Because Jesus Was Born

December 21, 2023

by Doy Moyer

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

While the Gospels of Matthew and Luke give considerable space to the birth of Jesus and the surrounding events, the rest of the New Testament shows us what His coming into this world really means. He came into this world not merely to be born and be a man, but with a greater purpose of bringing redemption and salvation. Both Matthew and Luke highlight this purpose.

To Destroy the Works of Satan

Paul points out in Galatians 4 that Jesus was born at the right time and with great purpose. The phrase, “born of a woman,” may seem obvious as a physical fact, but I believe it underlines the connection back to Genesis 3:15 where the promise was made to the woman that her seed would bruise the head of the serpent (a fatal strike). In other words, as John would put it, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8). The Hebrews writer shows that Jesus partook of flesh and blood “that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14-15). The serpent’s head is crushed by the Seed of woman who also is the one true Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:15-18).

To Fulfill the Law and Set Men Free

Though Jesus was “born under the Law,” His purpose was to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) and thereby “redeem those who were under the Law.” The Law could not do what Jesus came to do. The Law accomplished what God intended for it, but it was never meant to be the end goal of God’s plans. It was a vehicle through which God would bring about the ultimate fulfillment of His plan in the Son (cf. Galatians 3:23-25). This would make it possible, then, that those who are in Christ would be set free from sin and death:

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh…” (Romans 8:1-3).

Because Jesus was born into this world to die and rise again, we can live confidently in Him knowing that there is no condemnation. We are forgiven, redeemed, and sanctified unto Him. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

To Give Men Adoption as Sons

Further, because Jesus was born, Paul writes, we may “receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). Salvation is more than forgiveness of sin. It is more than being spared from condemnation. Salvation is a complete change of status. We are adopted into God’s family with all of its rights of inheritance. “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:6-7).

“Abba, Father!” is the cry of sonship. It is what Jesus cried out in the garden as He yielded Himself to the will of the Father in going to the cross (Mark 14:36). Because Jesus did this, we become God’s children in a special way that will provide the inheritance of life. We have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you…” (I Peter 1:3-4). Because Jesus was born, we may be born again to hope, life, and the inheritance that belongs to the children of God. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (I John 3:1).