He Came to Give Us Eternal Life

Hebrews 2:14a says, "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same." To "partake" or to "share" appears twice in this verse. These are actually two different words in the original Greek text.

The first means "to share" in the sense of having fellowship, communion, or partnership with someone. It refers to having something in common with others. All human beings have "flesh and blood" (v. 14a). In this way we are all alike.

The second word means "to partake," and is the idea of taking hold of something that is different in nature or is not naturally of your own kind. That is what Christ did for us.

By nature we are "flesh and blood" (v. 14a), but not so for Christ. He left the glory that was His in heaven and willingly took hold of something that was different, something that was not naturally His. He was not by nature "flesh and blood" as we are, yet He became as we are in order to die in our place and give us eternal life.

Why did Christ become man? "That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (vs. 14b-15). Jesus came not only to conquer Satan's weapon, sin, but to destroy the power of Satan, which is death.

People fear death because God requires it because of our sin. When a sinner dies apart from Christ he spends eternity apart from God's presence in hell. That is why Christ had to become a man. He went through death for us and came out the other side of death through the resurrection, thereby conquering death for us. And so, through His resurrection He gives us eternal life.

As a result, we need no longer fear death because death simply releases us into the presence of God. When you trust Christ for your salvation, He gives you eternal life. Jesus simply leads us into one side of the grave and out the other side into eternal life. That is why "Jesus... was made a little lower than the angels" (v. 9a). That is why Jesus became a man—to give you eternal life. That is what Christmas is all about—Jesus became a man to die for you and give you eternal life. Amen.