Jesus the Eternal Son of God | Jesus Came Down From Heaven
Jesus the Eternal Son of God
“who is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (v. 3a-3c)
Jesus Came Down From Heaven
The first Messianic prophecy was spoken in the Garden of Eden by God Himself. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). Another major Messianic prophecy was given through Isaiah the prophet almost 700 years before its fulfillment. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Isaiah also prophesied, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).
These prophecies were fulfilled in the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary and the birth of her firstborn Son, Jesus. The virginity of Mary was confirmed by an angel to Joseph, “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is that of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us” (Matthew 1:20-23). The Apostle John described the incarnation of the Lord Jesus in this way, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1, 14). Then we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
King Solomon asked the question, “Will God indeed dwell on the earth?” (1 Kings 8:27). It was of the Lord Jesus that Colossians records, “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Remember the prophet Isaiah’s prophetic name of the Messiah, “Immanuel…God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
The Lord Jesus Himself made some fascinating claims of His deity. “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13). “I am the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:41). “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:51). “This is the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:58). “For I have come down from heaven” (John 6:38) (emphasis mine).
On many occasions the Lord Jesus made clear that He was Immanuel…God with us! In the Gospel According to John alone there are at least six different incidents in which the religious leaders clearly understood the Lord Jesus’ claim to deity; to be God: John 5:17-19, 8:58-59, 10:29-33, 14:6-9, 17:5, and 18:4-6.
Why did God-the Son, Jesus, come down from the splendor of heaven to the sin cursed earth? Why would He choose to leave heaven where the entire angelic host served Him and cheerfully obeyed His every command? Why would He leave the place where He enjoyed the never ending worship of all the inhabitants of heaven? What would be worthy of the suffering and sacrifice of God-the Son?
Before answering these questions, let’s ponder why the Lord Jesus did not come to earth. The Lord revealed that He did not come to call those who thought they were righteous enough without Him; “For I did not come to call the righteous…” (Matthew 9:13). Christ did not come to judge or condemn the world; “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world…” (John 3:17). The Lord Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and the writings and command of the Prophets; “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Interestingly, God-the Son did not come to be served: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” (Mark 10:45).
So, why did the God-the Son, Jesus, come down from heave? He came to do the Father’s will; “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34; cf. John 5:30, 6:38-40). He came to fulfill all the Scriptures; “…I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17; cf. John 6:14, 11:27). Christ came to make God-the Father known to man: “No one has seen the God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18; cf. John 12:45, 14:7-9). Jesus Christ came to call, seek, and to save sinners like me and you: “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13), “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10; cf. 1Timothy 1:15). In order for the Lord to accomplish this He came to voluntarily sacrifice Himself, the innocent for the guilty; “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’ (Matthew 20:28). The Lord Jesus stated “for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27). Now a Bible verse that most everyone has heard, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Why did God-the Son, Jesus, come down from heaven? He came for you! “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”
The gift of salvation, forgiveness of sin, and a personal relationship with the Lord of heaven is available for you. However, as with any gift, you must receive Him-Jesus and you Lord by faith. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” John 1:12). You and I have the promise of the God of the Bible!
Thoughts to ponder,
Learning to serve,
Robert D. Finley, Ph.D.
February 2020