Why Christ Came Into This World - Part 4

There is no need to speculate as to why the Son of God left heaven’s glory and in the body of humiliation dwelled among men. He came to save sinners. He came full of saving grace and truth. He came because it is not God’s will that any be lost but all repent and be

saved. He came on behalf of those who do not love and worship Him.

The most offensive, disgusting, evil, foul, hideous, horrible, nauseating, obscene, repulsive, and revolting thing in the world is sin. This does not mean all sinners are offensive, disgusting or evil. However, all sinners have the capability dwelling in them to do the most vile and repulsive things ever committed by mortal man.

Jesus described the capability of the heart of a sinner when He said, “out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murderers, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, slander, pride and foolishness” (Mark

7:21-23). A person who is not born again is capable of committing any or all of the sins named in these verses. But, the Son of God came into this world to die for the sinner, regardless of the depth of sin to which the sinner has gone. Regardless of how ungodly

and wicked the sinner, Jesus is seeking to save that sinner.

When Jesus dwelled in the flesh in this world the people with whom He spent most of His time with were men and women who were sinners. His enemies said, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). They criticized Him for fellowshipping with “publicans and sinners” (Matthew 9:11). They called Him a “winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matthew 11: 19). Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17).

When the fallen woman of Samaria came to Jacob’s well to draw water while Jesus rested there, He told about the living water He could give her to drink. He explained the nature of true worship. He told her He was the Messiah. When she asked Him to give her the

living water Jesus told her to bring her husband to the well. When Jesus told the woman to

bring her husband to the well He revealed to her that even though He had never met her prior to this encounter, He knew all there was to know about her past and her present.

In the home of Simon the Pharisee a woman in the city, who was a sinner came to Simon’s house and brought with her an alabaster box of ointment and standing behind Jesus she began to weep and washed His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair, kissed His

feet and anointed them with the ointment.

When Simon said “within himself,” “If this Man were really a prophet He would not allow this woman to touch Him, for she is a sinner.” Knowing the thoughts of Simon Jesus told him, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors. The one owed him five hundred

pence, the other fifty. Neither of them had money to pay their debt, and the creditor forgave them both.” He asked Simon, “which of the two will love him most?” Simon told Jesus, the one who had the greater debt. Jesus told Simon his answer was correct. He told

Simon the sins of the woman, “which were many are forgiven; for she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven...go in peace” (Luke 7:36-50). The source of this woman’s forgiveness was not the tears she shed, the washing of Jesus’ feet with her tears, the drying of His feet with her hair, or the anointing of His feet with the ointment,, but her faith.

When sinners came to Jesus He dealt with them kindly and loving. He didn’t comdemn them. He was gracious to sinners, kind and gentle as He invited them to come to Him, but He was merciless to the religionists and moralists who boasted of their own righteousness.

He stripped away their superficial covering of religious forms, long prayers and exposed the iniquity and ungodliness within their hearts. He denounced them hypocrites, blind guides, and fools. He likened them to whitewashed tombs, which are beautiful outward

but are full of dead man’s bones and uncleanness. He called them serpents and a generation of vipers. But from the lips that spoke harsh words to the religionist, moralists, and the hypocrites sinners heard the tenderest, most compassionate words ever spoke by man.

Today when people are asked if they would like to be saved man will say “I am a church member. I was confirmed or baptized when I was a baby. I live a good life. I live by the Golden Rule.” Are they religious? Yes. Are they morally good? Probably. But it is