The Son of God became the Son of Man to save the sons and daughters of Adam.
Read / Listen
Read John 3:16-17
Listen to passage & devotional:
Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 17
Q. Why must he [our Savior]
he also be true God?
A. So that,
by the power of his divinity,
he might bear the weight of God’s anger
in his humanity
and earn for us and restore to us
righteousness and life.
Summary
Perhaps the most well known of all Bible passages, these verses strike to the heart of the Gospel. The popularity of John 3:16 is unsurprising considering the way it eloquently lays out the key themes of the Gospel.
What did God do?
Gave his only Son
Why?
To save sinners
How Come?
Out of love
John continues into verse 17, expressing Jesus’ reason for coming into the world, which was not to condemn but to save.
John describes Jesus as God's only Son, alluding to Jesus’ divine nature. While we are considered children of God, adopted through faith in Christ, Jesus is described as God’s only Son. Other translations use the phrase only begotten Son, which further points to Jesus being 'of the same substance' as the Father.
Dig Deeper
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Out of God’s great love for us, Jesus, the only one capable of paying the penalty of our sin, did exactly that. No sinful human could pay the penalty for another. Jesus, the only one not stained by original sin, took on a human nature with the intent of paying humanity's penalty on our behalf.
We refer to this as the 'dual natures of Christ.' Jesus is divine and He also took on a human nature. He doesn't transition between divinity and humanity, rather He remains both truly human and truly divine.
This is the miracle of Jesus, that His human nature did not corrupt the divine nature, yet His divine nature did not overcome His human nature. Instead, Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
Furthermore, the humanity of Christ did not cease upon his resurrection. Instead, the one who is seated at the right hand of the Father is truly fully human and fully divine. Instead of leaving you to face the consequences of your sin, Jesus came as the only one who could redeem a fallen humanity, thanks be to God!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father God, you so loved the world that you sent your only Son;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Help me to fully believe in Him so that I will not perish, but have eternal life.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 11
