By Kenneth B.E. Roxburgh, Ph.D.
Chair and Armstrong Professor of Religion, Samford University
Why Did Jesus Come?
Luke 1:68–79
Luke 1 is often a passage which we read during Advent season, reminding ourselves of the incarnation of our Savior. However, the Scripture is relevant at any time of the year because it focuses our attention on the heart of our faith as Christians, the saving work of Christ.
Jesus Christ came to redeem us from defeat. (68–71)
Salvation is a complex idea and it is a word which is often used outside of the Christian context. In the first century there were many expressions of religious and secular “saviors,” often with the idea of political emancipation in view.
In our own cultural context, each of the world religions have some concept of what it means to experience salvation, differing enormously both with respect to how that salvation is achieved as well as what is experienced.
Furthermore, the term “salvation” has a threefold chronology in that salvation is experienced as something that affects the past, present and future.
We are saved from the penalty of sin, we are being saved from the power of sin in our lives and one day we will be finally saved from the presence of sin within our lives.
Jesus Christ came to redeem us from fear. (72–75)
The foundation and the assurance that this salvation will accomplish all that God had promised was based, in Zechariah’s mind, on the truth that God would “remember His holy covenant.”
The nature of God’s saving grace is such that the only thing we contribute to salvation is the sin from which we are saved. God has taken the initiative in determining to save His people and in sending a Savior to deliver us. From start to finish it is all because of His mercy and grace. This fills the hearts of Zechariah and all of God’s people with the assurance that not one of God’s promises will fail to be fulfilled.
Jesus Christ came to redeem us from sin. (76–79)
In verse 78, Luke uses two beautiful illustrations to convey the wonder of God’s saving grace. He speaks of the “tender mercy” of God. The phrase in Greek refers to the part of a being which controls the emotions. It is not found elsewhere in the New Testament. It speaks of the tenderness of God’s feelings of compassion toward sinners.
He is moved to love us from the depth of His being as a God of love. Our experience of this grace is like the dawn that breaks through the darkness of the night to bring light to our lives.
The outcome of experiencing the grace of God in mercy and forgiveness is that we are led “into the way of peace.”
Anxiety is probably one of the most common of everyday experiences. Sometimes it is characterized by a wave of worry that passes like a white cloud on a summer’s day, but often it’s associated with panic attacks, palpitations of the heart and a strong desire to escape and run away from the terrors of trouble.
To discover the grace of God, to trust in God will lead to experiencing the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, which “will guard (our) hearts and (our) minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
The closeness of God to our lives, the assurance that He knows all about our needs, means that a sense of peace within our hearts can be an actual reality as God guards our minds and hearts like a peace-keeping force to ensure we are not obsessed with worry.
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