Pastor's Corner

All of us have asked ourselves this question, “Why was I born?” or another similar one like “Why am I here?” or “What is my purpose?”

When we think about Easter coming up this Sunday, we should ask what does the Bible say is the reason why Jesus Christ was born, why did He come to earth, and what was His purpose?

In the Bible, Jesus is called: “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8b). God decreed that from the beginning that Jesus, the Son of God, would come to this world and die on the Cross of Calvary.

The Old Testament passage most quoted in the New Testament is Isaiah 53. These verses describe the sufferings of Christ. This chapter is one of the most graphic descriptions of Jesus Christ’s sufferings on the cross in the Scriptures, presenting details not even found in the New Testament of His afflictions. It is intriguing that most of the chapter is presented in either the perfect or past tense, indicating the events described as already having taken place.

The Hebrews often used the past or perfect tense to express the absolute certainty of an event taking place, even though that action might not have happened yet. We find in the Bible that a great deal of prophetic utterances are not written in the future tense, but rather, are written in the past, or perfect tense. This is referred to as “the prophetic perfect.”

Approximately one third of the four Gospel Accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), deal with the Passion Week [last week] of the life of Christ from the Triumphal Entry to His Resurrection. These writers of the New Testament emphasize this week because Jesus came to suffer for our sins.

It is abundantly clear from the Scriptures that Jesus was born to die.

There is a song written by Ron Hamilton called “Born To Die.”

1st Stanza

On the night Christ was born

Just before the break of morn,

As the stars in the sky were fading,

O’er the place where He lay,

Fell a shadow cold and gray

Of a cross that would humble a King.

Chorus

Born to die upon Calv’ry,

Jesus suffered my sin to forgive;

Born to die upon Calv’ry,

He was wounded that I might live.

2nd Stanza

Jesus knew when He came

He would suffer in shame,

He could feel ev’ry pain and sorrow.

But He left Paradise,

With His blood He paid the price -

My redemption to Jesus I owe.

3rd Stanza

From His throne Jesus came,

Laid aside Heaven’s fame

In exchange for the cross of Calv’ry;

For my gain suffered loss,

For my sin He bore the cross -

He was wounded and I was set free.

4th Stanza

Dearest Lord, evermore

May Thy cross I adore

As I follow the path to Calv’ry;

Of Thy death I partake,

My ambition I forsake -

All my will I surrender to Thee.

Jesus died for us in order for us to live. If He gave His all for us, than we are to give our all for Him.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Notice the word “reasonable.” We get our English word “logical” from this Greek word (logikos) which is translated reasonable here. In light of what Christ has done for us, giving of ourselves as a living sacrifice is the only reasonable and logical thing to do. This is how believers worship God, by giving of themselves totally to Him for His service.

The exhortation of the apostle Paul in this verse is in consideration of the mercies of God and all that He has done for us, in contemplation of Christ’s work of redemption on the cross and the great sacrifice He made there. It is only reasonable that believers give themselves to Him as living sacrifices for His service.

If Jesus died for us, ought not we to live for Him?

Isaac Watts expressed this same thought many years ago when he wrote:

Alas and Did My Savior Bleed

But drops of grief can ne’er repay

The debt of love I owe.

Here, Lord, I give myself away,

’Tis all that I can do!

Pastor Tim Wall, Macedonia Baptist Church, Colfax