When God became man and dwelt among us, what did he want to achieve? To most people, it was to die for the sins of the world, and the story ends there. Yet there is a deeper meaning to it than that. What is it, you may wonder? Only the Bible can tell.
After the temptation and fall of man, Satan became the ruler of the world and yes, he was right because by disobeying Adam and Eve, sided with him. Jesus also confirmed this when he stated that Satan was the prince of this world. That tells us that part of the work that he died for was to restore planet Earth to its rightful owner that is God who initially had put it under Adam’s care.
John 12:31-32
31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when lifted from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” NIV
How was God going to achieve this you may ask? Why did it require him to transform into a human being? There are two answers to this. As I mentioned above, planet Earth was under Adam’s care and by overthrowing him the devil took control of it. Secondly, the devil declared victory over man and not God. If man was to be restored it had to be a man restoring another man. Satan knew he couldn’t compete with God as he had tried it before and was driven out. It wouldn’t make sense for God to intervene on behalf of man as a deity but like one of us.
1 Cor 15:45-49
45 It is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. NIV
Why did God have to intervene on behalf of man? The reason was that man was deceived but the devil chose to rebel on his own without interference. Adam and Eve had to decide whether to eat without any third-party involvement. Satan when he was in heaven was bestowed with wisdom and beauty and stood in the presence of God but despite all this privilege and experience, he followed his own will.
So, God had to righten this wrong by coming to earth as a man, setting the record straight by living a sinless life in the process giving man a second chance to choose clearly without any form of deception or interference. His purpose for creating man would thus be fulfilled.
The devil’s reign over planet Earth was therefore temporary until Jesus ended it with the words “It is finished”. Christ had declared victory over death and sin and all man has to do is to choose the right side or suffer the consequences of sin.
Rev 12:12
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short.” NIV
The devil knows that he has but a short time. He has made up his mind. He has chosen death over life. How about you? This brings us to the last and most important part of this lesson. So many times, you might have heard people argue and say, Jesus was God and we cannot compare to him or Jesus was human with extra powers or Jesus was human like we are. Which of the three is correct? Let’s go back to where we started.
The devil knows his competition. He did not overthrow God but man and hence why we state that it needed a second Adam [1 Cor 15:45-46] to restore God’s people.
If Jesus is God, then the devil and his angels would have backed away because it would have been an obvious defeat. Until the above conditions were met then the devil would mobilize his forces against Jesus. So, the fact that he went ahead with it means he accepted the Son of God as a full human figure just like us and because he reciprocated we have no reason to doubt or judge and say Jesus had extra powers or he was God and this and that? He was human that’s why the devil rallied against him determined to secure victory as he did with Adam and Eve. Praise God Jesus did not fall.
‘As one of us, He was to give an example of obedience. For this, He took upon Himself our nature and passed through our experiences. “In all things, it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren.” Hebrews 2:17. If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are.” Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation and overcame in the strength given to Him by God. {Desire of Ages 24.1 by E.G.W}.
Jesus was not permitted to use his power as God on his behalf but like us, he had to pray and suffer patience before God could answer. All this the devil beheld and was satisfied. This also means that everything that Jesus was, the character and the miracles he did we can be because we are human. Thus, while speaking to the disciples he had this to say.
Matt 17:20
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. “NIV
Jesus exercised faith as we must do. You and I can be identical to Jesus if we want to. This power is freely offered to anyone who wants to. This will be the condemnation of the people on the last day that instead of choosing to be like Christ they made excuses. Brother and sister do you want to live a righteous life Christ offers it freely to anyone willing. Choose Christ today and these words will be fulfilled in your life.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. NIV
God help you as you decide today. See you in the next lesson.
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