Why Did Jesus Come?Намуна

He Came to Destroy the Works of the Devil

Christmas destruction. The phrase doesn’t exactly give you all those warm holiday feelings inside. You’d probably rather think about other things related to Christ’s coming—things like pageants, presents, or peace on earth. That’s understandable. However, until we realize that there’s something in the world—and in us!—that needs to be destroyed, we will miss the meaning of why Jesus came.

So how is Christmas about destruction? Here’s how the apostle John put it in 1 John 3:8:

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

John wrote those words about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in a context where false teachers were saying that someone could believe in Christ while not seeking to live like Christ (3:4–10). In response, John says that right beliefs should produce right actions (2:6). Yet, the presence and power of sin often prevents us from living like Christ. Elsewhere in this letter John reminds us of . . .

• sin’s scope: it affects everyone, without exception (1:8)

• sin’s character: it is lawless and defiant in the face of God (3:4)

• sin’s origin: it began with the devil himself (3:8)

These truths about sin help explain why Christ’s coming was necessary for our salvation. Sin is the devil’s work, and Jesus came to destroy it by becoming an atoning sacrifice for our sins on the cross (1 John 2:1–2). Jesus is uniquely qualified to atone for our sins because he is righteous (2:29) and pure (3:3) and sinless (3:5).

We will spend all of eternity praising Christ for destroying the works of the devil. His death on the cross has fully paid for our sins and reconciled us to God.