Why did Christ Come? - Spirit & Life

[Vine Abider]

Yesterday after our weekly fellowship breakfast, a brother asked me something that I'm still chewing on and enjoying.  He basically asked, "What did Christ come for, that is, what is the purpose of the new covenant?"  My mind went immediately to the atonement for sins.  But I had a "duh" moment when he told me, "The main reason Christ came was the Spirit."  Then he quoted Jerimiah “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; . . . I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts."

As said, I was like "Duh - of course!"  It's something I knew and talk about all the time - for instance the "much more" aspect of Romans chapter 5 about the indwelling Spirit Who is operating in believers mightily. But I guess I'd not really thought much about the answer to the  question asked in that way: "Why did the Messiah come?"  I'd too often stopped with the dealing with sin aspect . . . but the atonement for sin is a means to an end, that end being the Spirit coming to live in us!

The sister passage to that one in Jeremiah is Ezekiel 36:26-27, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." (this also shows our human spirit joined with His Spirit as per 1 Cor 6:17)

But again, I got a little clearer on what the purpose of Christ's coming was after this conversation, as I mulled over the implications.  It's really quite simple!  The Messiah came to bring in the New Covenant, and the New Covenant is about God putting His Spirit and life into us!  In order for this to happen, first the sin problem and Adam's old nature had to be dealt with.

Some other verses which came to me on this matter (which interestingly are all in John):

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  John 1:4

I am the resurrection and the life.  John 11:25

I am the way, the truth and the life.  John 14:6

I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

The words I speak to you, they are Spirit and they are life.  John 6:63

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  John 7:39

The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into eternal life. John 4:14

If you love Me you will keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  John 14:15-17  (BTW - I just realized that the 1st part of this passage is about keeping His commandments, and that immediately after saying that He relates it to the Spirit coming to be in us - this is how we will keep His commandments!!! )

And lastly I'll add this one from Philippians 1:19, "For I know that it will result in my salvation through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."  Okay, one more (I suspect many, many more verses could be added) from 2 Peter 1:4,  That "you may become partakers of the divine nature."
 

[Michael37]

9 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

Yesterday after our weekly fellowship breakfast, a brother asked me something that I'm still chewing on and enjoying.  He basically asked, "What did Christ come for, that is, what is the purpose of the new covenant?"  My mind went immediately to the atonement for sins.  But I had a "duh" moment when he told me, "The main reason Christ came was the Spirit."  Then he quoted Jerimiah “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; . . . I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts."

As said, I was like "Duh - of course!"  It's something I knew and talk about all the time - for instance the "much more" aspect of Romans chapter 5 about the indwelling Spirit Who is operating in believers mightily. But I guess I'd not really thought much about the answer to the  question asked in that way: "Why did the Messiah come?"  I'd too often stopped with the dealing with sin aspect . . . but the atonement for sin is a means to an end, that end being the Spirit coming to live in us!

The sister passage to that one in Jeremiah is Ezekiel 36:26-27, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." (this also shows our human spirit joined with His Spirit as per 1 Cor 6:17)

But again, I got a little clearer on what the purpose of Christ's coming was after this conversation, as I mulled over the implications.  It's really quite simple!  The Messiah came to bring in the New Covenant, and the New Covenant is about God putting His Spirit and life into us!  In order for this to happen, first the sin problem and Adam's old nature had to be dealt with.

Some other verses which came to me on this matter (which interestingly are all in John):

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  John 1:4

I am the resurrection and the life.  John 11:25

I am the way, the truth and the life.  John 14:6

I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

The words I speak to you, they are Spirit and they are life.  John 6:63

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  John 7:39

The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into eternal life. John 4:14

If you love Me you will keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  John 14:15-17  (BTW - I just realized that the 1st part of this passage is about keeping His commandments, and that immediately after saying that He relates it to the Spirit coming to be in us - this is how we will keep His commandments!!! )

And lastly I'll add this one from Philippians 1:19, "For I know that it will result in my salvation through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."  Okay, one more (I suspect many, many more verses could be added) from 2 Peter 1:4,  That "you may become partakers of the divine nature."
 

Hi Vine,

Yes, the Purpose of the Incarnation of Christ, which is another way of wording this topic, is addressed in Mark 10:45. 

"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many".

I put my own name for "many" when meditating on this.

Here we are, about 2000 years after this purpose was fulfilled, and the effect of Christ's sacrifice is as strong as ever amongst his saints.

[other one]

15 minutes ago, Michael37 said:

Here we are, about 2000 years after this purpose was fulfilled, and the effect of Christ's sacrifice is as strong as ever amongst his saints.

