He Came to Give Us Abundant Life

Hebrews 2:16-17 says, "For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Christ came to save men, not angels (v. 16). That is why he was "made like His brethren" (v. 17a).

But there is more to it than that. Yes, Jesus came to redeem us, glorify us, sanctify us, and give us eternal life, but the writer of Hebrews gives yet another reason why Christ became a man. He also came to help us when we are tempted.

In Hebrews 4:15 we are told, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." He felt everything we feel. He experienced every aspect of life and temptation that we experience. There is nothing you can experience that Jesus has not also experienced, yet Jesus was without sin. That is why He is "merciful and faithful" as our High Priest (v. 17b). He came to turn away God's wrath from us. That is the meaning of the word "propitiation" (v. 17c).

He also came to give us aid. "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (v. 18). He knows when we hurt. He knows when we are weak. He knows when we are tempted. He is the God we can go to no matter what we are going through. He is the One who will bring you through to other side. He is the One who will give you strength for the journey of life.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Jesus came to give us abundant life. He came to aid us in living the Christian life to the fullest. Only as we live by faith and allow Jesus to live His life through us can we truly experience the Christian life as it was meant to be. It is indeed a most exciting life! Once you begin to experience the life Christ has for you, you will not want anything to ever get in the way of your fellowship with Him.

Billy Graham once said, "The greatest moment in human history was not when man set foot on the moon, but when the infinite and eternal God set foot on the earth in Jesus of Nazareth" (Bruce A. Demarest, Jesus Christ: the God-Man, The Victor Know and Believe Series, [Victor Books, a division of SP Publivations, Inc.: Wheaton, Illinois, 1978], 39).

That is ultimately what Christmas is all about. Christ becoming man that we might have life, both eternal and abundant. Amen.