Part 6 of 7
A second reason for Jesus' humble condescension is given in the following verses of Scripture:
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham" (Heb 2:14-16).
The second reason is actually an effect of the first, which we discussed in our previous article. Jesus became a man, so that He could die as a man - a perfect sacrifice for sins, in order that He might defeat Satan. The Greek word for "destroy" here is "katargeo", and means, "to bring to naught, to nullify, to make of no effect, to render entirely useless." John tells us, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn 3:8).
You see, because death federally came by the offense of one man (Adam), so the federal reconciliation of such must also have come by the act of one man. Paul has said, "For since by man came death, by man also came resurrection of the dead" (1 Cor 15:21). In other words, because the "sin problem" was instituted by a human offense, there then was therefore a human participation requirement in its restitution ("the seed of Abraham"). This is why Jesus did not take upon Himself the nature of angels, but of mankind; because by making an atonement in human nature, He made provision for its restoration to its forfeited blessed state. Because Satan gained his power through the offense of a man, he also must lose his power in the same manner - the triumph of a man, a God-Man! No mere sinful human man could have ever paid such a price, nor would he have ever wanted to. Consequently, God became a man to perform that which was necessary, but which could not be accomplished by anyone else. One effect of such things was the complete eradication of Satan's power! Satan gained what he had through men, and lost what he had through the God-Man, Christ Jesus! What a costly endurance this must have been for Him, yet what a great triumph has been accomplished! What security for the saints! Oh the endless value of the cherished blood of our Lord! None can compare. We are so grateful to You, Jesus!
Such condescending truths as these should never be used as evidence against the Lord's deity (as the Jews were prone to do), but rather, are greater evidences for His Lordship and fervent love for creation. We have been reconciled to God by the death of His Son; and how could God have ever died unless He first became a man? How dare we assume insignificance upon the glorious love of God that fueled His human existence! How dare we take lightly the incarnation! The purpose of the incarnation was to redeem from death, by death! Hosea says, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction..." (Hosea 13:14). Such a "gowing lower" of the Son of Man has "abolished death" (2 Tim 1:10), and reconciled us to God (1 Pet 3:18). How precious Jesus is!
We could easily stop here in our discoveries and be eternally grateful for the precious Son of Man, and His annihilation of Satan and his evils... but there is yet another reason why Jesus became a human man! And what reason is that?
To Be Continued...
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