Transparent Freedom

do you understand that Jesus was a man?

fully, 100% man.

Jesus suffered just like we, human beings, suffer.

Hebrews 2:14-18 (NIV)

¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁷ For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

this passage tells us that Jesus, fully God, became a man for at least the following reasons:

1. so that He might break the power that Satan had over us
2. to free us
3. to help us in a general way
4. because He is merciful and to be merciful
5. to be the faithful High Priest
6. to make atonement for us
7. to be our mediator
8. to fulfill God’s original purpose for man
9. to help those who are tempted
10. to give us an example

i encourage you to pray through all of these over the next few days and search the Scriptures (especially Hebrews 2:5-18, 1 John 2:1-2, Romans 6 and 1 John 4:1-3).

i am going to focus on one: to encourage those who are tempted.

God the Father sent God the Son to redeem and restore His people.

Jesus became His creation for the sake of His creation.

Jesus knew exactly what it felt like to be tempted in every way before He became a man, He was omniscient…

and yet, the Holy Spirit speaks through the writer of Hebrews saying something like, “Jesus became a man and suffered in every way that every man will suffer so that his redeemed people could trust that He could relate in every way and be merciful as such.”

do you see the humility of our Creator here?

He could have told us, “I know what it feels like to be tempted.”

instead, He leaves the perfection of heaven and puts on flesh and is tempted and tried and eventually murdered…

He did this for a number of reasons, but at least one of them we see in Hebrews is to give His people assurance that He can relate to us in every way.

Jesus was fully man.

He was born just like babies are born.

mary still had contractions and dilation and effacing.

Jesus still came into this world bloody and screaming.

this Christmas, i encourage you to reflect on this reality: Jesus was fully man, and struggled in every way that you struggle…but He never failed.  He never submitted once to sin.  He lived the perfect life.

and now, for those who trust in Christ, your flawed record is nailed to the cross and His perfect life is credited to your account so that you might live as God intended you to live now and forever – in relation with Him, full of the hope that will be made fully yours when you die or Jesus returns.

in every struggle you have and every temptation you face this holiday season, take heart for He has over come the world…

and all of this started in a manger.

what reason for or reality related to Christ’s humanity (listed or not) is impacting you the most this Christmas season?

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