A Series of Answers to Common Questions
Question:
Since John 3:16 says that God so loved the world why didn’t he come to die for sinners instead of sending Jesus, his Son, to do so?
Answer:
The simple answer? Because the Father created all things for the glory of his beloved Son as an expression of his infinite love for him. Therefore, since creation belongs to Christ it isn’t surprising, and actually makes perfect sense, that the Son came to redeem that which the Father gave to him out of his infinite love.
Detailed Response
Now the readers may demand that we provide Biblical references to establish our claim. The focus of this article is to produce the Biblical data which substantiates our assertion that the reason why the Son became Incarnate, and not the Father or the Holy Spirit, is because everything exists for him and he therefore came to redeem his very own possession.
But before we look at the evidence, some additional background information is needed in order to put things in their proper perspective lest the readers misunderstand the point we are making.
Yahweh Alone Created All Things
The Holy Bible plainly teaches that the one true and eternal God, whose name is Yahweh:
"God further said to Moses, ‘You are to tell the Israelites, "Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is my name for all time, and thus I am to be invoked for all generations to come." Exodus 3:15 The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
"Yahweh is a warrior; Yahweh is his name." Exodus 15:3 NJB
"Let them know that you alone bear the name Yahweh, Most High over all the earth." Psalm 83:18 NJB
Created all things by himself, and that he didn’t have someone helping him to create the universe:
"Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kad'mi-el, Bani, Hashabnei'ah, Sherebi'ah, Hodi'ah, Shebani'ah, and Pethahi'ah, said, ‘Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise.’ And Ezra said: ‘Thou art the LORD, thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and thou preservest all of them; and the host of heaven worships thee.’" Nehemiah 9:5-6
"Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be just before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength -- who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? -- he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger; who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who ALONE stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Plei'ades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number." Job 9:2-10
"Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not ONE fashion us in the womb?" Job 31:15
"Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD, who made all things, who stretched out the heavens ALONE, who spread out the earth -- Who was with me? –’" Isaiah 44:24
"Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?" Malachi 2:10
"and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;" Ephesians 3:9
"(For every house is built by some one, but the builder of all things is God.)" Hebrews 3:4
All Creation Exists For The Glory Of Yahweh
Moreover, Yahweh created everything for himself in order to make known his glory and nature to those whom he formed to be his own possession:
"I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:6-7
"The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." Isaiah 43:20-21
Creation Is The Work Of The Triune God
At the same time, the Holy Bible teaches that Yahweh actually exists as a plurality of Divine Persons. More specifically, the Holy Bible presents Yahweh as a Triune Being consisting of the Father, the Son/Word/Wisdom, and the Holy Spirit.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Bible teaches that these three eternally distinct, yet inseparable, Persons of Deity created all things.
For example, God is said to have created all things through the Son who is his eternal Word:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made… He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father." John 1:1-3, 10, 14
"yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." 1 Corinthians 8:6
"But about the Son he [God] says, … ‘In the beginning, O Lord [the Son], you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.’" Hebrews 1:8a, 10-12 NIV
As well as creating everything by his Holy Spirit:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2
"The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4
"When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground." Psalm 104:30
The Triune God Created All Things For The Son
The Holy Bible further reveals that the Trinity created everything for the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, since he is the Heir of all things.
In other words, the Father created everything for his Son whom he loves, and that everything possessed by the Father belongs fully and completely to the Son and vice-versa:
"He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’" Mark 12:6-7
"All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Luke 10:22
"He [the Son/Word] came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." John 1:11 NIV
"the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand." John 3:35
Note that the Father placed everything into the hands of the Son because of his love for Christ.
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God," John 13:3
"All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." John 16:15
"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." John 17:1-2, 9-10 NIV
"He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and FOR him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent." Colossians 1:13-18
"In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed THE HEIR of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Hebrews 1:1-3
To reiterate the main points of our discussion thus far:
The Redeemed Are the Bride of Christ
The Holy Bible also says that the redeemed of the Lord, those whom the Father has chosen for salvation, are Christ’s spiritual Bride, his spiritual Body, which is the Church:
"I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." 2 Corinthians 11:2
"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior… Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:23, 25-33
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’" Revelation 19:7-9
"Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Revelation 21:9-14
The Son, As The Heir and Husband, Comes To Redeem His Own Possession
Since creation belongs to Christ, and believers are his spiritual Bride, he comes to save his inheritance and to redeem his people:
"she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save HIS people from their sins." Matthew 1:21
"All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:27-30
"For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10
"Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.’" John 6:35-40
"I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd…’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.’" John 10:14-16, 25-30
"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.’" John 17:1-2 NIV
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." Ephesians 1:4-10
"For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:19-20
"awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:13-14
Concluding Remarks
With the foregoing in perspective, the readers should clearly see that it makes perfect sense that the Son came to redeem creation. As the Heir and Sovereign Possessor of everything that exists by virtue of his relationship as the beloved Son, the Lord Jesus comes to save that which his beloved Father gave him as a token of his love. Christ would not lose the gift which God gave to him but made sure that he preserves it forever. The Lord Jesus did this to demonstrate his infinite love for his Father, as well as his infinite love for the very people that God gave him to possess:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
"but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence." John 14:31
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." John 15:9-15
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
"and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Revelation 1:5-6
Unless stated otherwise, all Biblical citations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible.
A Series of Answers to Common Questions
Answering Islam Home Page