Why Jesus? What is the significance of his role in the history of mankind? To understand “Why Jesus?” we need to examine why God created mankind in the first place…
The destiny of mankind before sin
Our first parents – Adam and Eve, were meant to enjoy and everlasting relationship with their Creator God.
- God blessed both man and woman and all their descendants who would partake of this blessing
- God gave Adam the privilege of naming all the other creatures
- The whole earth was given as a gift to our parents to enjoy and to rule over
- God provided a beautiful garden and haven, called Eden, for our parents to enjoy.
- God ensured that all their needs were met and the earth itself was blessed to produce all manner of food for all living creatures
- God met with Adam and Eve daily in physical form to instruct, fellowship and enjoy the relationship that they had together
- Had our first parents chosen to eat from the Tree of Life, they and their descendants would have enjoyed eternal life and to enjoy all that was given to them forever.
We see in the first two chapters of Genesis, that this was the life and destiny that God had in mind for us when he created the earth and our first parents.
The effects of sin
When our first parents sinned against God, the outcome was terrible. All the blessings which were given to them were also broken or corrupted:
- The earth itself became accursed and produce weeds
- Mankind would have to toil to produce the things he needed. It was no longer freely given to him by the earth
- Eden was cut off to mankind. Mankind had to build their own dwellings and havens
- Man’s authority to rule over the earth was corrupted and given over to Satan.
- instead of a beautiful relationship with God, there is now estrangement and separation from God
- instead of immortality, all of mankind would end in death.
God did not curse the man and the woman. The curse came about because the blessings were corrupted by sin through Adam’s rebellion. God reminds Adam “…the ground is cursed because of you” (Genesis 3:17). It would have grieved God’s heart to see his children choose the path of death despite being forewarned of the consequences (c.f. Genesis 2:16-17).
The wages of sin is death. Death is the final answer to every man, woman and child. But this was NEVER the destiny that God had in mind for mankind.
God’s plan to restore mankind… the promise of a Redeemer
The first prophecy
God reveals to Adam and Eve that in time to come, one of their descendants will be born, who will crush the head of Satan, who will restore man to their original destiny of right-standing with God.
“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
The words used in Genesis 3:15 referring to ‘…her Seed’ is very different to the rest of scripture. “Seed” is usually used with reference to a man’s sperm throughout scripture except here.
This is without a doubt a hint of the virgin birth. While God was clearly speaking to the serpent about ‘the woman’, we know that the woman referred to here has a double meaning. It points to Eve… AND a woman in the future from whom the Savior-Redeemer will come. A Redeemer who is not born of the seed of a man but having ONLY the seed of a woman, who will crush the devil. It provides a first glimpse into God’s plan of redemption.
How would the world recognise the Redeemer-Messiah?
Over many centuries, God provided snippets of information concerning the coming of the messiah through a group of men called prophets. These snippets of information concerning future events and the coming messiah are known as prophecies.
Why was it necessary for God to provide information about the promised Messiah?
- God wanted the world to know that he had not walked away from his creation. Each prophet spoke with the voice and authority of God to demonstrate God’s care for mankind.
- Man was to continue governing themselves. However because of sin and corruption, the world and its governments would also reflect the same sin and corruption. At times it was necessary for God to intervene in the affairs of the nations supernaturally and sometimes by miracles worked through these prophets to prevent evil from taking over completely.
- God wanted the world to know that He was still in love with the people whom He had created from the very beginning. God would renew the promise he made to Adam and Eve of the coming Redeemer with a specific line of descendants belonging to Abraham of the OId Testament.
- God wanted his chosen people (the Jews) to recognize the credentials of the promised Messiah by the prophecies that the Messiah would fulfill.
Key prophecies fulfilled by the Messiah – Jesus
Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies of the Old Testament – too many to list here. So some of the key prophecies relating to his lineage, birth, life, death and resurrection are examined in the following lessons:
- Prophecies of the Messiah’s lineage – fulfilled in Jesus
- Prophecies of the Messiah’s birth – fulfilled in Jesus
- Prophecies of the Messiah’s work – fulfilled in Jesus(coming soon)
- Prophecies of Messiah’s death and resurrection – fulfilled in Jesus (coming soon)
- Prophecies of Jesus’ role in the church
The probability of one person fulfilling all these prophecies are ‘highly improbable’. Dr.
SAINTS ACADEMY 