The Earth Suit

Why did Jesus come to earth? Why did Jesus set aside the privileges of heaven and become a baby in with the limits of human flesh?  How awesome is it that God would come to live with humans?

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. (Philippians 2:5-8 MSG)

God had a plan for His broken creation which required Jesus coming to earth for a period of time to fulfill that plan.  Jesus left the beauty of heaven to come to this sinful earth because He, together with His Father, loved humans.  Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself for their sins. He came as a helpless baby, born of a humble virgin who was willing to be used of God for His plan and purpose.  Jesus set aside all the privileges of heaven to put on human flesh so He could bring us to life and freedom.

Now if I wanted to live for a time somewhere other than in earth’s atmosphere I would also need to have a plan.  If I wanted to live for a time in outer space I would need to put on a space suit to enable me to live in the atmosphere of outer space.  If I wanted to live under water for a time I would need a scuba diving suit so I would be equipped to live in that atmosphere.  Likewise, Jesus was required to live in earth`s atmosphere for a time, so He put on an earth suit which is human flesh.

When I put on a space suit or scuba diving equipment I do not change what is me, I just cover what is me for a time so that I can do those things I desire to do in the atmosphere where I am, either in space or under water.  That is what Jesus did when He came to earth.  He covered Himself with human flesh, in the womb of His mother, so that He could fulfill what He came to earth to do, to reconcile mankind with a Holy God.  He was God in human flesh.  Several times in scripture He referred to Himself as the Son of Man.  He was in effect both God and man.

The process of our redemption is beyond our understanding.  The Bible says… When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.   (Romans 5:6-8 NLT)  God sent Jesus because no one else was worthy to pay the cost of the wages of sin.  The hymn lyrics reflect the truth of His sacrifice, “There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin; He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in”.

When you reflect on the actions it took for Jesus to redeem humans, do you marvel at the love that is exhibited in each step of God’s plan?  Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, humbled Himself and became a man to pay the penalty of the sins of all humans, including yours and mine. Isn't it time to give thanks to Him and receive all that He has done for us?    The truth is “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners”.