Have you been keeping up with the revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky?   Services started last week and it just didn't stop.   Now there are people coming and going from all over the world.   Last I heard it's spreading to other states.

[Vine Abider]

31 minutes ago, Michael37 said:

Hi Vine,

Yes, the Purpose of the Incarnation of Christ, which is another way of wording this topic, is addressed in Mark 10:45. 

"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many".

I put my own name for "many" when meditating on this.

Here we are, about 2000 years after this purpose was fulfilled, and the effect of Christ's sacrifice is as strong as ever amongst his saints.

Yes - PRAISE GOD! - the objective facts/effects are just as good today as then!  And now, subjectively, whosoever is "thirsty and wills" can take the water of life (Spirit) freely!

[Vine Abider]

19 minutes ago, other one said:

Have you been keeping up with the revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky?   Services started last week and it just didn't stop.   Now there are people coming and going from all over the world.   Last I heard it's spreading to other states.

Really just started to be aware in the last day what was going on there.  At first I was a little skeptical, for just the reasons in the article link here: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/asburyrevival-real-spreading-saw

But the article goes on to say what I consider to be right things and good indicators it's truly the Holy Spirit, such as these quotes:

In an age of sensationalized encounters, what’s happening at the Hughes Auditorium is incredibly simple, humble, and ordinary. 

There isn’t a single ‘known’ figure on the platform. It’s students leading the way alongside a few campus ministers. It’s raw worship, Bible reading and exhortation, and repentance. 

Confession broke out numerous times, the crowd would listen and speak out, "The blood of Jesus forgives me." The altars were full night and day, wet with tears, from young and old. It was multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-generational.

Jesus is mentioned often and the article says about a few people that they could "feel the love of God" there, and it doesn't appear anyone's making money on it . . . so this passes at least my initial criteria.

(BTW - I'm thinking we should have called the 1960s-70s Jesus People movement the 4th Great Awakening.  Praying this is the 5th . . . )

[Selah7]

A truly ponderable question. This comes to mind.  

But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

- Matthew 15:24-28 

Such a merciful Savior we have. All those who come to Jesus Christ will be made whole and healed, just like the Canaanite lady was. To anyone that will believe in Him, Christ came to bring healing and salvation. (John 3:16)

[com7fy8]

I would say Jesus came to die for us. This is a practical reason.

In the long run, His overall purpose was how our Father desires to conform us to the image of Jesus > Romans 8:29.

But in the process of conforming us to Jesus, there are things Jesus did on earth to help with this.

He established His example of how to be and how to love > Ephesians 5:2, 1 John 2:6, John 13:34. 

Jesus prepared to be our High Priest > Hebrews 4:15.

So, Jesus came here in order to save us from our sins, plus in order to get us started in ministering one another into the image of Jesus, and in order to prepare Himself to minister to us while we labor for Him.

 

[Vine Abider]

2 hours ago, Selah7 said:

Such a merciful Savior we have. All those who come to Jesus Christ will be made whole and healed, just like the Canaanite lady was. To anyone that will believe in Him, Christ came to bring healing and salvation. (John 3:16)

He is merciful - bringing us healing and salvation!

38 minutes ago, com7fy8 said:

I would say Jesus came to die for us. This is a practical reason.

In the long run, His overall purpose was how our Father desires to conform us to the image of Jesus > Romans 8:29.

But in the process of conforming us to Jesus, there are things Jesus did on earth to help with this.

He established His example of how to be and how to love > Ephesians 5:2, 1 John 2:6, John 13:34

He did come to die for us . . . that's on the saving us from sin side. And now we are being conformed to His image.  How does this happen? He came to get inside man, to transform him from the inside.  This is the Spirit's work in the new covenant.

We should be clear that Christ's mission was twofold: First He had to save us from our sins, which He did by His death. But then, much more, we shall be saved by His life, that is we are reborn with His Spirit and life in us.  His death cleanses us so that His resurrection life, as the Spirit, comes into us and transforms us. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances." Ezekiel 36:27

This is much more than an example . . . it is the new covenant where God gets into us!

[Michael37]

3 hours ago, other one said:

Have you been keeping up with the revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky?   Services started last week and it just didn't stop.   Now there are people coming and going from all over the world.   Last I heard it's spreading to other states.

Yes, checked out the video when it was posted here. Just what is being revived is something I hope to find out. Every genuine revival identifies with some specific aspect of sainthood.

[Mike Mclees]

Jesus came on a three fold mission  that we may have life thought His sacrifice and save us from our sins. Second we needed the Holy spirit to be in our hearts as our teacher and guide.   That sounds simple but I'm just a simple person.