I want to suggest to you that there are at least four good reasons why Jesus came to earth.

1) He came as an expression of God. In John 1:1,11,14, he explains God came in the form of Jesus to his own things (creation) as the expressed image of God the Father, so we might know God as a God full of grace and truth.

2) He came to experience our world. Being born an infant and growing up in this world, experiencing all this world has to offer in joy and pain, peace and heartache, sickness and healing, etc., he is acquainted with all the things we are, even temptation, which qualifies him to be our sympathetic high priest. (Hebrews 4:15)

3) He came to exchange our sins for his righteousness as once the sacrificial system was in place, whereby through the shed blood of bulls, goats and lambs the sins of the people were covered for one year. Through Jesus (the lamb of God (John 1:6-7, 19:23-29) all men’s sins are no longer covered, but removed. For all those who trust in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection as their hope of forgiveness and entering into a relationship with God for eternal life, have taken off their sin, and put on the righteousness of Christ. You may not understand all the reasons God chose to send Jesus into the world, but you can be glad he had his reasons!

Dr. William Burnham is pastor of Point of Grace Church in Covington. He can be reached at burnhamw@charter.net.