to demonstrate perfect obedience and reveal the full image of God. How does seeing His example challenge or reshape your understanding of what it truly means to follow Him? How will you practically apply this in your own life?