Why did Christ come to the earth? Surely the Christian must be able to answer this question. However, as he begins to study the topic, He will see that the Bible gives many reasons for Christ’s coming. Jesus told us, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore I am sent” (KJV, Luke 4:43) . Here it is seen that Christ came to preach the kingdom of God. Simply put, Christ came to preach the Gospel message.
As a result, the Christian must think about the Gospel message this Christmas, and he must learn to share the Gospel message with others. But many in the church do not know how to share the Gospel. Therefore, it is pertinent for us this Christmas to gain an understanding of the world’s most important message since Christ was born into this world to share the Gospel.
Step 1: God
The first part of the Gospel consists of God Himself. First, people must come to an understanding of God. God is the Creator of all. Therefore, man is under the authority of God. As Creator, God has created mankind with a purpose. Man cannot live however he wants; he can only live how God desires for him to live.
When people create cars, they make them for a purpose. Cars are meant to operate in a certain way and to be driven from point A to point B. A mechanic will fix the car when a car doesn’t work correctly. Likewise, when someone creates computers, they make them to perform various tasks. When a virus infiltrates a computer, a computer technician must fix the computer, much like the car, to work correctly again. Likewise, God created man for a purpose, and God must intervene when man strays from the purpose.
God is also absolutely holy and a just judge. God is perfect in all His ways. As a result, God has never sinned. God also sees all things and knows all things. Thus, nothing is hidden from the eyes of God.
God’s holiness demands justice. Therefore, God cannot allow sin to occur without exercising judgment, it would be contrary to His nature, and God always operates out of His nature; He can do no other.
God has also given commands to His creation that He expects His creation to follow. For example, some of the commands of God consist of not lying, not stealing, not getting sinfully angry with another person, not hating others, not being greedy, etc. But it is also true that people break the commands of God when they are not thankful for what God has done or worship God as they ought to. Simply put, God has given many commands and exercises His judgment upon His creation based on His law.
Step 2: Man
Now that we understand God well, why don’t we look at who man is? The Bible tells us that man was created good in the Garden. As a result, God created man so that there was nothing to condemn man before God. Therefore, in the Garden, there was a period when Adam and Eve were sinless.
However, God told Adam not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sometime later, we can read of Adam and Eve eating from the fruit of the tree, which God told them not to eat. When they ate from the tree, sin entered the world.
The sin of Adam and Eve did not affect them only. Instead, their sin has affected everyone who has ever lived. This is because everyone who has ever lived has inherited and been imputed with Adam’s sin. To inherit the sin of Adam means that everyone, by nature, is a sinner. To be imputed with Adam’s sin means that God credits Adam’s sin to all mankind.
When man lives upon the earth, he does not live as he ought. While someone may have a high view of himself, this is pride, not reality. The Bible tells us, “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Eccl. 7:20) . Again we read, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” . Finally, Paul tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) . Here we can see the testimony of mankind. Nobody has ever lived without sin.
As a result, God must punish the sin of man. The Bible tells us that the punishment for sin is an eternity in hell.
Step 3: Christ
However, God did not leave man without hope. This Christmas, the Christian must look to the hope found within the Gospel. Two thousand years ago, the Father sent the Son to the earth. Christ took upon Himself the flesh of man and was born into this world 100% God and 100% man. Christ lived on the earth and honored the Father in all He did. Jesus told us, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29) . We see that everything Jesus did was pleasing in the Father’s sight. Jesus came and fulfilled the law perfectly, but at the end of His life, He died a sinner’s death.
When Jesus died on the cross, the Father credited man’s sin to Jesus, and the Father punished His Son in the place of sinful man. The Father poured out His wrath on the Son, and Jesus satisfied the wrath of the Father. Thus, through the death of Christ, God can forgive man for the sin that he has committed. Jesus died in place of man and was buried in a tomb. However, Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the grave, defeated death, and ascended to the right hand of the Father.
Step 4: Response
This brings us to the response of man. While Christ accomplished an amazing work, it will be of no benefit if it is not accepted. First, a person must believe in the message of the Gospel. He must believe in the person and work of Christ. An individual must personalize the work of Christ. A person must believe that Christ died for him and that Christ has personally paid for his sin. Next, a person must repent of his sin. Repentance does not constitute work but is the other side of the coin.
Conversion is viewed as a coin. One side is faith, while the other side is repentance. Repentance speaks of a turning to Christ that starts in the mind, but it will show forth in one’s life if it is real. For some to believe in Christ, they naturally need to think differently about Christ. When someone begins to think about Christ rightly, it will naturally affect how he lives.
Conclusion
In sum, the Gospel can be shared as follows. God is the Creator of all things. God is absolutely holy, and He is a just judge. God sees and knows all things, and He must punish sin. God created man, and man has sinned against God. The Bible clarifies that everyone who has ever lived has sinned against God. As a result, man deserves to be punished for His sin by God. The punishment for sin is an eternity in hell.
However, God sent His Son Jesus into the world. Jesus came born into the world 100% God and 100% man. Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life and died on the cross at the end of His life. Jesus died in place of sinners, while the Father poured His wrath out on His Son for man’s sin. God can forgive man for His sin through Christ’s death because Christ died in his place. Christ rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father.
God requires that man would respond to the saving message of the Gospel in faith and repentance. Believe that Christ died for your sin and turn from your sin to Jesus this day.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Your Gospel. I thank You that Christ came to the earth to preach the good news. In Jesus’ name, Amen.