Go Deeper

More Key Bible Verses

Read Galatians 4:4-5.

At just the right time, God sent his Son to be born of a woman so that he might live under the authority of the Law, and in doing so, fulfill it perfectly in our place.

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, To redeem them that were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

Read and study the following quotes from “A Humanitarian by Becoming Man” chapter 8 of God—The Ultimate Humanitarian.

There are many ways to think about Christmas. One of my favorites is to view it as a deployment. This is what the above verse states. The Greek word used for “sent” literally means “send on a mission.” God deployed his Son on a rescue mission. He came to “redeem those under the law.” The only way the Son of God could do this, however, was by taking our place. He couldn’t rescue us by just teaching us what we needed to do. Because sin had brainwashed humanity, we needed more than a teacher. Neither could he save us by showing us what to do. Because sin had incapacitated humanity, we needed more than an example. Nor could he help us by doing some of the work while we did the rest. Because sin had spiritually killed humanity, we needed more than a hand up. We needed somebody to do it all for us. We needed a substitute (Isaiah 53:5-6:23).

God—The Ultimate Humanitarian, 53-54

In order to save us, he (Jesus) had to be both God and man. He had to be man to serve as mankind’s substitute. He had to be God because only God could serve as a substitute for all humanity. “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them – the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough” (Psalm 49:7-8).

God—The Ultimate Humanitarian, 55