Why was Jesus born as a human? Why did He have to put on human flesh? Because God’s plan for the world required it.
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
A lot of focus during the Christmas season is put on the baby Jesus, laying in a manager. As well it should, because this is the time we celebrate Jesus’ entrance into this world.
While we focus more on the idea that Jesus was born during Christmastime, we do also understand that the reason Christ came into this world was to provide salvation for all of humanity. If Jesus Christ came to die, then He had to be born to do that.
But why did it have to be that way? Why was Jesus born as a human? Did He have to be born into humanity and then die? This too seems like it can be answered simply, but when we really start to ponder what happened, why it happened, and all the ramifications, we can have an even deeper appreciation for God’s love for us.
Jesus was Born to Reveal God to Us
There are a few reasons that Jesus Christ had to be born as a human, but let’s start with one that may be less obvious. Jesus came to fulfill a mission – that is, to reveal the Father to us. Jesus did this through His very life, as He told us that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9).
Jesus spent 3 years in earthly ministry declaring that the kingdom of Heaven was here (Matthew 4:17).
While it is true that God had already been revealing Himself to us in the past, and prior to Christ there was a biblical record, as well as God’s plan for the Jewish people, God chose to reveal Himself ultimately through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3).
I wish I could find the source of this analogy, but I read this once and it made a lot of sense to me. That if I was looking at an ant hill, and needed to communicate with an ant somehow, I can’t do that today, at least not directly. Even if the ant hill was in some sort of danger, I could do nothing to warn them about it.
But what if I could become an ant? If I were one of them I would be able to communicate to them clearly, in their mode of communication, and help them escape the danger.
This is akin to what God did for us. He did speak to us – and being created in His image, we were able to understand, somewhat. But once Jesus Christ entered the world, He was able to communicate directly with us, and reveal the Father, and the Father’s will to us.
One of the reasons Jesus could do this is because He retained His divinity while taking on the flesh of humanity. And just as in the ant analogy, He warned us about danger. He showed us the danger of dying in our sin, if we did not repent and follow Him. And Jesus message was first to the Jewish people, but then to the entire world.
And He could only accomplish this due to His willingness to die for us. Jesus was born to us so that He could die for us.
Jesus was Born Fully God and Fully Man
You may have heard it said that Jesus was born fully God and fully man, but where can we learn more about this, and why is this important?
In Philippians, Paul is speaking to the believers in the church there (and by extension, to us) about being humble and compassionate with others, telling us we need to follow Christ’s example. He then describes Christ’s humbling Himself to be born as a human being, and eventually humbling Himself all the way to the cross (Philippians 2:6-8).
In the beginning of the Gospel of John, similar testimony is found there that the “Word” became human and lived among us (John 1:14).
The Bible also testifies that Jesus Christ retained His divinity even while putting on human flesh (Colossians 2:9). So we see it is the testimony of the Bible that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully God.
Jesus being fully God and fully man is equally as important to the question of why was Jesus born as a human. Jesus had to be both divine and human to fulfill His ultimate purpose for coming to earth.
Jesus was Born to be a Sacrifice
While Jesus being born as a human accomplished multiple things, ultimately Jesus came to suffer and die as a sacrifice for our sins (1 Peter 3:18). Had He not done this, we would have no hope for salvation, no hope to be restored to fellowship with God.
It was important that Jesus came to earth fully divine, so that He could be a spotless lamb. Only in His divinity could Jesus live a perfect life without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, His life fulfilled the Father’s requirements for sacrificial atonement.
It was necessary that Jesus came to earth fully human, because God’s law required the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Therefore, Jesus put on the flesh of humanity so that blood could be shed.
Ultimately, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world because He was obedient to the Father. Jesus did not come for His own purposes but do to God’s will. And God’s will is that those who believe in Jesus Christ will inherit eternal life (John 6:38-40).
So yes, it is right to celebrate Jesus’ birth. It is worth celebrating that God came to us in human flesh, to dwell with us and to be a sacrifice for our sins. Without Jesus’ birth, we would not have Jesus’ death and resurrection to deliver us from our sin debt.
More Bible verses about Jesus born as a human:
Isaiah 7:13-14; Jeremiah 23:5; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:26-38; John 3:16; Galatians 4:4-7
